Horsepower vs. Torque: What’s More Important When Towing? – Jalopnik

When looking at the performance capabilities of any vehicle, horsepower and torque should not be pitted against each other. In fact, they are simply different sides of the same coin, so to speak. A car needs both horsepower and torque, but depending on the application, one may be preferred over the other.

Let’s look at an example of a vehicle that excels at towing. The 2023 Ford Super Duty can tow up to 40,000 pounds, more than any truck in the history of trucks. Why can it pull so much weight? Because it has 1,200 pound-feet of torque. Torque is the force that causes an object to rotate. If you’ve ever struggled with opening a stubborn pickle jar, the force required to move the lid is an example of torque. In cars, high torque is most important when towing, because at low speeds you need extra force to roll the wheels from a stop.

While torque is a measure of power, an engine’s power is measured in horsepower. The difference between the two is that torque focuses on generating energy, while horsepower indicates how quickly that energy is used. Imagine an analog meter with torque written on the left and horsepower on the right, indicating which meter was primarily used. From a stop the needle would be all the way to the left on torque, but as you accelerated the needle would move closer to the horsepower until it is all the way to the right at high speeds. This does not mean that only torque or horsepower is always used. They are all always present – ​​albeit to a lesser extent at different times.

Take the extreme example of the Bugatti Veyron 16.4 Super Sport, which set a world record in 2010 with an average speed of almost 431 km/h. Being one of the fastest street-legal cars ever, the Veyron was able to achieve this exaggerated figure thanks to its 1,200 horsepower. However, the Bugatti Veyron’s ability to accelerate from 0 to 100 km/h in just 2.5 seconds is thanks to its powerful 1,106 Nm of torque. (However, this does not translate into towing capacity.)

In recent years, electric vehicles have attracted attention by demonstrating their ability to deliver instant torque. With a combustion engine, more steps are needed before full power can be sent to the wheels. That’s why torque measurements typically include their own rotational speed, which indicates when maximum rotational force occurs. But an electric car doesn’t have to worry about things like fuel, because it can produce maximum torque to the wheels immediately. Some of these models have also dropped significantly in price. You could potentially get a used EV with supercar gear for less than a Camry. The 2025 Kia EV6 GT has a combined torque of 568 Nm, leading to a 0-100 km/h time of just 3.2 seconds.