Modern "Small Sports Cars" Are So Heavy??

[gatorcivic]

Why are "small compact sports cars" so heavy these days? I saw some specs for the base 2022 2.0 supra and the curb weight is 3180 pounds. The base civic sedan is around 2850 pounds. The supra has a 2.0T I4 vs a 1.5T I4 in the civic, so lets say the bigger engine and the slightly beefier internals weigh an extra 100 pounds. The civic is a bigger car overall, has a vastly larger interior counting the back seat and significantly bigger trunk. All of this "extra" car and the civic is still 300 pounds lighter than a small 2 seater sports car, what gives??

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[gtman]

All cars are heavier these days. Chalk it up to two main things. More safety. More features. Even the craze for bigger factory wheels and tires bumps up curb weight.

 

[Troy Jollimore]

RWD means a big, beefy driveshaft running to the rear of the car as well. Also, the Civic, while being a good product, is as cheaply made as they can. Chassis components are smaller than those of the Supra, which is essentially a BMW. It’s built to take ‘abusive’ forces which the Civic ideally will never experience. Plus, German, so relatively built like a tank overall!

In the overall scheme of things, Government regulations require everything to be ‘bigger’ and designed to withstand stupidly large crash forces. Way more steel. Which is why people that whine about the old ‘80s and ‘90s cars will never see their likes again…

 

[redcoats1976]

thats not so heavy a new camaro ZL-1 weighs in at 4,000 pounds give or take.but then again it has 650 horsepower to move all that...

 

[Old F@rt]

thats not so heavy a new camaro ZL-1 weighs in at 4,000 pounds give or take.but then again it has 650 horsepower to move all that...

The OP did state "small" & "sports car" & I'm not sure I'd put a Camaro in either of those categories. We have a C7 Z51 & while I'd certainly say it meets the Sports car part, it again, is not a small car. When someone says small sports car to me, I think Lotus.

 

[redcoats1976]

true enough,but i could buy 2 or 3 hondas for the price of a lotus.

 

[mis3]

I checked weights of my 2 previous cars:
1. Honda Prelude (last generation): 3009 LB
2. MB CLK350 (V6, RWD): 3800 LB

So, Civic, being 2850 LB and Supra 3180 LB are just about average.

BTW. Does the thin sheet metal of the Civic contribute to its light weight?

 

[Shankmeyster]

More body strengthening, more safety features, and way more electronics = more weight. Blame EPA and NTSB for that. Then again if we still had cars like the 60s/80s you wouldn't be able to afford to get to work and back with current gas prices, and a lot more people would die in smaller wrecks.

 

[si@vegas]

The ND Miata falls into that category, and is much lighter. The BRZ/86 are also around 2800lb. It's not just the motor. underpinnings, suspension components may be heavier or lighter, depending on the materials used. The ND for example has aluminum parts vs stamped steel for the suspension to save weight. The cars above also have a 2.0L engine, and the newest BRZ/GR86 at still around 2850lb are running 2.4L engines.

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