Product Design in Automobile

Production

Analysis and comparison of selected

personal cars
Amadeo Snchez Calabuig
Mechanical engineering
TUKE. 2014, April

INDEX

1. Introduction
2. Producer specification
3. Cars comparison
4. Conclusion
Literature

1. Introduction
The automobile has become one the most popular way of transport since the first quarter of the XX
century. Its number is estimated of 1000 million (one car each seven people) all around the world,
actually. For this task, It is proposed a research investigation about some personal-choice of one
type of actual existing market cars, in order to analyze the existing offer and the options offered by
manufacturers today. In these last years, a new concept of car has raised between traditional ones,
the SUVs. The Sport Utility Vehicle is a kind of car that combines the characteristics of off-road and
tourism automobiles, is a vehicle similar to a station wagon or estate car, and is usually equipped
with four-wheel drive for on- or off-road ability.
Popular in the late-1990s and earlymid-2000s, SUVs sales temporarily declined due to high oil
prices and a declining economy. The traditional truck-based SUV is gradually being supplanted by
the crossover SUV, which uses an automobile platform for lighter weight and better fuel efficiency,
as a response to much of the criticism of sport utility vehicles. By 2010, SUV sales around the world
grew, in spite of high gas prices.
Amongst all types of SUVs offered now by manufacturers, we found the compact ones. A Compact
SUV is a class of small sport utility vehicles that is larger than mini-SUVs but smaller than mid-size
SUVs with a length roughly between 4.25 to 4.60 meters.
I have chosen eight SUV models to elaborate this comparison: Audi Q5, BMW X3, Ford Kuga, Honda
CR-V, Range Rover Evoque, Toyota RAV4, Volkswagen Tiguan and Mitsubishi ASX.

All cars will be reviewed and there will be a final choice by several aspects, considering their
characteristics and more adequate uses that can be given in our actual way of living.

2. Producer specification
Due to the quantity of variants of each model offered by manufacturers and considering the basic
engine models adequated enough to a common use, only this types have been considered in this
comparison. Likewise, two types of engines (diesel, left column; and gas, right column) have been
compared of each model in order to give a general idea of the advantages and disadvantages of
each option.

-Audi Q5-

-BMW X3-

-Ford Kuga-

-Honda CR-V-

-Range Rover Evoque-

- Toyota RAV4-

-Volkswagen Tiguan-

-Mitsubishi ASX-

3. Cars comparison
In this table several aspects about evaluation have been considered:
-Table reflects only relevant characteristics of each car in both versions diesel and gas, because general ones
have been described in the previous chapter. Engine characteristics have been chosen for obvious reasons,
as well as fuel compsuntion. Ecology is a very important matter today, so CO2 emissions and Green Vehicle
Test have been added too. Security has been evaluated in Drive type, Weight, Power/Weight ratio, Ground
clearance and ANCAP Crash Test. The last of the results, Comfort&Interior and Quality&Design are based in
several specialized web opinions and my own personal taste, and must be considered particularly.
-Blue highlights mark the best characteristics of each models, purple highlights the worst.
-Weights have not been assigned to each cell, so the conclusions must be taken based only to a subjective
opinion.
-Due to the international aspect of this work, final price has not been considered. Its supposed that
money is not a problem and we are searching for the best car only to offer a technical vision of them.

4. Conclusion
We can find easily a standard user of an automobile in our actual way of life. We can consider the one that is
needed for a family, where the vehicle is used daily to go to work, for some weekend escapades and
eventually for a mid-distance travel in vacation. Considering that the quantity of power and torque engine is
enough in the models analyzed in this work, the chosen vehicle is based in the most important
characteristics: economy of use and security, trying to be as ecological as possible. In this sense we have
found two models, both in Diesel version: Range Rover Evoque eD4 Dynamic and BMW X3 xDRIVE 20D.
Evoque is superior in compsuntion, offering a very low rate, but we dont like the 2 rear wheel drive type
(that its supposed not to be manufactured in this kind of cars) and the rate at the ANCAP, its not the bst
mark, even enough. BMW offers the most powerful engine with a really adjusted compsuntion and the best
Power/weight ratio, but its middle rated in ANCAP too, as well as in Green Tests. So, if the user lives in a
urban environment and plans not too many off-road sessions, the choice is for Land Rover Evoque as familiar
car.
In the opposite term, we can find a person who likes to escape often to nature encounters, so off-road
characteristics must be taken, though these are not pure all terrain cars In this sense we found BMW X3
xDRIVE 20D the best choice, due to power, power/weight ratio, 4 wheel drive type and high ground
clearance.
If the vehicle is going to be destined to travel, such as any commercial worker we must base the choice in
low compsuntion rates, high comfortability and security. We find Audi Q5 2.0 TDI QUATTRO as the best one
in this sense, in spite of not being the top in some of them, offers an average value of these characteristics
that positions it at the best option.
Diesel models have been earning positions against gas models in the last 20 years due to their low
compsuntion and the development of the turbo engines, offering in addition superior rates of power and
torque. Today, gas models must be considered practically only for economy reasons: if their use is not going
to be very extensive, cause the acquisition price is lower in gas ones, and the day-to-day maintenance is the
fact that make them more expensive in a global compute.

Literature
http://en.wikipedia.org/
http://www.usefulcharts.com/vehicles/suv-comparison-chart.html
http://www.caradvice.com.au/
https://www.audi.co.uk/
http://www.bmw.com/com/en/
http://www.gofurther.com/
http://automobiles.honda.com/
https://www.landrover.com/gl/en/lr/marketsel
http://www.toyota.com/
http://en.volkswagen.com/en.html
http://www.mitsubishi-motors.com/en/index.html