What's the Least Powerful Daily Driver you can Think of?

"marshknute" (marshknute) 05/11/2014 at 10:35 • Filed to: None

3

58

It's confession time: I genuinely don't like powerful cars.

Accelerating in a fast car on public roads doesn't take skill, and you can only access 5% of the car's potential without violating the rules of the road. Take for example my dad's 2009 Audi S8: with a 450 hp 5.2 liter Lamborghini V10 under the hood, you can undertake a left-lane hog with even the smallest opening in traffic.

Yet, despite that power (and the glorious exhaust note), I don't enjoy driving the S8 that much. I much prefer my 2007 Audi A4 2.0T. Audi claims that it makes full torque (207 lb ft) at just 1800 rpm, but that's not true. The engine really doesn't wake up until about 2200-2500 rpm...and that's a good thing. It means that I have to pay attention to every hill and every curve, and work the gearbox accordingly to maintain speed.

To me, slow cars are way more fun to drive than fast cars, and the most fun car I have driven to date was my first car: a 1995 Mazda Miata (pictured above). Its diminutive 1.8 litre I4 made just 128 horsepower and 110 lb ft, at 6500 and 5000 rpm respectively. In other words, I had to drive it defensively and plan ahead. During highway driving, if I needed to overtake or make it up a steep hill, I had to double de-clutch from 5th to 4th.

Honestly, I'd love to own something even slower than the Miata for the sheer danger and lunacy. That's where I need your help, fellow Jalops.

What are some of the most underpowered cars you know of? Manual only please.

GhostZ > marshknute 05/11/2014 at 10:37

2

Used

New

Harris Lue > marshknute 05/11/2014 at 10:38

5

1979-1993 2.3L LX Mustangs

Mine is the 1993 with the most horsepower of all of the models at 105hp from the factory. I believe the 1979 models had around 75-80.

Still look damn good though.

Brian Silvestro > marshknute 05/11/2014 at 10:42

0

Fiesta 1.0L

sdwarf36 > marshknute 05/11/2014 at 10:42

0

My DD-a 91 VW Jetta-diesel. With 380k on it. Ok-the motor is now fresh=and has a turbo on it, but for many years is was a worn out non turbo. Slow was an understatment.

Slave2anMG > marshknute 05/11/2014 at 10:44

3

Let's talk power/weight ratios. An early 1980s Benz 240D is easily a DD now; 67 hp in a 3000 lb car makes for glacial acceleration....0-60 you can measure with a sundial.

anonsagainstanonymous > Harris Lue 05/11/2014 at 10:44

3

Wow! That is dreadful even to my snooty European senses. Is this why all your vehicles are so ridiculously overpowered these days? To make up for the 70's and 80's?

(It looks brilliant, by the way!)

Harris Lue > anonsagainstanonymous 05/11/2014 at 10:46

0

They had to do something to make up for the Gas Crisis era! The Mustang GT in my year model only had 245hp. Times were tough back then!

And thanks! Had to do something to make up for the sluggish nature, so at least someone has something nice to look at as I slowly roll by.

Chuck 2(O=[][]=O)2 > marshknute 05/11/2014 at 10:47

0

Mine.

Harris Lue > Brian Silvestro 05/11/2014 at 10:48

2

That 1.0l looks a lot like "lol"

Twingo Tamer - About to descend into project car hell. > marshknute 05/11/2014 at 10:48

0

The girlfriends DD, a mighty 54hp when new. It makes a lot less than that now.

ModerateSloth > marshknute 05/11/2014 at 10:48

0

With a 0-60 of around 10.5 seconds, this beauty would be a great choice. Plus it has plenty style to make up for that lack of power

Jayhawk Jake > marshknute 05/11/2014 at 10:51

2

Underpowered or ample power?

Underpowered is annoying to me, I feel like I always want more. Ample is great.

That's how I'd describe the Miata. It's not underpowered, it's ample. Newer Miata's are actually fairly powerful given their size, so I don't think it's a great example.

The most underpowered car I've personally driven was a rental Hyundai Accent. I true jalop form I must say I appreciated the simplicity, the car was so basic and light it was entertaining in it's own stupid way, but it had zero power

BugEyedBimmer - back in the Saddle Dakota Leather > Brian Silvestro 05/11/2014 at 10:52

0

Doesnt the 1.0EB actually make more power than the NA 1.6?

Conan > marshknute 05/11/2014 at 10:52

1

Elio

yamahog > marshknute 05/11/2014 at 10:55

0

If you live in a dry area, you can DD a Honda Rebel, putting out all of 16HP.

Brian Silvestro > Harris Lue 05/11/2014 at 10:55

1

It looks almost exactly like that when you don't capitalize the L

Brian Silvestro > BugEyedBimmer - back in the Saddle Dakota Leather 05/11/2014 at 10:56

2

Yes. This makes me wonder why they still even offer the car with the 4 cyl.

crowmolly > Jayhawk Jake 05/11/2014 at 10:56

0

Nailed it. Too little power is a safety issue. Not everything needs to be 600hp on the street, but 60hp can be dangerous.

It's like saying "4 wheel manual drums require more skill". Yes, they do, because the margin of error is razor thin. You don't need 8 piston 14" brakes but there's a point where less becomes inadequate.

Old-Busted-Hotness > marshknute 05/11/2014 at 10:58

0

I dailied a Yugo for many years. 45 hp but only 1800 lbs. Wasn't as bad as all that.

My fun car was a Healey Sprite, I built a 1275 for it and I'm guesstimating 80 hp in 1400 lbs.

My current Ranger has a whopping 150 hp, maybe 3500 lbs.

fhrblig > marshknute 05/11/2014 at 11:02

1

I have a Fiat 500 Sport that has a whopping 101 hp.

I took it up into the mountains last week, up some nice twisty roads. The smile never left my face. It's not fast, but it FEELS like it is. I love the engine note, and it corners great. Also, I get around 36-37 mpg, and that's with a very heavy right foot.

hollanddjw 1 > anonsagainstanonymous 05/11/2014 at 11:04

0

You know that BMW made E46 3-series with that amount of power and less, right? Considering that the Fox is lighter than the E46 platform, you fill in the blanks.

wkiernan > marshknute 05/11/2014 at 11:05

0

There's the Jeep DJ on the front page, and to take the lo-power ideal to an extreme, here's Chris Harris's 2CV.

E30Joe drives a Subaru > Harris Lue 05/11/2014 at 11:06

1

318is

Owned one, real slow.

jkm7680 > marshknute 05/11/2014 at 11:10

0

Awesome, I used to have a 2008 A4 2.0T S-Line package. Great little car. I've now got a B5.

As far as underpowered goes, I'd have to say that the base model Chevy Spark isn't super powerful.

wkiernan > GhostZ 05/11/2014 at 11:13

0

What a beauty - it's a '66! I think so anyway, at least if it was originally a U.S. market car, because '66 was the first year for the flat hubcaps and '67 had sealed-beam headlights. I had a white '66; mine had a sunroof. The 1300 cc engine was factory-rated at 44 HP, a 10% increase from the previous year's 1200's 40 HP.

Renescent > marshknute 05/11/2014 at 11:19

0

When I graduated from high school, my dad helped me buy a brand new Hyundai Excel... 68 HP, 85 Torque; I could hit 85 MPH with a good tailwind.

185k miles, 1 clutch, 1 seized brake rotor. There are times when I miss the simplicity.

anonsagainstanonymous > hollanddjw 1 05/11/2014 at 11:39

1

That's also dreadful to my snooty Eurpean senses, but it is European, so it doesn't come as a surprise. A few countries over here, like the Netherlands and Denmark don't require much power to get around in, so you end up with some incredibly weak models for them.

Shiftright > hollanddjw 1 05/11/2014 at 12:09

0

Yeah, but the BMW used a 1.9 liter engine to produce 138 hp, whereas Ford needed 2.3 liters of old Pinto motor to wheeze out 88. American manufacturers used to be kings of low horsepower /displacement ratio.

Tony Dickson > marshknute 05/11/2014 at 12:31

0

1969 VW Beetle, 1969 MG Midget, 1982 Mercedes-Benz 300SD... geez, I've owned quite a few underpowered cars.

Your boy, BJR > marshknute 05/11/2014 at 12:53

0

my co worker is trying to buy a '91 Geo Metro convertible. It's brown and has scuderia Ferrari shields on the fender. Idk how much power it has but it can't be too much. Unless those Ferrari shields are a subtle hint at an engine swa......HOLY SHIT THAT NEEDS TO HAPPEN

webmonkees > marshknute 05/11/2014 at 14:11

0

Get out of my way, the passing light is on. It takes such a long time that Subaru felt an additional warning light was needed.

hollanddjw 1 > anonsagainstanonymous 05/11/2014 at 14:25

0

Agreed- and one of the strangest dichotomies about Germany, I've found, is that there are roads with absolutely no speed limit, but ~90% of all cars on the road are 3- or 4-cylinder economy cars.

hollanddjw 1 > Shiftright 05/11/2014 at 14:31

0

According to Wikipedia, the M43B19 (the 8-valve I4 I'm referring to) made a maximum of 118hp. Also, consider that there's almost a 30-year delta between the times of those two engines' introductions.

Not disputing that American manufacturers made some giant piles of shit, just pointing out that they aren't the only ones to have done so.

Philbert/Phartnagle > marshknute 05/11/2014 at 15:34

0

A 50cc scooter should give you all the low powered danger and lunacy you would ever desire, but sadly it doesn't meet all of your criteria. Import one of those little Japanese kei cars or get one of those little trucks they bring over maybe?

HammerheadFistpunch > marshknute 05/11/2014 at 15:48

0

power to weight? 91 fj80. 155 hp, 4800 lbs.

XJDano > marshknute 05/11/2014 at 16:52

0

Stock metro like my 98 is at 55hp, now at 254K miles, I'm sure makes less. But I still drive it on highways at 75. 3cyl 1L 5 speed, around 38 mpg, more if you slow down on hwy. Manual everything!

BugEyedBimmer - back in the Saddle Dakota Leather > Brian Silvestro 05/11/2014 at 17:01

0

Its a money ploy. Brands stack their offerings to bring the appeal to more expensive options to give them that extra little bit of profit. It's like the Jetta S's 2.slow. It actually costs more to make because it's not in any other model. I've come to call it the "poor tax".

Jordan and the Slowrunner, Boomer Intensifies > hollanddjw 1 05/11/2014 at 17:01

1

Also, that 2.3 is damn near bulletproof and cheap to maintain. Along with that, there is a huge aftermarket for it.

Brian Silvestro > BugEyedBimmer - back in the Saddle Dakota Leather 05/11/2014 at 17:03

1

Well that's unfortunate.

Jordan and the Slowrunner, Boomer Intensifies > crowmolly 05/11/2014 at 17:06

0

I know what it's like to have to time my gaps exactly and when it is too little space to merge all because I drive something that is underpowered. I think everybody should start out with something without any power. It teaches patience.

hollanddjw 1 > Jordan and the Slowrunner, Boomer Intensifies 05/11/2014 at 17:46

0

Whereas the BMW 1.9 is a pile of shit with no aftermarket and a propensity to leak (and starve itself of) oil. The OE exhaust design for it is stupid as well... 4-2 manifold that goes into a 2-1 single piece all the way to the back of the car.

Jordan and the Slowrunner, Boomer Intensifies > hollanddjw 1 05/11/2014 at 18:04

1

So we can agree that comparing these engines is apples to rotten oranges?

mazdaspeed2 > marshknute 05/11/2014 at 19:29

0

My Mazda 2! It is seriously sluggish, but like you said it is more fun that way. The tuning makes 0 sense to me. It feels like it peaks at 2500rpm drops down then starts to get lively again around 3700rpm, but it is happy when you get past 3700. It is slow enough to drive at 10/10ths almost everywhere legally.

Shiftright > hollanddjw 1 05/11/2014 at 20:32

1

True, no one manufacturer can claim exemption from crappy crap mistakes, although that doesn't stop the Germans from successfully convincing people otherwise.

MonkeePuzzle > marshknute 05/11/2014 at 22:20

0

my sheep in wolf's clothing was the slowest accelerating car I've ever daylied. 1.8L engine with the parasitic drain of AWD. Slow onto the highway, but I ADORED it

chuck07 > Slave2anMG 05/11/2014 at 22:30

0

Once you get it up to 75 and set the cruise control (On the off chance it works) that thing will go forever.

Slave2anMG > chuck07 05/12/2014 at 08:44

0

I drove this one for 6 years; it was happy at 70....75 was a bit much. Cruise did die once but the A/C needed love every 18 months.

Harris Lue > E30Joe drives a Subaru 05/12/2014 at 12:41

0

Another case of looking amazing and going nowhere!

hollanddjw 1 > Jordan and the Slowrunner, Boomer Intensifies 05/12/2014 at 17:36

0

Very much so!

hollanddjw 1 > Shiftright 05/12/2014 at 17:37

0

"dur hur jermin injunerin"

-your Jetta-driving aunt

Ricky Weston > marshknute 05/13/2014 at 16:44

0

I love my '04 S600... It's running 650hp and ~780tq at the crank... Oh wait, you said underpowered...

Tom McParland > marshknute 05/25/2014 at 11:10

0

While this isn't the "slowest" DD, I am increasingly becoming interested in the F30 320i. A lot of people will say that 35k for 180hp in a BMW is a rip-off, however is 5 grand more for 240 a better buy? I'm still figuring that out.

George McNally > marshknute 05/25/2014 at 19:42

0

I owned in succession...a 1980 Ford Fairmont and a 1988 Ford Tempo-both equipped with the 88 horsepower 2.3 4 cylinder. I spent 16 years of my life driving one of Ford's most agricultural engines.

My current car has a 138 horsepower motor.......

thebigbossyboss > Harris Lue 05/26/2014 at 15:57

1

My brothers friend had one of those. (Not sure what year). My 1992 Tempo went at about the same speed as it.

puddler > marshknute 05/26/2014 at 16:55

0

my 2.5 blazer put out 92hp when new. 26 years ago. before new gas. it's probably good for 70hp or so now. @ 2900 lbs.

Harris Lue > thebigbossyboss 05/26/2014 at 17:03

0

Yeah, they are painfully slow!

willconltd > marshknute 06/05/2014 at 12:14

0

I usually DD one of the coupes, but I have this old beat up ranger that I use for home depot runs and to get mulch and stuff like that. It is absolutely the slowest thing on the planet. It has the 2.3l 4 cylinder and a good old 5 speed. 112 hp and a roaring 135 ft lbs! The problem with this truck is it just won't die! I keep waiting on it to pass on to the next world so I can get a newer truck like a Tacoma or something. Nope. Won't die. All I do is change the fluids and put gas in it. AC compressor started leaking from the middle of the housing a few years ago; 2 hours later and $150 at Napa and the damn thing was blowing like Antarctica. They didn't change the design or mechanicals for 20 years so its extremely simple and most parts can be found at your local U-Pull-N-Pay. However, on the interstate it needs a strong wind and a little hope to get up to 80.

willconltd > Harris Lue 06/05/2014 at 12:15

0

You think that car is slow, try the same engine in a RANGER!