It’s an exciting journey when you are finally eligible to purchase a car for yourself. You consider all the different cars that you could get as well as which engines will match your personality. In reality, if you are not used to specific engines, it will be difficult to learn to drive it.
If you are used to driving a 1.2L engine, it will be difficult to adapt to an engine that consumes 6 litres of petrol between TDC and BDC. Not only would you be a stranger to the speed but also to the amount of petrol that has to be replaced every few kilometres.
Regular engines and those that are supercharged or turbocharged might also be difficult to adapt to. Being new to a forced induction system is difficult to control as you will need quicker reflexes upon take off. You will also need to learn how to drive a car that has a supercharger so that you don’t exceed speed limits without realising it.
Four cylinder cars are usually lightweight and don’t consume so much petrol. Once you step into a car that has eight cylinders, you have to be sure that you know how to control the steering wheel and at what point to brake. It won’t be easy to learn the new features that you have not experienced before.
Manual and automatic cars are easy to adapt to. The only time you have to be worried is when you reach for the gear stick in an automatic car without realising that the car changes gears on its own. It isn’t a common mistake to make as most automatic cars change gears so smoothly and quietly that you won’t notice it.
Learning to drive a sedan might be more challenging to learn than a hatchback. A sedan is elongated and there is more body to compensate for when parking and manoeuvring around. You will also have to keep the size of the car in mind so that you don’t accidentally hit a curb.
Diesel and petrol engines are quite similar in driving style. They are, however, placed into different combustion engines. Diesel does not ignite without being compressed first whereas petrol is flammable.
Always make sure that you know exactly how to drive the car that you are about to purchase, so a test drive is always a good idea. This is especially a good idea with used cars. Also be aware of the expenses that you will pay afterwards such as the fuel consumption, the tyres and the maintenance.
