The fast, furious and economical
Are you more concerned with how quickly you can leave a stop light? Or, how far you travel between fill-ups? Do you care more about how your car corners? Or, how smoothly it rides on the highway? It's important to know your priorities, because when it comes time to compare engines - it's easy to get hung up on numbers.
Automotive engineering gets technical fast so to keep things simple, this section will just provide general overviews. If you're looking for more detailed technical info, visit our Engines & Transmissions section.
A Quick Look at Engines
Between horsepower (hp), engine displacement (L), and the engine type (e.g. V6), there's a lot to consider. Try not to get caught up in the numbers game, horsepower ratings can be misleading and sometimes a smaller engine displacement or an engine with fewer cylinders can perform as well or better than an engine with greater displacement or more cylinders.
Things to Keep in Mind:
- There's no substitute for a test drive. Take vehicles with various engines out for a drive to decide what suits you best.
- Consider a vehicle's fuel efficiencyand whether it requires premium gasoline, these factors will affect the cost of ownership over the long term.
Transmissions at a Glance
For the most part, choosing between a manual or automatic transmission is your personal preference, but there are certain trade-offs in making the choice. As with engines, there is no substitute for test driving vehicles with various transmissions to decide what's right for you.
The plus side of going manual:
- It's often the more economical choice when buying.
- "Hands-on" control means you can respond faster to changing driving conditions.
- You feel more "connected" to the vehicle.
- It can be (but not always) less expensive to repair.
The plus side of going automatic:
- It's an easier drive. You don't have to keep shifting gears and physically working the clutch.
- Some, but not all, include enhanced traction features like traction control.
- It may be more attractive to buyers when you decide to sell.
