Type
4-dr. 5-pass. sedan; FWD |
| 4-dr. |
Refers to the number of passenger doors the vehicle has. |
| 5-pass. |
Refers to the maximum number of passengers the vehicle can transport. |
| sedan |
Describes the
type of vehicle. Other variants include coupe, wagon, convertible,
pickup and SUV. For pickup trucks we also state whether the passenger
compartment is a regular 2-door cab, an extended cab with access doors
or a full 4-door cab. |
| FWD |
Describes whether the vehicle is equipped with front- (FWD), rear- (RWD), all- (AWD) or four- (4WD) wheel drive. |
| Price |
| base |
Refers to the lowest price quoted by the manufacturer for a particular vehicle before taxes and other charges. |
| as tested |
Most times
the vehicles we test have optional equipment on them, which increases
the base price. As tested refers to the vehicle's cost with the
options, again before taxes and other (freight, pre-delivery
inspection) charges. |
Engine
DOHC, V6; Super |
| DOHC |
The engine has double overhead camshafts.
Other variations include:
SOHC - the engine has a single overhead camshaft.
OHV - an overhead valve engine. |
| V6 |
The engine shape
consists of a letter for its configuration and a number for the
cylinder count. In this case, it's a six cylinder in a vee (V) shape or
V6. There's also inline motors represented by the letter (L) (to
prevent confusing I4 with the number 14). Engines can also have their
cylinders horizontally opposed (i.e. a boxer engine) and are described
as H4 or H6. |
| Super |
Engines can
produce more power, through the assistance of superchargers and turbos.
A supercharger is driven by the accessory belt and produces increased
power by forcing more air into the engine then it can take in on its
own. A turbo works the same way but is driven by exhaust gases. |
| Diesel |
Refers to an engine which runs on diesel fuel. These can also be turbocharged. |
| Displacement |
| 2.0-litres |
Refers to
the engine size in litres. Actually the total volume of air/fuel mix
all cylinders can hold when the pistons are at their lowest point. As a
general rule, the higher the displacement, the more power the engine
produces, and the more fuel it consumes. |
| Horsepower |
| 200 @ 5000 rpm |
Horsepower is a common unit of measuring an engine's power. It can be
described as the peak power a vehicle has, usually achieved near the
maximum engine speed (redline).
RPM (revolutions per minute): the amount of times an engine's crank spins in a minute.
|
| Torque |
| 210 @ 2500 rpm |
Torque can be thought of as the amount of initial go power a vehicle has. |
| Transmission |
| 6-speed manual |
Transmissions use stepped gears to transfer the power an engine makes
to the wheels. The number in front (i.e. 6) represents the number of
gears. Transmissions come in various forms. Manual, in which a driver
must select gears themselves. Automatic, where the vehicle shifts gears
for the driver. Manumatic, where the driver can select their preferred
gear through a button or lever, but without a clutch pedal, or simply
leave it in fully automatic mode. Or the newest, CVT (continuously
variable transmission), which does away with traditional gears in
favour of a smooth, belt driven power transfer method. |
| Steering |
There are two major types of steering in today's vehicles. Rack and
pinion, which uses a toothed gear meshed with a bar called a "rack" to
turn the wheels. Recirculating ball moves a metal block back and forth,
its teeth rotating gears connected to the steering assembly. |
| Brakes f/r |
There are two types of brakes, disc and drum. Disc brakes use a
spinning metal plate, which is slowed by the squeeze of a caliper, and
generally provide better braking performance than drums. Drum brakes
are made up of a flat-sided drum and two brake shoes. The shoes are
located in the middle of the drum and push out to slow the vehicle.
If ABS is standard equipment it is listed with the brakes. Anti-lock
brakes use a high-speed pulsing action under heavy braking to prevent
wheel lockup and provide better control. |
| Tires f/r |
215/70R16 Tires are listed using the standard industry system. In the
example above, 215 indicates the tire width in millimetres; 70 is the
aspect ratio (the sidewall height being 70 percent of the width). The
next character, if it's not an R, indicates the tire's speed rating or
the maximum sustained speed the tire is designed to handle. The most
commonly noted letters are H, denoting a maximum of 210 km/h (130 mph);
V at 240 km/h (149 mph); and Z for above 300 km/h (186 mph). If R is
the only letter in the tire's description, its speed rating is likely
S, good for 180 km/h (112 mph). The R indicates that it is a radial
tire (all tires today are radials). A "P" usually precedes all tire
sizes if they are passenger car tires. We've dropped this. The wheel
diameter - 16 in our example - is measured in inches. |
| Wheelbase |
The measurement, in millimetres and inches, from the centre of the
front wheel to the centre of the rear wheel. It is a general indication
of overall interior room. |
| Length |
The measurement, in millimetres and inches, from the extreme front to the extreme rear of the vehicle.
|
| Width |
The measurement, in millimetres and inches, across the vehicle, usually including the mirrors.
|
| Height |
The measurement, in millimetres and inches, from the bottom of the tire
to the top of the roof, usually including roof rack if applicable. |
| Curb weight |
The measurement in kilograms and pounds of the vehicle's weight.
|
| Cargo capacity |
The maximum volume of cargo space available with all seats up, unless otherwise noted, measured in litres and cubic feet.
|
| Fuel capacity |
The maximum volume of fuel the vehicle can carry, measured in litres and Imperial gallons.
|
| Acceleration 0-100 km/h |
How long it takes, in seconds, for a vehicle to accelerate from a standing stop to 100 kilometres per hour.
|
| Grade recommended |
The minimum recommended octane grade of gasoline recommended by the
manufacturer, expressed in Shell's bronze (87 octane), silver (89) or
gold (91 or higher) designations. |
| L/100km (mpg) |
The
fuel economy of a vehicle (how much fuel it uses over a given distance)
is expressed in litres per kilometre and imperial miles per gallon. The
figure is given for both city and highway travel. The fuel figures are
taken from the manufacturer or the latest Fuel Consumption Guide
produced by Natural Resources Canada. |