the world cup of cars: which wins?

Have you ever wondered how cars would fare in the World Cup? While they don’t possess the gazelle-like fitness qualities of the world’s best football players, nothing stops us humans from comparing them one after the other to try and find the cream of the crop.

 While cars aren’t usually linked to the World Cup, aside from transportation purposes, this year, we’ve been inspired by the beautiful game to have our own motoring tournament. Utilising data from our recent article where we identified the cars representing some of the nations this year, here we shall compare and contrast each model based on their features to give us an overall winner.

How the winners will be chosen

Firstly, we need to setup some knock-out stages. Just like in real life, we randomised each of the 16 teams we ended up with, pitting them against each other in the first round of matches. It’s also worth mentioning that we saw a couple of duplicates in our data, in which case, these have been removed to make things simple.

When it comes to the results themselves, we’re mainly taking statistical factors into account: economy, performance, and efficiency. We’d also like to point out that the numbers we report aren’t applicable to every single model within a range, and therefore aren’t completely indicative of real-world statistics. Sometimes, our research presents us with a range of numbers. In which case, we’ll take a median measurement to account for slight variances in manufacturing.

Round 1: knockout

Here are the matchups for the first round:

Fiat Cronos Vs Ford F-Series

Our first matchup sees two very different cars going head-to-head. Both models aren’t directly available here in the UK, but we’ll do our best to give them each a fair shot.

The Fiat Cronos of Argentina has a maximum mpg rating of 35.6mpg; a top speed of 87mph; and a 0-60 time of 10.6 seconds. It’s a compact family car with no real frills, it simply serves to transport from A to B with little fuss.

For clarity’s sake, we’ll use the Ford F-150 in our measuring’s for the F-Series. The F-150 of the USA is powered by a 3.3L V6 engine that produces up to 24mpg; a top speed of 111.8mph; and a 0-60 time of 4 seconds.

Winning in 2 of the 3 aspects we measured, the Ford F-Series advances!

Winner: Ford F-Series (F-150)

Volkswagen Golf VS Honday N-Box

Our second matchup sees Germany up against Japan, being represented by the Volkswagen Golf and Honda N-Box respectively. The N-Box isn’t available here in the UK, but the Golf very much is. So, let’s see how they stack up:

Finding exact numbers for the Honda N-Box proved a little tricky, so take some of these metrics with a pinch of salt. The N-Box has a maximum mileage rating of 40.5mpg; top speed of 87mph; and a 0-60 time of 19 seconds.

The Volkswagen Golf sports a fuel efficiency of around 36mpg; top speed of 125mph; and 0-60 time of about 4 seconds.

With two clear wins, the Volkswagen Golf advances to the next round.

Winner: Volkswagen Golf

Fiat Strada VS Peugeot 2008

This third round sees another two similar cars battling it out. One is a somewhat large pickup/SUV, the other a medium sized sports SUV. So, how do they compare?

Brazil’s Fiat Strada achieves a maximum fuel economy of 49mpg; has a top speed of 101mph; and can travel from 0-60mph in about 8 seconds.

The Peugeot 2008 of Portugal has a fuel economy of around 46 mpg; a top speed of 115mph; and a 0-60 time of 9 seconds.

This one’s incredibly close, but it looks like the Fiat Strada comes out on top this time, beating the Peugeot 2008 on both fuel economy and acceleration.

Winner: Fiat Strada

Open Crossland VS Toyota Corolla

Matchup number four sees some familiar sights from here in the UK. Representing Croatia is the Opel Crossland while Poland is represented by the Toyota Corolla. They’re slightly different kinds of cars, but both quality in their own way. Let’s see how they fare:

The Opel Crossland (also called the Vauxhall Crossland in the UK) achieves a fuel efficiency of 48mpg as a petrol and up to 61 mpg as a diesel; can travel up to 116mph; and accelerates 0-60mph in around 11 seconds.

As a hybrid, the Toyota Corolla has a couple of advantages, particularly around fuel efficiency. Economy tops out at 69mpg; its top speed clocks in at 111mph; and its 0-60 time comes in at just 7.3 seconds.

It’s an all-out defeat in the fourth matchup, meaning the Toyota Corolla advances to the quarter finals.

Winner: Toyota Corolla

Toyota Hilux VS Hyundai Porter

The Toyota Hilux represents a couple of nations this year, with it selling thousands of units across Australia and Asia, whereas the Hyundai Porter is placed on behalf of South Korea this year. As both vehicles are used for very different purposes, this matchup should get interesting.

The Toyota Hilux returns up to 30mpg; has a top speed of 104mph; and can get 0-60 times of around 12 seconds.

The Hyundai Porter has a maximum fuel economy of 45mpg; and a top speed of around 94mph. Finding exact 0-60 times proved challenging for the Porter, but looking at its closest relative, the Hyundai H-1 Travel Van, 0-60 times can be expected to be around the 12-13 second mark.

It’s certainly a close one here. But, just inching ahead on acceleration speed, the Toyota Hilux advances.

Winner: Toyota Hilux

Peugeot 208 vs Chevrolet Aveo

Our sixth matchup sees France’s Peugeot 208 going against Mexico’s Chevrolet Aveo.

The Peugeot 208 has an average reported fuel efficiency of 47mpg; a top speed of around 105mph; and a 0-60 time of 13 seconds.

The Chevrolet Aveo has a fuel economy of about 47mpg; top speed of 110mph; and a 0-60 time of 12 seconds.

With an initial draw in fuel economy, the Aveo eventually takes the lead in top speed and acceleration, pushing it through to the quarter finals.

Winner: Chevrolet Aveo

Citroen C3 VS Toyota Land Cruiser

This penultimate knockout has two very different cars going head-to-head. Representing Belgium, the Citroen C3 is a compact hatchback, whereas the Saudi Arabia’s Toyota Land Cruiser is a hardcore 4x4 equipped to handle treacherous conditions.

The C3 has a fuel economy of around 48mpg; top speed of 120mph; and a 0-60 time of about 13 seconds.

With its much bigger 2.8-litre 4 cylinder engine, the Toyota Land Cruiser achieves a fuel economy of just 38mpg; top speed of 108mph; and a 0-60 time of 12 seconds.

Defying the odds, the Citroen C3 comes out ahead thanks to its lighter weight and less aggressive engine mapping.

Winner: Citroen C3

Vauxhall Corsa VS Dacia Sandero

Representing us Brits is the beloved Vauxhall Corsa, while Morocco is placed with the Dacia Sandero to fight its corner. Both cars are similarly priced, while deviating slightly on their use cases, size, and specifications. This should be exciting.

The Vauxhall Corsa has a stated fuel economy of between 49 and 50 mpg; a top speed of 129mph; and a 0-60 time of 9 seconds.

The Sandero has a fuel efficiency rating of up to 53mpg; top speed of 113mph; and a 0-60 time of between 10 and 14 seconds.

Taking victory in both top speed and acceleration, the Vauxhall Corsa advances.

Winner: Vauxhall Corsa

Round 2: quarter finals

With the knockout stages complete, we’re left with 8 cars. Let’s have a look at our next matchups:

 Ford F-Series VS Volkswagen Golf

The first of the quarter finals sees the USA go up against Germany as the Ford F-Series (F150) battles against the Volkswagen Golf.

Winning in both fuel efficiency and top speed, the Volkswagen Golf heads to the semis.

Winner: Volkswagen Golf

Fiat Strada VS Toyota Corolla

Match two of the quarter finals has the Fiat Strada of Brazil going against the Toyota Corolla of Poland.

In which, it’s an all-out defeat for the Fiat Strada which loses on all accounts to the Toyota Corolla.

Winner: Toyota Corolla

Toyota Hilux VS Chevrolet Aveo

 In match three, we have Australia’s Toyota Hilux going against Mexico’s Chevrolet Aveo.

It’s a resounding, yet unexpected victory for the Chevrolet Aveo here, with it beating the Toyota Hilux on both fuel efficiency and top speed.

Winner: Chevrolet Aveo

Citroen C3 VS Vauxhall Corsa

The final game of the quarters has Belgium represented by the Citroen C3 going against England’s Vauxhall Corsa.

During which, the Vauxhall Corsa decimates the C3 in every single category, placing it firmly within the semi-finals.

Winner: Vauxhall Corsa

Round 3: semi finals

With the quarterfinals complete, we now head to the semis with just four cars left. Before we continue, here are the current standings:

Volkswagen Golf VS Toyota Corolla

Two somewhat similar cars battle it out in the first game of the semis as we see the Volkswagen Golf facing off against the Toyota Corolla.

Although the Corolla is miles ahead in efficiency, it unfortunately loses out in sheer performance against the Golf. Thus, the Volkswagen Golf proceeds to the final.

Winner: Volkswagen Golf

Chevrolet Aveo VS Vauxhall Corsa

 Closing out the semis is one of the closest matchups we’ve had throughout this list.

The Vauxhall Corsa takes an early and strong lead for fuel efficiency, with 50mpg beating out the Chevrolet Aveo’s 47. Things get worse for the Aveo in the performance categories, with the Vauxhall Corsa pulling ahead in top speed by an additional 19 miles an hour, and acceleration speeds being just 3 seconds faster to 60mph.

Winner: Vauxhall Corsa

The final

It all comes down to this. Two cars have staved off serious competition, but only one can reign supreme.

Volkswagen Golf VS Vauxhall Corsa

For Germany, we have the Volkswagen Golf going against the Vauxhall Corsa representing England.

From the start, the Corsa takes a win on fuel efficiency, with its impressive 50mpg beating out the Golf’s measly 36. For top speed, it gets incredibly close. With the Vauxhall Corsa having 129mph to go against the Golf’s 125, it wins in category 2 also. With defeat looming, the Golf fights back and claims a compensation victory in 0-60 speed, beating the Vauxhall Corsa by 5 whole seconds.

With that, we have our winner. The humble Vauxhall Corsa of England is hereby stated the winner of the finandfundmycar.com World Cup of Cars.

Get a used car today

So, there you have it. With a final of Germany VS England, it’s an event we’ve seen time and time again. Did your favourite make the cut? Let us know how you thought things would pan out over on Twitter.

If you're looking for a used car, browse our entire selection today.

[Header image photo credit: History of Soccer]