Cars That Are Not as Fast as They Look

By Auto Parts Warehouse on October 22, 2015

Over the years, automakers have released some vehicles with sporty looks, only to equip them with underpowered engines or less than capable suspension systems. The performance of these cars just can’t match their sporty looks.

Here are some examples of vehicles that aren’t as fast as they look:

Hyundai Veloster

Source: Wikipedia

The Veloster, with its assymetrical door layout and overall funky design (in bright colors, too), definitely has the looks. It doesn’t have the engine to back that up, though. The Turbo, which has a 1.6-liter turbocharged inline-four cylinder engine and a six-speed manual, needs almost 7.0 seconds to get to 60 miles per hour. The base model, which only has a naturally aspirated engine, definitely does worse.

Dodge Dart

Source: Wikipedia

The new Dart has the aggressive styling that makes it seem like it can go pretty fast. Well, at least as fast as a 4-door econo car can go. Anyway, even with the relatively big 2.4-liter engine, the Dart needs a little more than 8.0 seconds to get to 60 mph. That’s not very good.

Honda CR-Z

Source: Wikipedia

Honda fans thought the CR-Z would be the spiritual successor to the CRX, Honda’s hot hatch from around two decades ago. Alas, the CR-Z turned out to be a bit of a dud. Its 1.5-liter engine plus electric motor combo needs 8.2 seconds to push its relatively light body to 60 mph.

Ford Crown Victoria Police Interceptor

Source: Wikipedia

People tend to think these things are fast because, well, they’re cop cars! And we’ve all seen police chases on TV, right? The thing is, they’re actually not that fast. They need around 9 to 10 seconds to get to 60 mph, which when you think about it is actually pretty slow.

Scion FR-S

Source: Wikipedia

The Scion FR-S (or if you prefer, the Subaru BRZ or the Toyota 86) is not exactly slow, but it’s not as fast as its sporty looks would imply. Of course, it can carve corners really well, what with a great suspension setup. However, a little help for its 2.0 liter engine could make it that much more fun to drive. Turbo, anyone?

Plymouth Prowler

Source: Wikipedia

Oh the Prowler, what a wasted opportunity for Chrysler. It certainly looked the part and is probably one of the better looking “factory hot rods,” but it just couldn’t deliver the performance to match. At its best, the Prowler took more than 6 seconds to get to 60 mph. For a car with its looks and sporty intentions, that’s just disappointing.

And there you have it. Can you think of other cars whose performance just couldn’t keep up with its looks? Do tell us in the comments!

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