Why is it not recommended to buy a three-cylinder car?
2 Answers
Reasons why three-cylinder cars are not recommended: The three-cylinder engine has one less stroke than a four-cylinder engine, which makes it prone to vibration during operation and produces louder noise. Additionally, to achieve power output smoothness close to that of a four-cylinder engine, the three-cylinder engine needs to be matched with a large-mass flywheel. This increases the engine's rotational inertia, making the RPM response sluggish and resulting in less responsive throttle feedback. A three-cylinder car refers to a vehicle equipped with a three-cylinder engine, which consists of three cylinders arranged on a single block sharing one crankshaft for power output, with a displacement below 1 liter. A four-cylinder car refers to a vehicle equipped with a four-cylinder engine, whose main components include the cylinder block, crankcase, cylinder head, and cylinder gasket.
I drove a three-cylinder car for a while, initially attracted by the low price and advertised fuel efficiency, but encountered numerous issues once on the road. At idle or low speeds, the steering wheel vibrated so much it made my hands numb, feeling as uncomfortable as a massage chair—especially in traffic jams, it was pure torture. During acceleration, the engine noise was excessively loud, sounding like a tractor, forcing me to turn up the music volume. In terms of power, it was manageable in city driving, but once on the highway or climbing a steep hill, it felt lacking in stamina, struggling even with the pedal to the metal—far behind four-cylinder cars. Over time, the car felt loose overall, and its value depreciated quickly in the used car market. A friend bought it cheap but lost big when reselling. I suggest test-driving more before choosing a car and not overlooking these hidden drawbacks for small savings.
