Sun 6 Aug 2006
Okay, I test drove the Lexus IS250. I didn’t feel that it had any more power with its 54 more horses than my current Accord. James had suggested that I don’t have power to pass cars on the freeway because I’m not stepping hard enough on my gas. He said the power comes after 85% of the pedal is pushed, and I’m supposed to feel a click or something. I’ve never felt a click. Well, after that disappointing test drive (the only thing that disappointed was the power not being that different; the car itself and the navigation system was very nice. Oh, and the interest rates that Lexus is offering, 7%-8% regardless of credit score, was disappointing also), I decided to experiment with my car. I pushed the gas pedal down on the freeway, and my car had a little burst of speed! Holy moly. I feel just a little bit lame.
I still want to test-drive the Infiniti. Just to see.
Just a clarification — you usually get 100% of your power when you press the pedal down to 85%.
When you push the pedal to the ground and get the “Click” it drops to the lowest gear possible. Lower Gears multiply your torque at the cost of engine speed (I.e., you get a kick in the back for the length of that gear).
In an auto car your engine may feel weak if the car is designed to prefer higher gears most of the time (For comfort and fuel economy.) It doesnt matter how much HP you have, high gears always feel slow. Many cars have a “ECS Power” mode. This causes the car to stay in low gears more often to give you a sensation of more power. When you need to pass, push it until you get the click and it will maximize your torque.
BTW, Torque is what ends up accelerating your car. Horsepower is directly related (more HP eventually leads to more Torque) but the relationship is more complicated than I should get into lest I make people board with the technical details :).
Oh one last thought here. When you go on a test drive make sure to tell the salesman that one of the reasons you are thinking of trading is due to the extra power.
This leads you to ask him if you can push the car on the test drive. I.e., you want to floor it at least once to feel the difference. (Most salesman won’t mind)
P.S., I also recommend not to buy the car that you demo :). Try to look for a lower mileage one. It is not a good thing to floor a brand new car until engine breakin is done. But a few times won’t hurt. If there’s too many miles on the new car – think about all the other test drives people have done. Most critical test drivers WILL floor it.
If you don’t floor it you won’t notice the power difference. You either won’t get 100% engine power, or the car will be in comfort mode / high gear. Even in my car if you drive it as if you would drive your accord it would feel just as civil & slow as the accord. If you punch the gas in high gear — it won’t feel fast either. But you dump it at 1st gear it feels like a rocket.
A lot of people don’t get all the information they should out of a test drive. Here’s a few hints:
1) Floor the gas on a straightaway
2) Turn the radio off. Listen for creaks/rattles.
3) Listen to the engine noise. Is it too loud for you? Too Quiet?
4) Try to make a spirited turn / curve. Check how responsive or loose the steering is, and how “In Control” the car feels when it is turning quickly.
5) Check the turning radius. (Make a U-Turn).
6) Listen to road and tire noise / wind. How quiet is it inside the car?
7) Try to drive over a rough road. How bumpy / harsh is the suspension?
Wow, how come I never knew you knew this stuff? Then again, I guess what you knew at 15 is different from what you know at 27? 28?
I did talk to the salesman about power. I did punch it a little on the straightaway. It was such a smooth gear change that I heard it more than felt it. Yup, the radio was off the whole time. No noise. Very little engine/road noise with the windows up. That was another thing I was looking for. I didn’t do a spirited turn because there were cars around me so I did a nice responsible turn. I didn’t do a u-turn, darn, should’ve thought of it. The turning radius is another thing I liked in my parents’ Volvos that I drove before buying the Accord. I remember touching the gas in my dad’s 850 and the car would jump forward. Now that was some responsive gas pedal. I loved that, the power it felt like it had. And there was no harsh road to drive over so I couldn’t test the suspension.
I’ve always associated stepping on the gas pedal with wasting gas. That’s why I normally stay in the shallow first 20% of the depression and just wait for the gears to kick in. If this isn’t how a car works, and “pushin’ the pedal to the metal” is just a switch to cue your car into more torque/lower gear/higher power, then I’m gonna do it more often!
The 7%-8% financing for excellent credit scores is ridiculous, I know, they did the same thing to me. Be patient, that APR will change in the next week or two when they offer their next financing incentive.. remember they’re trying to push these cars out the door (2006s)… so you have some time to still do some research..
Considering that at 15 I didn’t even know how to drive — I think I had a reasonable excuse for not knowing about cars.
Cars are one of my hobbies, and I tend to do a lot of research on things I like. I used to do the autocrossing thing, as well as going to the drag strip to run my car. You learn a lot from taking a car to its limit in a controlled environment. I guess that’s where I picked most of this up from.
And yes, 20% is not enough gas to communicate to the car’s computer that you need power immediately. If you need gas, you have to stomp it.
Hitting the gas hard is not necessarily wasting gas. The energy does go towards propelling your car (although at high RPMs you do waste more energy moving the engine and accessories). You probably waste more gas hitting the brakes than flooring the car.
P.S., if you are getting a performance car — don’t forget that many of them require premium fuel. Especially cars with small engines that produce a lot of horsepower.
James
Jordan – I’m so glad you mentioned the end-of-month dealership incentives earlier. The luxury of having time on my side is great leverage. I can wait until they offer me something I’d WANT to take.
James – Darn it, stupid gas prices. Are the cars I’m looking at in the category of premium gas cars? Argh, too…many…factors……. brain…imploding…
The 250 MAY take regular.
The 350 must be premium, and I believe the infiniti G35 is premium as well.
BTW End of the month is a great time to buy a car :). That’s when I did mine.
And as you know.. never take their first offer. Or even their second. I just purchased a vehicle.. didn’t agree on the finance rate so I told them the deal was off after they told me that was the best they could do. They also knew I did not need a car.. simply was bored with my old one, so I was NOT in a hurry. The finance guy said “ok, well let me tell the manager so we can cancel everything” I said “ok”… the manager came in and of course offered me a better deal than their “absolute best deal”. Hmmph. I took that one. With gas prices the way they are.. I SHOULD have bought a Hyundai Sonata instead of an SUV.