1) if the vehicle only holds one person plus a little cargo, then it will be only be good for going to and from work. It will not be good for a family to use, even for Mom running errands (lots of cargo space needed) or running kids to/from appointments.
2) gas tank size. A car that small will have a small gas tank, which limits how far it can go between fill-ups. Gas adds a lot of weight to the car, especially for a 4-cylinder one. I remember when I had my first Focus with the less powerful engine, and it always was sluggish on a full tank of gas. Best milage was when I had 3/4th of a tank.
3) with a top speed of 70 MPH, most people will be driving it at max speed most of the time. this will wear out the engine faster. so I think the engine needs to be rated for 100 MPH (although maybe a spoiler of some sort could limit it to 75 with the gas pedal down to the floor).
4) safety: how safe would a car like that be if there is an accident? What about handling during snow and rain?
5) other amenities: Would the car be able to support an A/C for the summer? would it be able to be automatic for those of us who will not drive a standard? also keep in mind some people are tall and/or wide and this need more space to fit in the car (although that is an issue with some small cars today).
I *do* like the idea here. No new car design will be perfect for everyone. I think the handling in bad weather and safety in case of accident will be the big issues, assuming people understand this is a single person only car with little cargo space.
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timeasmymeasure
no subject
Date: 2007-07-22 03:53 am (UTC)1) if the vehicle only holds one person plus a little cargo, then it will be only be good for going to and from work. It will not be good for a family to use, even for Mom running errands (lots of cargo space needed) or running kids to/from appointments.
2) gas tank size. A car that small will have a small gas tank, which limits how far it can go between fill-ups. Gas adds a lot of weight to the car, especially for a 4-cylinder one. I remember when I had my first Focus with the less powerful engine, and it always was sluggish on a full tank of gas. Best milage was when I had 3/4th of a tank.
3) with a top speed of 70 MPH, most people will be driving it at max speed most of the time. this will wear out the engine faster. so I think the engine needs to be rated for 100 MPH (although maybe a spoiler of some sort could limit it to 75 with the gas pedal down to the floor).
4) safety: how safe would a car like that be if there is an accident? What about handling during snow and rain?
5) other amenities: Would the car be able to support an A/C for the summer? would it be able to be automatic for those of us who will not drive a standard? also keep in mind some people are tall and/or wide and this need more space to fit in the car (although that is an issue with some small cars today).
I *do* like the idea here. No new car design will be perfect for everyone. I think the handling in bad weather and safety in case of accident will be the big issues, assuming people understand this is a single person only car with little cargo space.