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Originally Posted by Daox
There really isn't a big penalty for having the extra horsepower.
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But there definitely is a penalty for it.
There's
no big penalty for any gas sucking feature - but add all of them and you'll end up with a gas-guzzler.
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Sadly, 60 or even 75 hp would be laughed at and completely slammed by nearly all car reviewers and consumers in the US.
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That's another unfortunate side-effect of having nearly free gasoline.
There's plenty of cars in Europe in that HP range.
There were even more of them back in the days when our cars weren't as big and heavy as they are now.
Yet we can cope with them, so why can't Americans ?
Safety is not really the issue - just about all European countries have better safety statistics than the US.
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Reviewers of the new Prius C are already harping on it being so slow, and it has 99 hp and electric assist!
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Of course, when you're used to testing the kind of big overpowered gas monsters that fill the US roads, and when your fuel is paid for by your readers, the li'l Prius C will lose its attractiveness to the tester who'd rather be in a far less down-to-earth vehicle.