On: Tesla Model S achieves best safety rating of any car ever tested

[ricardobeat]

That fallacy is debunked by every sports car ever.

[sliverstorm → ricardobeat]

Sports cars have always made sacrifices in this regard. The first being simply that real sports cars are half the size of a modern saloon, which gives much less room for crumpling.

[ricardobeat → sliverstorm]

The fallacious argument is newer/more expensive = more secure. Every car has compromises.

[makomk → ricardobeat]

Newer, heavier and far more expensive, and of course even that doesn't guarantee good safety ratings, it just makes it a lot easier to achieve.

[spullara → sliverstorm]

I'd gladly go up against every sports car that the Tesla beats off the line and the quarter mile. Which is quite a few.

[sliverstorm → spullara]

Err... what? If what you are trying to say, in the most roundabout way possible, is the Tesla accelerates fast- sure. But so does a top fuel dragster, and neither is a sports car.

A sports car is a small, usually two seat, two door automobile designed for spirited performance and nimble handling. Sports cars may be spartan or luxurious but high maneuverability and minimum weight are requisite.

-- Wikipedia

(Notice it doesn't say a damn thing about horsepower)

[lostlogin → sliverstorm]

That's surprising to me. I have always considered a sports car to have a bit of extra power. I guess I'll have to open my mind a bit.

[James_Duval → lostlogin]

I suppose that would be very difficult to define.

I think sports cars have a higher power-to-weight ratio typically, but again if this was a prerequisite for a sports car then older cars would lose their sports car status over time.

Alternatively, a cheap car intended to be sporty made by a low-end manufacturer could be disqualified from being a sports car because of higher-end manufacturers throwing off the curve.

[sliverstorm → lostlogin]

They usually do, but extra power isn't what make them sports cars.