Ironically, most modern cars don’t weigh significantly less than their forbears - they’ve just swapped what the weight is used for.
So plastic bumpers weigh a lot less, but now there are 42 airbags and their controls, air-conditioning, power steering, power windows, power mirrors, remote gas/trunk/hood release, tire sensor systems, tilt steering wheel, and power brakes are nearly standard since the 90’s, adding a couple hundred pounds. Then there’s the massive strengthening of the A/B/C pillars for rollover safety (notice how modern cars have major blind spots in the front from those pillars compared to even a 1980’s car).
And today nearly all cars are AWD (perhaps 500lbs), and then things like power seats, heated seats/steering wheel, folding rear seats, even battery cooling (seriously, I’ve seen Honda add a cooling fan for the battery, apparently the compact space doesn’t permit enough airflow, so there’s a fan, a sensor, ducting, and controls).
Some weight examples:
2020 Ford Taurus curb weight: 4000 lbs.
1974 Ford Maverick (4 door) curb weight: 2800 lbs
1974 Ford LTD: 4277 lbs (a larger and more spacious car than a Taurus).
BTW, the Taurus weighs about as much as a mid-size pickup such as the Toyota Tacoma @ 4200lbs or the Honda Ridgeline @ 4436 lbs.
This isn’t a complaint, just an observation that franky surprised me when I randomly looked into it recently.
Unit-body construction saw extensive growth through the 60’s and 70’s, so pre-60 cars may weigh more, though I haven’t done much research into it yet. Those vehicles had fewer amenities (like heat!), so it’s hard to compare.
Have you weighed a modern car?
Ironically, most modern cars don’t weigh significantly less than their forbears - they’ve just swapped what the weight is used for.
So plastic bumpers weigh a lot less, but now there are 42 airbags and their controls, air-conditioning, power steering, power windows, power mirrors, remote gas/trunk/hood release, tire sensor systems, tilt steering wheel, and power brakes are nearly standard since the 90’s, adding a couple hundred pounds. Then there’s the massive strengthening of the A/B/C pillars for rollover safety (notice how modern cars have major blind spots in the front from those pillars compared to even a 1980’s car).
And today nearly all cars are AWD (perhaps 500lbs), and then things like power seats, heated seats/steering wheel, folding rear seats, even battery cooling (seriously, I’ve seen Honda add a cooling fan for the battery, apparently the compact space doesn’t permit enough airflow, so there’s a fan, a sensor, ducting, and controls).
Some weight examples:
2020 Ford Taurus curb weight: 4000 lbs.
1974 Ford Maverick (4 door) curb weight: 2800 lbs 1974 Ford LTD: 4277 lbs (a larger and more spacious car than a Taurus).
BTW, the Taurus weighs about as much as a mid-size pickup such as the Toyota Tacoma @ 4200lbs or the Honda Ridgeline @ 4436 lbs.
This isn’t a complaint, just an observation that franky surprised me when I randomly looked into it recently.
Unit-body construction saw extensive growth through the 60’s and 70’s, so pre-60 cars may weigh more, though I haven’t done much research into it yet. Those vehicles had fewer amenities (like heat!), so it’s hard to compare.