COMMON CAR SPECIFICATIONS

There are a lot of things that need to be remembered while going to change your existing car but first, you need to have some information about basic car specifications and what are the meaning of terms used in the car industry.

When you are planning to purchase a new car and you don’t have some basic information related to cars and their specifications then it will become very difficult to select the most appropriate car according to your usage requirement.

There will be a lot of questions arising in your mind and you didn’t get the right answer to those questions.

Yes, sometimes it is getting very difficult to select the car which is within your budget but due to a lot of options available on the market and every brand offering something new and unique, this situation brings you into a dilemma to take the right decision as per your needs.

If you are going to purchase a used car, then this will become a very hectic task to understand what the car dealers are saying about different cars and their specifications.

You have the budget to purchase a decent car but you are not able to decide which car is suitable for your use, don’t worry here we discuss some basic specifications of cars from which you can easily get all the answers related to purchase decision of any car.

The car specifications may vary depending on the make, model, variant, and type of a car, however, the following are the most common car specifications which everyone needs to have knowledge about it.

The Engine

The car engine is the basic power source of the car through which the power is generated and transmitted to the wheels and other related parts of the car. When we are sitting in the car in a cool environment at the same time the engine of our car is performing to its optimum for our comfort.

There are mainly three type of car engines,

  • Internal combustion engine
  • Hybrid Engine (A combo of Internal combustion and electric engine)
  • Electric Engine

The five most common parts of each engine are as follows.

  • The Engine Block
  • Pistons
  • Cylinder Head
  • Crank
  • Cam shaft

The engine power is measured in horsepower (HP), here some people are confused about horsepower and cc, The term CC stands for cubic centimeters or cm3, and CC denotes the measurement of engine size or volume.

The more the CC of the engine means that you will get more power from your engine, but it may not be fuel efficient because the higher cc engines allow more air and fuel to combust which results in more power but it will also consume more fuel.

Transmission

The transmission acts as a medium to carry the power generated by the engine to the wheels through the driveshaft and differential.

The transmission is also referred to as a gearbox. When we shift the gear inside the cabin of the car it will create a mechanical action inside the car and resultantly you will receive the desired power to drive the car.

There are mainly three types of transmissions.

  • Manual Transmission.
  • Automatic Transmission.
  • Continuously variable transmission (CVT Transmission)

Automatic transmission is the most convenient and popular type of transmission because of its automatic function of changing the speed according to the power you need to drive as per terrain.

whereas the manual transmission is a simpler mechanical type of gear shifting and it will little bit difficult to drive with a manual gear shift due to excessive usage of the clutch to engage and disengage the gears as and when required.

Drivetrain

The drive train is a system that connects the transmission with the axles of a car. The drive train is not a single component, but it consists of different parts like transmission, differential, axles, driveshafts, CV joints, and wheels.

There are mainly four types of drive trains which are as follows.

  • Rear wheel drive (RWD)
  • Front wheel drive (FWD)
  • 4-wheel drive (4WD)
  • All wheel drive (AWD)

The most common drive train these days for cars are Front wheel drive in which the front wheels receive power directly from the engine and the rear wheel are not getting any power.

 

Dimensions

What is meant by dimension in cars or what dimension car is best for me? This question often came to mind while you are comparing the different cars catalog.

The large-size car can be measured approximately up to 4.7m in length, this measurement depends on the car design and features like extra luggage space or extended hatchback space for extra seats.

You can select the car based on the dimension as per your requirement, for instance, if you have a lesser space in your parking then you should go for the smaller car and this decision can easily be made by reviewing the dimension mentioned by car manufacturers in their catalogs.

 

Fuel Efficiency

Fuel efficiency refers to how many miles a car can run in one gallon of fuel or how many liters of fuel a car can consume in 100 kilometers. It can easily be explained as how far you can go with a certain volume of fuel. The more distance you travel in a certain fuel quantity the better it is.

The cars having bigger capacity engines are set to consume more fuel as compared to the smaller size cars, but the fuel efficiency of the same make and model of car may differ from each other due to the style of driving.

If you are fond of pressing your foot on the accelerator too much then you may have to suffer low fuel efficiency as compared to the car which is driven by a softer foot.

In the modern era, hybrid cars are most successful in every region of the world due to their excellent fuel efficiency and lesser carbon emissions.

Nowadays Electric vehicles (EVs) are also getting people’s attention due to their extra fuel efficiency as per the result of a survey among the owners of EVS an EV can be 70% more fuel efficient as compared to conventional cars.

Safety Features

The first thing one needs to look at while going to purchase a car is the safety features installed in that car, because when you are on the road you need to be safe every time and this will only happen if your car has those safety features.

The following are a few common safety features you need to inquire about in your meeting with a sales representative of the car dealer.

  • Airbags
  • Forward collision warning and auto braking.
  • Antilock braking system (ABS)
  • Blind spot indicator
  • Lane assist feature
  • Driver monitoring system
  • Downhill cruise control
  • Tire pressure monitoring system.

Infotainment System

As technology advances with time the car audio system is converted into a full fledge information and entertainment system which is called an infotainment system. this system enables the driver to keep an eye on some basic real-time information related to the weather or your favorite sports.

Infotainment consists of a touchscreen panel like smartphones have and it can integrate with your smartphone and able to connect to the internet for various on-the-go entertainment along with a navigation system.

Seating Capacity

Another important point to be kept in mind while going to purchase a car is the seating capacity, the seating capacity refers to the number of passengers a car can accommodate, most of the car can accommodate from two passengers up to seven or sometimes eight passengers.

You must select the car according to your need for seating capacity.

 

Suspension

The car suspension is the combination of tires, springs, dampers, ball joints, and axle, it is a harmony of various parts the combination of which can produce a comfortable ride and quality of car handling.

The suspension is one of the most important parts of a car that needs to be checked especially when you are going to purchase a used car.

 

Tires and Wheels

The tires play a vital role in the performance of a car, a very well-maintained car with rough tires can ruin all the other good things of that car. There are various types of tires available, and you can select the type according to the need of your region.

Following are the few common types of tires.

  • Winter Tires.
  • Summer Tires.
  • All season Tires.
  • Run Flat Tires.

Conclusion

The above are a few of the common car specifications, the knowledge of the common car specifications is essential for any prospective car buyer or enthusiast to make informed decisions and choose the right car to suit the needs and preferences.

These specifications provide valuable insights into a vehicle’s performance, safety features, efficiency, and overall capabilities.