What’s the optimum BHP / Performance for a fun road car?

[shuebc]

So we now live in a world where 400 bhp is pretty standard entry level of power for a entry level performance car. The thing is - is too much power taking the actual fun out of driving a car on open roads, without constantly worried about getting caught speeding. Are new cars too quick to enjoy the build up of revs etc, and actually get the visceral feeling of driving a mechanical machine?

What does everyone the ideal bhp / or power to weight is / or 0-60 is for a pure road only performance car in the UK?

And what car would that be for you, a road going car that you can daily, and have a blast when needed, without reaching silly speeds too quickly, or getting in trouble with the law?

[anonymous-user]

800hp at least with rwd.

[ingenieur]

I would say weight is more important than power when it comes to enjoyment.

I've never had a Caterfield or even driven one but I bet they're a lot of fun to drive at all engine specs.

Big heavy cars with tons of power and loads of facilities like high number of gears and traction control type stuff aren't as fun as a little old car with manual everything (power steering and servo brakes are worth having).

Power to weight ratio comes into play of course.

I had a E46 318i last year and that didn't have the power to pull a skin off custard and was not good as a result. The e90 3.0 I had before that did have enough power. Just over 200hp.

The one non-negotiable as far as I'm concerned is rear wheel drive. I was raised on front-wheel-drive but when I started getting into BMWs and Mercs I would be reluctant now to go back to front-drive for a fun car.

[georgeyboy12345]

200-350 bhp and less than 1300 kg

[Glosphil]

"without constantly worried about getting caught speeding."

That can happen in any car. In the 70s I was caught speeding (on the motorway) in a Cortina 2000 with just under 100hp.

[cerb4.5lee]

The best sweet spot I've had was my old mildly tuned S14 200SX. That was around 250bhp/1200kg, and I roughly timed the 0 to 60 in it at 5 seconds dead. That was ideal for me.

I also really liked my old F56 Cooper S as well. I liked its size and weight a lot(around 1200kg again), but there were times when I wanted more than the 192bhp that it offered though. The Mini would have been ace with another 50-60ish bhp I reckon.

[cerb4.5lee]

Glosphil said:

"without constantly worried about getting caught speeding."

That can happen in any car. In the 70s I was caught speeding (on the motorway) in a Cortina 2000 with just under 100hp.

I never worried about speed limits in the Cooper S in comparison to the other performance cars that I've had in fairness. It could obviously break the speed limits, but its performance wasn't enough for me to worry that much about it though.

In the faster cars I've tended to think before I've fully opened them up in comparison. In the faster cars it is a doddle to breeze past a 100mph, and in the M4 for example you barely have to touch the throttle and you're going quicker than that.

[RVB]

150hp/ton is a good level of power for enjoyment.

[TCX]

Wouldn't that more depend on the driver?

[cerb4.5lee]

wormus said:

800hp at least with rwd.

I'd be upside down in a field in no time in that I reckon!

[MissChief]

I have 245HP in my 428i which feels plenty fast for overtaking etc. but anything 250-300HP is probably the sweet spot as long as it doesn’t weigh two tonnes.

[Paul671]

I don't think power is that important tbh, a fun car is a fun car regardless.

I just got a Honda CRZ for the commute and it's a lot of fun to drive despite the fact it's got no power, maybe even because of it.

I guess 200bhp/ton is always going to be a laugh though if you have to put a number on it.

[Ekona]

RVB said:

150hp/ton is a good level of power for enjoyment.

I'd agree with this, but then as an MX5 NC owner I would

Personally I've found 200bhp/ton is where I'd ideally like to be. Anything under and sometimes overtakes are a bit painful, go too far over and you can feel like you're hanging on rather than driving on the roads I like.

[hungry_hog]

wormus said:

800hp at least with rwd.

don't forget steel 14 inch wheels, a manual gearbox made of balsa wood and a roll cage

[HappyMidget]

wormus said:

800hp at least with rwd.

For once I agree with you

[ziggy328]

I’ve had a number of cars with more power but I’d go with 400 bhp and light (ish). Too light and you miss the creature comforts. Light makes it feel so much faster than it is in my experience

[BoRED S2upid]

RVB said:

150hp/ton is a good level of power for enjoyment.

Agree with this. Enough that you can use most of the power without killing your tyres or putting yourself into a hedge.

Also the lighter the better.

[Mr Tidy]

My daily is a BMW E90 330i that has a claimed 258bhp, and to be honest most of the time that is plenty.

But then I take my BMW Z4M Coupe "weekend" car with 343bhp out for a drive and realise more can be better!

So RWD manual gearbox and as many bhp as possible is probably the right answer.

[LooneyTunes]

There’s no right answer to this in bhp/ton terms.

My fun cars range from sub-35 to 350+ bhp/ton, with a 200bhp/ton daily and various others in between.

What turns out to be the right car depends on the day, the weather, the company, where you’re going, your mood, whether the right track kicks in at the right time, etc, etc. bhp tends to be one of the least important elements…

Edited by LooneyTunes on Saturday 11th February 21:39

[GiantCardboardPlato]

<1000kg, 150-300 bhp/tonne