NationStates Jolt Archive

Chevy Cobalt at 205 HP(38mpg) or Honda Insight at 66 HP(66mpg)

Chevy Cobalt at 205 HP(38mpg) or Honda Insight at 66 HP(66mpg)
Umm... I already asked them this, Nathan.
http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showthread.php?t=452022

I can't imagine driving anything with 66 horsepower. That's like a big lawnmower, not a car.

Umm... I already asked them this, Nathan.
http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showthread.php?t=452022

this is hard evidence, and with the title, able to get more people involved as they will know what they are going to be voting on, before they vote

It's an awful choice. I don't trust American cars to hold together, so the Chevy sucks. Cars with 66 horsepower would probably get me killed trying to merge onto the highway, so the Honda sucks. If those were my only two choices I might just take public transportation.

At least the Honda should be able to go round corners.

/stereotype

205 hp getting 38 mpg?
Thats great!

I've had mainly American made cars and they've all been good.
I'll be keeping my Seville for at least two more years-I dont put a lot of miles on it.
I have 5 people in my family- I cant consider something with 66hp-thats just silly.

Chevy Cobalt:
0-60mph=6.4 seconds
Top speed: 143 mph

Honda Insight:
0-60mph=10.9 seconds
Top speed: 112 mph

Sure it's no sports car, but what's the last lawn mower you saw that had a top speed of 112 mph? there's more to a car than just horsepower. The Honda weighs a lot less.

Chevy Cobalt:
0-60=6.4 seconds
Top speed: 143 mph

Honda Insight:
0-60=10.9 seconds
Top speed: 112 mph

Sure it's no sports car, but what's the last lawn mower you saw that had a top speed of 112 mph? there's more to a car than just horsepower. The Honda weighs a lot less.
The figures for the Insight there aren't that bad really. Certainly not fast, but not slow either.

The figures for the Insight there aren't that bad really. Certainly not fast, but not slow either.
Yeah, see what I mean? pretty damn impressive for 66 Horses!

Yeah, see what I mean? pretty damn impressive for 66 Horses!
The again...acceleration has next to nothing to do with BHP. It's all about the torque.

Yes, I know torque is related to BHP, but that's not the point.

Yeah, see what I mean? pretty damn impressive for 66 Horses!

but who wants a vehicle with 66 hp, simply look cool. no one wants a car that can perform to sport cars. sport cars are the way to go, way cooler to drive too

but who wants a vehicle with 66 hp, simply look cool. no one wants a car that can perform to sport cars. sport cars are the way to go, way cooler to drive too

Based on those specs, no one would KNOW you had only 66 horse power. You wouldn't stand out either way, too fast or too slow. And I don't give a damn about 'looking cool'. On the list of things I care about, that's really low.

EDIT: and it's not like the Cobalt is a 'sports car' by any stretch of the imagination.

Based on those specs, no one would KNOW you had only 66 horse power. You wouldn't stand out either way, too fast or too slow. And I don't give a damn about 'looking cool'. On the list of things I care about, that's really low.

yeah they would, there would have no sound coming from it, making people think its gutless, which it is. you wouldnt also have the peformance as a 205 hp supercharger. u cant do anything to a 66 horsepower, cant tow anything, it would barely get up hills. its like, hey man, im driving a modified lawnmower. loser!!!

yeah they would, there would have no sound coming from it, making people think its gutless, which it is. you wouldnt also have the peformance as a 205 hp supercharger. u cant do anything to a 66 horsepower, cant tow anything, it would barely get up hills. its like, hey man, im driving a modified lawnmower. loser!!!
Very often even a 205bhp car is useless for towing as well. It's been tuned, so the torque and horsepower is right up at the top of the rev range.

A car needs torque low down in the rev range for towing...that's why trains are often diesel with a huge stroke and producing little bhp; creates armfulls of low down torque, perfect for pulling.

yeah they would, there would have no sound coming from it, making people think its gutless, which it is. you wouldnt also have the peformance as a 205 hp supercharger. u cant do anything to a 66 horsepower, cant tow anything, it would barely get up hills. its like, hey man, im driving a modified lawnmower. loser!!!
I don't need to tow anything. Ever. As for the loser comment, see above; I don't care. and as for the hills, scroll down this link:
http://www.insightcentral.net/KB/faq-performance.html (scroll down and read this)

Very often even a 205bhp car is useless for towing as well. It's been tuned, so the torque and horsepower is right up at the top of the rev range.

A car needs torque low down in the rev range for towing...that's why trains are often diesel with a huge stroke and producing little bhp; creates armfulls of low down torque, perfect for pulling.

True, but 205hp would do far better than at 66 hp

no one wants a gutless insight, people want power and the cobalt it where its at. well im off to the dealership

And, it's just such a beautiful idea. Efficiency is a beautiful thing. The Insight actually cuts the engine out of the system when you brake, and uses the energy you waste braking to run through a generator, rather than wasting it. It also has an idle cutoff for waiting at intersections. And, when going down hills, it shuts the engine off, too.

Oh come oon, what a lame discussion. Don't you guys know that all your american cars suck? Sure they make a pretty noise, and okay, maybe their fast in a straight line, but what's the price you pay for that?
Take for example the Renault megane sport. It has a 2 litre engine that generates 225 bhp. Not so much more you would think? Well, i would like to see which car gets around a track the fastest?
If you american people are looking for a nice car, buy a european one. Whilst you people are talking about INSANE gas prices, we here in europe have even higher, yes higher, gas prices. we're talking of more than 4$ a gallon. Take that in mind before you go whining about INSANE fuel prices. Instead of making the next 7.0 litre car, make one that doesn't crashes going in a chicane.

Oh come oon, what a lame discussion. Don't you guys know that all your american cars suck? Sure they make a pretty noise, and okay, maybe their fast in a straight line, but what's the price you pay for that?
Take for example the Renault megane sport. It has a 2 litre engine that generates 225 bhp. Not so much more you would think? Well, i would like to see which car gets around a track the fastest?
If you american people are looking for a nice car, buy a european one. Whilst you people are talking about INSANE gas prices, we here in europe have even higher, yes higher, gas prices. we're talking of more than 4$ a gallon. Take that in mind before you go whining about INSANE fuel prices. Instead of making the next 7.0 litre car, make one that doesn't crashes going in a chicane.
First of all, jackass, I'm a Canadian, not American. If you'd paid attention you would have seen that. Secondly, in Canada our gas prices are almost the same as yours - it's the states who has it dirt cheap. And thirdly, if you'll pay attention, the car I'm talking about has THREE cylinders! I'm NOT a fan of power over efficiency, which you would have seen if you'd read the thread at all.

At least put a Hemi-powered car up there. I think the new Charger with 425 HP would be a good choice. Dodge even claims it gets 20 MPG.

At least put a Hemi-powered car up there. I think the new Charger with 425 HP would be a good choice. Dodge even claims it gets 20 MPG.
Well, if you go to the other thread I linked to at the beginning, the topic there is more general, power versus fuel economy. That's what the original argument was about.

Meh. If you're truly serious about fuel efficiency, you get a motorcycle.

If everything else were equal I'd go with fuel efficiency, but not everything else is equal. Between these two car options, the Insight is stick-shift and made outside the US, whereas the Cobalt has an optional automatic transmission and is built right here in Ohio (Lordstown, to be exact). I'd have to go with the Cobalt.

Meh. If you're truly serious about fuel efficiency, you get a motorcycle.

If everything else were equal I'd go with fuel efficiency, but not everything else is equal. Between these two car options, the Insight is stick-shift and made outside the US, whereas the Cobalt has an optional automatic transmission and is built right here in Ohio (Lordstown, to be exact). I'd have to go with the Cobalt.
You can get the Insight as an automatic, too, can't you? and yes, I agree about the motorcycles. That's actually what I would drive in a heart-beat if it weren't for a couple things: one, that they're dangerous, and you never survive a crash on one, and two, that you can't realistically drive a motorcycle in winter. I don't know how bad winters get in Ohio, but here a motorcycle is out of the question in winter.

EDIT: where are you getting that motorcycles are more fuel efficient? I'm looking at the Suzuki Hayabusa right now, and it's gas mileage is only 35 MPG, compared to the insight's 80. (Of course, the Hayabusa has a top speed of 300 km/h :eek:. Is there a specific bike you're thinking of?)

True, but 205hp would do far better than at 66 hp
Did you actually read my post?

more BHP =/= more pulling power

for everyone out there, just buy a real car with power, not some 66 hp hunk of junk with no performance

for everyone out there, just buy a real car with power, not some 66 hp hunk of junk with no performance
As long as gas is three bucks a gallon or more, performance has to take a back seat to efficiency in my book. What good does it do to have a car that can get where it's going marginally faster if I can't afford to get it there in the first place, or if I can't afford to do anything once I get there? Got to have priorities.

As long as gas is three bucks a gallon or more, performance has to take a back seat to efficiency in my book. What good does it do to have a car that can get where it's going marginally faster if I can't afford to get it there in the first place, or if I can't afford to do anything once I get there? Got to have priorities.

Gas is cheap for the states right now, in the states, itd cost me right now to fill my truck 70 bucks canadian. with the american prices, it cost me 57 bucks canadian. So I think americans dont have to worry about paying insane gas prices.

The Toyota Prius has 70 mpg, or 4 litres per 100 km...

Ah, but you are probably talking about american gallons, not real ones:p ...

The Toyota Prius has 70 mpg, or 4 litres per 100 km...

Ah, but you are probably talking about american gallons, not real ones:p ...


No one wants a prius, what sucks is how people want efficiency over power. probably if I added this poll to a real car thread, be a completely different result. Power with me, dont need no grandmas car.

No one wants a prius, what sucks is how people want efficiency over power. probably if I added this poll to a real car thread, be a completely different result. Power with me, dont need no grandmas car.
Pfft just because you lost both polls is no reason to be a sore loser and try to discredit the results. We had an argument, and the people have spoken.

As you can see, from the MSN chat log:
01/11/2005 11:45:09 AM From: the cobalt will soon be mine To: 4,891 km tracked and counting... Message: and people dont care as much with getting 40 mpg in the cobalt compared to 70 in the insight, people would rather have power and performance.

The original argument was: whether the 'people' preferred efficiency or power. There was no need to start another thread, the other one proved it already.

I chose My silveraudo

Oh come oon, what a lame discussion. Don't you guys know that all your american cars suck? Sure they make a pretty noise, and okay, maybe their fast in a straight line, but what's the price you pay for that?
Take for example the Renault megane sport. It has a 2 litre engine that generates 225 bhp. Not so much more you would think? Well, i would like to see which car gets around a track the fastest?
If you american people are looking for a nice car, buy a european one. Whilst you people are talking about INSANE gas prices, we here in europe have even higher, yes higher, gas prices. we're talking of more than 4$ a gallon. Take that in mind before you go whining about INSANE fuel prices. Instead of making the next 7.0 litre car, make one that doesn't crashes going in a chicane.
The Ford GT.

The Toyota Prius has 70 mpg, or 4 litres per 100 km...

Ah, but you are probably talking about american gallons, not real ones:p ...
Um, I've driven a Prius. The only way to get 70 mpg in that car is to drive like a narcoleptic 98 year old. If you accelerate very, very slowly you can on average get about 55 mpg. More normal driving gets you between 44-48 mpg. OTOH I've got a '98 BMW 318ti and that does get about 30 mpg and is much more fun to drive.

Meh. If you're truly serious about fuel efficiency, you get a motorcycle.

If everything else were equal I'd go with fuel efficiency, but not everything else is equal. Between these two car options, the Insight is stick-shift and made outside the US, whereas the Cobalt has an optional automatic transmission and is built right here in Ohio (Lordstown, to be exact). I'd have to go with the Cobalt.
Except auto transmissions lose you about 5mpg in 4 bangers. Also, sticks are just more fun to drive.

Also, sticks are just more fun to drive.
Absolutely!

Except auto transmissions lose you about 5mpg in 4 bangers. Also, sticks are just more fun to drive.
Not when pulling a load (they can do it fine but it is by no means “fun”)

Gas is cheap for the states right now, in the states, itd cost me right now to fill my truck 70 bucks canadian. with the american prices, it cost me 57 bucks canadian. So I think americans dont have to worry about paying insane gas prices.
Expensive by our standards--we're used to paying about half what we're paying now. Now don't get me wrong--I'd love to see gas prices stay as high as they are or higher, simply because that's what it's going to take to force the American consumer to stop driving Ford Expeditions everywhere--but then again, I drive a '99 Hyundai that gets better than 30 mpg in the city, and when I buy something new, it'll be a hybrid that gets considerably better than that.

Expensive by our standards--we're used to paying about half what we're paying now. Now don't get me wrong--I'd love to see gas prices stay as high as they are or higher, simply because that's what it's going to take to force the American consumer to stop driving Ford Expeditions everywhere--but then again, I drive a '99 Hyundai that gets better than 30 mpg in the city, and when I buy something new, it'll be a hybrid that gets considerably better than that.

oh come on. This is pointless thread now, I'll move it to a real car thread, instead of people who actually care about the environment, losers!!!