Sport Advice

What is a car? A car is any four-wheeled, self-propelled vehicle that is designed to carry passengers rather than cargo.

What is the average weight of a car?The average weight of a car is 2.05 tonnes.That figure comes from averaging the weight of popular vehicle types spanning the Australian new car market.The average weight of a small/compact SUV is about 1380kg, the average weight of a medium SUV is about 1630kg, the average weight of a large SUV is about 2000kg, the average weight of an upper large SUV is about 2580kg, the average weight of a ute is about 2140kg, and the average weight of a US pick-up is about 2600kg.There are myriad factors that come into play when you're looking for a new or second-hand vehicle to buy, which will best suit you, your lifestyle and your wants and/or needs – and the weight of a car is right up there, in terms of importance.So, 'how much does a car weigh?' should be one of the first questions you ask yourself.Do you want or need your vehicle of choice to be light and nimble on its feet (rubber), easy to drive in cities and around town, and simple to park?Or do you want/need considerable heft to your car? And these are crucial questions whether you're considering the weight of a small car or an SUV or a ute.Another question you'll likely want to know the answer to is: what is the average weight of a car?Read on.Quick note: While some of us still think in tons or tonnes, the weight of a vehicle is usually listed in specification sheets as a kilogram (kg) figure, so, for the sake of uniformity, that's what we'll use in this yarn.Right, on with the show.Car weights may differ because of their different sizes, the materials used, production processes involved, and the actual intended purpose of each vehicle.A heavy-duty work ute is going to be more than just a little bit heavier than a city-based hatchback, right?And two vehicles that occupy the same section of the market – say, 4WD wagons – may also have different kerb weights*, for example, a seven-seat Mitsubishi Pajero Sport Exceed (2125kg, as listed by CarsGuide) is lighter than a seven-seat V6 Ford Everest Sport (2454kg, as listed by CarsGuide).(* For this yarn, we're using the vehicle's manufacturer-listed kerb weight – the weight of a standard vehicle with a full tank of fuel, but no passengers or cargo onboard or accessories fitted – as our reference point.)But, generally speaking, vehicles within the same realm – i.e. small cars, SUVs, utes, pick-ups – will have similar weights to each other – within 50kg of each other – although there may be an outlier or two that straddle two categories of car, or at the very least blur the lines between two categories.The main advantage of having a light car (hatchback, etc) is its manoeuvrability. If it's light, it's small and a small vehicle makes for easier steering around town, through busy city streets and, more importantly, easier parking.The main advantage of having a heavy car (large SUV, etc) is that its weight or size tends to signify that it is better suited to transporting more people and more cargo at one time than a vehicle that is lighter and smaller.Also, the bigger and heavier a vehicle, the more robust it is.In case you missed it earlier, please note, when I mention a vehicle's weight in this yarn, I'm referring to a vehicle's manufacturer-listed kerb weight – the weight of a vehicle with a full tank of fuel, but no passengers or cargo onboard.Sometimes carmakers list tare weight* rather than kerb weight and if that's the case, I'll make sure that's noted. (* The weight of an empty standard vehicle with all fluids - oils, coolants - onboard but only 10 litres of fuel in the tank.)The Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries (FCAI) classifies vehicle types based on their footprint (defined as length x width , rounded).So, what is the average car weight?Micro, light or small cars* – we're talking about vehicles such as Kia Picanto, Suzuki Ignis, Toyota Yaris, Hyundai Kona and the like.(* Micro: "Hatch, sedan or wagon with a footprint < 6300mm"; Light: "Hatch, sedan or wagon with a footprint range 6301-7500mm"; or Small: "Hatch, sedan or wagon with a footprint range 7501-8300mm", according to the FCAI.)The Picanto (S manual) is listed as having a tare weight of 993kg, according to our weight experts here at CarsGuide.At the heavier end of the market, is the Kia Seltos, really a small SUV, and it tops out at 1495kg (in GT-Line AWD guise).But the average small car weight is around the 1200kg mark. Don't agree with me? That's great – have your say in the comments section below.The average weight of a car in kg is about 1900kg – that's taking commercially available passenger cars into account. The average weight of a large car (a hatch, sedan or wagon with a FCAI-listed footprint range 9001-9500mm) is closer to 2000kg.Large SUVs (with an FCAI-listed footprint of between 8801mm and 9800mm) can carry up to seven people; upper large SUVs (with an FCAI-defined footprint bigger than 9801mm) are able to carry up to eight passengers.The average weight of a large SUV is drawing near to the 2500kg mark, and upper large SUVs can be as heavy as 2800kg (the Nissan Patrol).Utes are classified as light trucks, which are "Vehicles designed principally for commercial but may include designs intended for non-commercial applications".They're available as two-wheel drive (4x2) or four-wheel drive (4x4) vehicles, and as a cab chassis or with a tub at the rear.These vehicles can legally carry up to five people in the cabin, depending on the body type, and have a FCAI-defined footprint of between 9001mm and 9501mm.The average weight of a dual-cab ute is around the 2100kg mark, but some variants top 2300kg (Ford Ranger) without any accessories onboard.Pick-ups, such as the likes of the Ram 1500, the Ram 2500, the Chevrolet Silverado, the Ford F-150 etc, are basically utes on steroids.These pick-up trucks are closer to 3000kg than 2000kg in kerb weight, and have an average weight somewhere in the vicinity of 2600kg.Go to the menu bar at the top of this CarsGuide page, and hit the 'Pricing and Specs' tab, and, from there, follow your instincts.Feel free to also go to the appropriate carmaker's website and download the specification sheet relevant to your particular choice of vehicle.

GMSV (General Motors Specialty Vehicles) sells a limited selection of Chevrolet models in Australia - some converted to right-hand drive here in Australia, while the Corvette is imported in RHD configuration from the factory - and they have variable ownership terms, depending on the model.GMSV offers a three-year, 100,000km warranty, which would be significantly behind the pace for a mainstream manufacturer, but is unsurprising for a low-volume importer/converter, as GMSV’s main rival, Ram Trucks, offers a similar warranty promise.GMSV backs its products with three years of roadside assist to match the warranty period, but there is no capped-price servicing program.Instead, GMSV has offered indicative pricing for each of its three current models (two Silverado variants and the Corvette Stingray) over a three-year period, noting that it will vary between dealers. See the table below for expected average costs. Service pricing is comparatively high when compared to a mainstream automaker. Intervals occur in 12 monthly or 12,000km cycles for every current Chevrolet.In summary: Import and conversion outfits like GMSV don’t offer the most competitive ownership terms and high service pricing to support a limited range. Costs after the three-year mark are a mystery, leaving owners without a clear picture of what long-term ownership looks like. 4/10*taken as an average of indicative service costs from two dealersIf you want to find out more about a specific manufacturer's capped price servicing, please see below:

We all talk about horsepower, but what is it?

The Kia Stinger is a five-door, five-seater, high-performance fastback that comes in four grades: the 200S, GT-Line, 330S and GT.

What is the best small car in Australia?

Although the Holden brand is gone now (manufacturing stopped at the end of 2017, and the brand closed down totally right at the end of 2020) the company is still regarded as the most Australian car company ever to operate here. It’s also the one with the longest history of local manufacturing with a history of building complete cars here that goes back to 1948.

The term 'performance car' suggests a pretty broad church these days. On one hand, you have within that description, classic sports cars which exist for their athleticism and race-track smarts, as well as Grand Tourers which tend to feature plenty of pace as well as long legs for covering big distances. 

Is the Nissan GT-R Japan’s greatest-ever production grand touring sports coupe?Some might say it is the world’s greatest, with an incredible dedication to performance and driving pleasure that is the pure essence of the now-defunct brand that started the lineage with the Skyline GT-R some half a century ago.Nowadays, the Skyline name does not exist in many markets outside of Japan, and it is a very separate entity to the R35 GT-R that debuted at the 2007 Tokyo Motor Show.A mid-mounted front-engined all-wheel-drive two-door four-seater coupe sitting on a unique platform developed from an earlier architecture that debuted in the V35 Skyline all the way back in 2001, the aluminium-intensive GT-R may be entering its teen years, but it has steadily been improved and updated since launching on the world market as an MY2009 model.Powered by a hand-built 3.8-litre twin-turbocharged V6 engine known as the VR38DETT, and driving all four wheels via a six-speed dual-clutch transmission, it initially belted out 358kW of power and 583Nm of torque, but that figure grew steadily over the years in the standard production models, to 362kW/588Nm in 2010, 395kW/607Nm in 2012, 406kW/628Nm in 2013 and 421kW/633Nm from 2017.These are standard international figures. In 2021, the Australian-market Premium and Track grades are officially rated at 419kW/632Nm, with maximum power coming in at 6800rpm, while the Nismo flagship delivers 441kW/652Nm.So, how fast is the GT-R? Very.Back in 2007, Nissan said it can manage an impressive 315km/h, with a 0-100km/h time of 3.2 seconds in a launch control mode, which necessitates turning off the traction and stability controls known as Vehicle Dynamic Control in Nissan-speak.Later GT-Rs feature an "R-Mode Start" to help achieve that 3.2s start more easily, consistently and safely, while in 2017 that 0-100km/h figure dropped down to a startling 2.7s, with an independent test managing to coax 328km/h out of the car.That latter figure, by the way, is for all GT-Rs, including the Nismo version. In contrast, the 2020 Porsche 992 911 Turbo S coupe manages the same time and just 2km/h more in the top-speed stakes, employing a 478kW/800Nm 3.7-litre flat-six twin-turbo engine, so the Nissan’s still well in the game.The Nissan GT-R's quarter-mile (0-402m) times are also impressive, ranging from a variant-dependent 10.8 seconds to 11.5s, according to independent testing.Finally, there is an R35 GT-R swansong on the horizon, before its long-anticipated R35 successor comes on stream sometime around 2023 or after.Dubbed the ‘Final’ and due in 2022, it is expected to boast a heady 530kW of power, according to some reports.

Becoming an instant hit when first launched back in 1964, the Mustang has been one of Ford's top dogs when it comes to performance.