Quote:
Originally Posted by HypermilerAX
Safety adds weight, that's not a myth. In the late 80's, we had a 5-seater car with four cylinder engine that weighed 1420 lbs with no expensive materials, the AX. The car was rated 60 mpg at 56 mph in 1986.
To what are due the 550 lbs difference if it's not due to safety and comfort ?
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Citroen AX
Wheelbase 2,280 mm (89.8 in)
Length 3,525 mm (138.8 in)
Width 1,555 mm (61.2 in)
Height 1,355 mm (53.3 in)
Mirage:
Wheelbase 2,450 mm (96.5 in) +6.3"
Length 3,710 mm (146.1 in) +7.3"
Width 1,665 mm (65.6 in) +4.4"
Height 1,490 mm (58.7 in) +5.4"
That's a huge difference in size. The AX is smaller in many key dimensions than the cars competing in the segment
below the Mirage in Asia. Aside from the bigger footprint, there's the extra 200cc of engine, the air-conditioning (the AX was only 640 kg without AC), power steering and other niceties that come standard on the Mirage.
The non-federalized Mirage is 825 kg. The cars it competes with are all around 900-1000 kg (non-federalized... without airbags, to boot). The AX-sized cars in the segment below weigh between 690-760 kg, about 200 kg less. Subtract 200 kg from the Mirage to theoretically shrink it down to AX size, and you have around 625 kg. With AC. Works for me.
Like I've opined in the Cruze thread... yes... weight is an issue, but we should also consider the fact that cars have been drifting upwards in terms of market segments over the past few decades. The Mirage is very small by today's standards, but it's not quite as small as you think.
