Car Review: Talk the torque

Unlike most motoring journos who claim to have fallen in love with cars before cracking their first teeth, I was a late starter. For most of my twenties, cars were an unfathomable mystery of metal and wires that I stayed well away from, preferring being passenger to pilot. It was a wonderful excuse to get loaded at parties, never having to worry about getting pulled over.

It was only after I got divorced (and sober) that I was forced to take action and get behind a wheel. Suddenly the mistress of my own destiny, driving opened a whole new world for me.

One thing that totally defied my comprehension was the concept of torque and horsepower. As soon as these terms were mentioned, my mind would wander.

But a car journo has to talk the torque, so when an opportunity to review cars came along, I went to the Google god for a basic explanation: “Torque (T) is the product of a lever arm (r) and the force (F) acting perpendicular to it. In the form of an equation the definition is: T = r x F.”

I felt like I was back in trigonometry class.

I invited a veteran for a cup of coffee, hoping to casually slip in The Big Torque. He was one of those gems who’d been in the industry for 40 years, with 4 000 branded caps to prove it.

After the fifth espresso, I finally stuttered: “Could you explain the actual meaning of torque and horsepower?”

“Imagine an object being pulled or pushed.” I was all ears. “Torque is the measurement of how much force causes this object to turn or rotate. Just like distance is measured in kilometres, torque is calculated in newton metres. Power has to do with higher speeds and can be measured in horsepower or kilowatts. Simply put, torque is the force or the pull, while horsepower is the work or the speed.”

And that was my light bulb moment.

So imagine my pleasure when I got to drive two torque tanks back to back a fortnight ago: the top-of-the-range Mitsubishi Pajero Sport Shogun and the flagship 4x4 LTZ 2.8 diesel Chevy Trailblazer.

And just as I thought I was all torqued out, along came the hardy Chevy Trailblazer, with 141kW of power and a massive 500nm of torque.

With its 76-litre fuel tank, which translates to a range of about 800km, this is the kind of vehicle you can happily get lost in on some off-road adventure, using the easily accessible rotary knob to access 2, 4H and 4L modes. But the Trailblazer’s not just about tough — it’s also safe, with a highly durable body frame, totally redesigned chassis and extra support beams inside the door panels.

What most impressed me were the refined manners both vehicles displayed. Due to the sheer size of these wheels, I expected both to be thirsty at the fuel tanks. Instead, the Shogun and Trailblazer only consume about 8.5 litres and 9.5 litres per 100km, respectively. Torque about being considerate.