Car Specifications Explained: Terms To Know When Choosing a New Car

All those car terms can be confusing when you start looking for a new car.

Choosing a new car is a big decision, so making the right choice requires some understanding of the terminology used to describe the features of a car.

The specifications tell you everything you need to know about a car, inside and out, and knowing what they mean can make it easier for you to compare the differences between car models.

Here are explanations of some common car specs that you may need to know about when looking for a new car:

Dimensions

Knowing the dimensions of a car is handy if you have a small or low garage, have to navigate tight city streets, or have a steep angled approach into your driveway. The size also affects how the car handles or feels when driving so it’s important to test-drive your chosen vehicles alongside reviewing the specifications.

• Physical dimensions such as length, width and height refer to the measurements of the car’s exterior.
• Wheelbase refers to the horizontal distance between the centres of the front and rear wheels giving an indication on how the vehicle handles and how much room is inside for passengers.
• The track width refers to the distance between the front wheels and the rear wheels respectively and determines how the weight is transferred when cornering.
• Ground clearance is the minimum amount of distance between the bottom of the vehicle body and the ground. If you travel over bumpy or uneven surfaces, then it’s good to be a bit higher so you don’t scratch or damage your vehicle.
• Minimum turning radius is the minimum diameter of space required for the car to make a circular turn (or u-turn). The smaller the turning radius, the easier the car is to turn in tight spaces, avoiding the need to 3-point or 5-point turn.

Weights

A car’s driving performance, fuel consumption, and handling can be significantly affected by how heavy or light it is. A heavier vehicle requires more power to propel which has a negative impact on fuel economy and performance levels. But the heavier the vehicle is, the more weight it can tow.

• Kerb weight (in NZ) is the overall weight of the car without any additional items or people, but filled with fuel and other working fluids.
• Gross vehicle weight is the car’s weight when it’s fully loaded with people, cargo and fuel.

Power Source

When looking for an economical and environmentally friendly car the fuel or battery details are an important place to look.

• The fuel type such as petrol or diesel is the type of fuel your car needs to run on. Check the minimum octane rating as it can vary from 91RON to 95RON or higher.
• The CO2 emissions are a good indicator of how fuel efficient the vehicle is. The lower the emissions, the more efficient it is and the better it is for the environment.
• Fuel consumption combined tells you how many litres of fuel are consumed every 100 km, this is another indicator of fuel economy and again, the lower the number the less often you have to refuel. Actual fuel consumption can vary between drivers but it does provide a means to compare various models in a consistent test.
• The fuel distribution system refers to how the car stores and supplies fuel to the engine. For example multipoint injection or direct injection like that used in our performance enhancing BoosterJet technology.
• The high voltage battery information refers to the energy output in kilowatts per hour. The higher it is, the longer the battery charge will last in a hybrid or electric vehicle.
• Driving range is how far in kilometres your electric vehicle will go on one battery charge before needing to be plugged in and recharged.

Engine

The engine specifications have a large bearing on how the car handles corners and accelerates on the road, as well as how efficient it is in relation to its performance.

• The number of cylinders refers to cylinders, which are the power unit of a petrol engine. Put simply, the more cylinders in an engine, the more combustion that occurs, to create more power. The less cylinders, the more economical the vehicle is.
• The higher the number of valves an engine has, the more efficient the suction and exhaust cycles are.
• The piston displacement or cc or cm³ rating is a measurement of the combined volume of air created by all of pistons moving up and down in the engine’s cylinders. A car that has a 1,606 cc engine would be described as a 1.6 litre.
• The bore and stroke measurements give you more information about the engine’s efficiency. Bore is the diameter of each cylinder, and stroke is the distance within the cylinder the piston travels. A more efficient engine would typically have a small bore and a long stroke.
• The compression ratio refers to the engine’s ability to compress the air within the cylinder, and higher compression ratios mean more power with less fuel, and fewer exhaust gases. A higher compression ratio would usually be from about 12.5 upwards.
• The power to weight ratio of the car is calculated by dividing the power output of a vehicle by its weight. The higher the number, the better the acceleration.
• Output refers to the engine’s power output in kilowatts and torque is the amount of force the engine is capable of exerting in order to accelerate at different speeds.

Transmission

Also known as the gearbox, the transmission normally has a minimum of 4 gears that change depending on car speed and acceleration input.

• The transmission type can be either manual or automatic. In a manual transmission, the driver is responsible for changing the gears, and in an automatic or CVT transmission, the car shifts the gears for you. Normally the more gears the transmission has the better to keep the vehicle operating in the optimal gear. In the case of a CVT transmission there are an unending range of gear ratios.

Drive system

The drive system tells you how the car channels power to the wheels to move the car forward. The choice of drive system affects fuel efficiency, traction or grip, road-handling, even how expensive it is.

• Front-wheel drive, rear-wheel drive, four-wheel drive and all-wheel drive are all types of drive systems.

Chassis & Suspension

The chassis of the car is the skeleton or frame that the engine, wheels, axle assemblies, transmission, steering mechanism, brakes, and suspension are mounted to.

• A monocoque or unibody chassis is found on most on-road cars these days due to its safe cage-like construction that has the strength to maintain its shape when in a crash. It is lightweight, making the vehicle more comfortable when driving on the road and more fuel efficient too.
• A ladder frame found on vehicles like the Suzuki Jimny is heavier, robust and rigid making it excellent for off-roading and towing heavier loads.
• The suspension of the car is critical to providing a smooth, comfortable ride and maintaining control of the vehicle on bumpy roads.

Tyres and Wheels

Together, tyres and wheels are responsible for how your car handles and rides on the road.

• The tyre specifications will tell you what type of tyres the car comes with and are displayed on the tyres too. A Swift Sport has 195/45R17 for example, that shows the width (195), aspect ratio (45), construction type (R), and rim diameter (17). A wider tyre allows more of the tyre to be in contact with the road surface that helps road-holding but can also result in poorer fuel consumption. Also, a low aspect ratio improves handling whereas a higher aspect ratio improves ride comfort due to the taller tyre be able to absorb the bumps in the road.
• The spare tyre can either be a full-sized tyre, a space saver which is a temporary smaller tyre or a tyre repair kit.
• The wheel rims can be either steel formed or the lighter and stronger aluminium alloy.

Capacities

Here are some useful maximum limits you should look out for in a vehicle.

• The luggage capacity tells you the volume of luggage you can store in the car, giving you more information about how much space is inside. This can be measured with the back seats raised in place or folded.
• The seating capacity is how many passengers can sit safely inside the car.
• The fuel tank capacity is the maximum amount of fuel the tank can hold.
• The towing capacity is the maximum weight in kilograms you can tow behind your vehicle. Depending on what you are towing, you can have braked and unbraked maximum weights. To use the braked towing capacity the trailer you are towing needs to have their own brakes. So most trailers such as a garden trailer are unbraked.

Safety

Safety features in a car can be classified into three types - structural integrity, passive features and active features or safety assistance technology.

• The structural integrity of the vehicle is crucial because in the event of a crash, a sound structure is essential to protecting everyone inside the car.
• Passive safety features such as the seatbelts and airbags automatically activate if required during an accident to minimise potential injury in the event of a crash.
• Safety assist technologies are designed to help drivers actively avoid accidents altogether and include features such as a reverse camera, parking sensors, hill descent control, speed limiter, automatic levelling headlights, and AEB systems (automated electronic braking) that will brake the vehicle for you if the sensors detect that you will have a collision with another object or vehicle.

Exterior Features

Aside from colour and shape, here are some other aspects to consider on the outside of the car.

• The headlamps and fog lamps on some cars have advanced features such as auto light-sensing, which turns the lights on automatically once it gets darker.
• The window specifications will tell you whether the windows are electric and whether the car has privacy glass on the rear windows and hatch.
• The mirrors on your car can also have advanced features such as heating, built-in indicators, and electrical adjustability.
• The wipers specifications determine the speed and washing capabilities of the front and rear wipers and can have the feature where they automatically turn on if they sense rain falling.

Interior Features

On the inside of the car, you will find components that are designed to make your life easier as a driver and more comfortable for you and your passengers.

• Steering wheels can have additional features such as phone and audio controls, tilt or telescopic adjustability, or power steering.
• Air conditioning can be manual, automatic or dual-zone controlled where the temperature can be set differently in specific areas of the car.
• Adjustable seating, upholstery and cabin lighting will impact how easy and enjoyable the car is for you and your passengers.
• The storage and luggage areas provide additional spaces within the car for transporting bags, keeping your phone safe and your water bottle at hand.

Instrument Panel

Also inside the car, this is the main area in front of the driver that lets you know how the car is performing.

• The car’s instrument panel tells you important information such as the fuel level, seatbelt reminder, speedometer and tachometer (engine's RPM - rotations per minute) and warnings for leaving the lights-on, for when the keys have been left inside or when the doors are left open.
• Sitting inside the instrument panel, the Info Display normally shows you clock, temperature, fuel consumption, and what gear you are in.

Infotainment

Located centrally on the dash area, are the infotainment systems to make getting around a bit easier and relaxing.

• Sat Nav or satellite navigation is a pre-installed GPS system of maps.
• Smartphone connectivity can come in the way of Bluetooth, Apple CarPlay, Android Auto and other software. It allows you to connect your phone to the car touchscreen interface for music, contacts and maps.
• Audio & media specifications will tell you what audio features the car has such as a radio tuner, a CD player, SD, USB input, or AUX input.

Now that you have this handy list to help figure out what those tricky car specifications mean, check out our complete guide to buying a new car.