Abstract vs Normal class inheritance performance

Question

When you derive from a class and instance the subclass, the runtime also instances the super class, right?

Since abstract classes can't be instanced, are they not created by the runtime when a subclass is instanced?

If so, then abstract class inheritance would be faster than normal class instance?

Answer 1

The runtime never creates separate instances of the base class and the derived class - it's just that the derived class instance also has all the variables etc of the base class, and runs the base class constructor as part of initialization. There's no difference here between "normal" base classes and abstract base classes.