Is 300 Bhp Enough For Uk Roads?

[Simon L]

I reckon 300 gee gees is right on the money.

It's great fun on some of the short stretches of dual carriageway near me where I can have a brief blat without getting up to silly speeds! Showed a brand new A6 who was the daddy the other day

 

[S3Alex]

Have had as much as 450bhp and as little as 100bhp.
There are many variables as mentioned.

The most fun was a Clio V6. A rather modest 230bhp, but manual, mid-engined and RWD which made it absolutely exhilarating. Wouldn't want any more than that in that car.
The best to drive, another Renault with 250bhp. The Chasis built with one aim - driving well on UK roads. No more power required, as it could corner quicker than many cars with huge amounts more power.

I think sporty Audi's require more oomph to make up for the lack of excitement, although 450 bhp V8 was never without occassion!

That's it...the fun factor.

I loved the old Mk1 XR2 I had many years ago,for just that.
A mighty 90ish bhp,but light,grippy and fun to drive.

The problem with a lot of Audis recently is the sloppy suspension,and steering with no feel at all.
It removes a lot of the fun,and makes you look to the aftermarket to bring that factor back.

I can safely say mine is fun to drive now,but will also tootle around town with no coughing or hesitation.....it's getting close to doing everything reasonably well.

 

[TheFiftheElement]

I'm in agreement with a lot of the other folks on here, I think it's car dependent really .. would I have wanted more than 300 BHP in my S3, no, it was quick enough as it was and more speed was not the answer to turn it into a great drive/experience.

My current car has 310 BHP but it's delivered in a different way to the S3, and feels as though it could handle another 50 BHP with ease while still sounding fantastic with a lovely rev hungry building power curve. You need to drop gears and rev it out though, the S3 was more effortless (which actually made it a bit dull )

My X5 3.0SD (286 BHP I think) could have done with about 400BHP as it was big lumbering **** of a car and the only enjoyment was straight line foot to the floor ..

I'm sure 300 BHP in my 1982 Ford Fiesta Holiday would have been a hoot until the chassis twisted and snapped with the power haha !

 

[G-S3]

A thought for Sunday

Bearing in mind that most of the Uk roads are congested, badly maintained and Policed 'enthusiastically' (by Police vehicles, mobile speed camera's, fixed speed camera's, static ANPR, CCTV etc etc)

Is 300bhp (specifically aimed at the S3, but any car with similar figures Golf R etc) enough for the Uk roads?

I say it is. Why the need for anymore, other than pub bragging rights IMHO

Thoughts?

Go stand in the corner and think about what you've said!!!

NO is the answer!

 

[Ignition1]

I'd prefer lots of low-range toque and sharp steering rather than lots of power to get me to high speeds.

Nice to know I can go 160mph+ but I'd prefer acceleration over high speeds if I'm not doing track days etc.

 

[Bristle Hound]

Thought I'd resurrect an old thread see what some of the newer members think

 

[pburv]

Thought I'd resurrect an old thread see what some of the newer members think

It took about 10 threads before I realised how old it was. lol
As for my input it,s the fastest car I have ever owned and to be honest the power is addictive..So more power please....

 

[Daveotto]

300 BHP more than enough but it is addictive even if in reality you only ever floor it once in a while.

There are very few occasions I truly floor it to get away from a standing start, pull out of a bend or overtake, most of the time I reckon I am giving it 75-80%. At motorway speeds I rarely drop it down a gear and still have more than enough power to pull away into the distance from most wannabe racers.

Realistically I would probably be happy with 250bhp and. 6 -6.5 secs time for 0-60

What I can't live without is Quatrro (even if Haldex) to help compensate for my poor driving skills or the quality of the interior which still makes me go "mmmm" every time I get in the car.

Could I live without 300bhp yes, could I live without my s3, now that's a lot harder....

 

[S3 Turbo]

Don't drive on UK roads but think about 400 hp would be ideal for the car...

 

[Firstname_lastname]

Thought I'd resurrect an old thread see what some of the newer members think

I Iike a bit of casual Sunday necromancy.

Is 310PS (adjusted for inflation) too much power, yes it is, is any thing north of 140PS too much, yes it is. That being said there is a part of my brain that clearly doesn't function correctly (this is the same part that is apparently responsible for financial decisions), and i know that I'll never be able to use all of that power legally, and let's not kid ourselves, 310PS is a simply ludicrous amount for a hatchback, its bonkers to think that it's not even that much anymore (New TTRS i am looking at you).

Also i know its not cool to admit you do anything illegal, but lets all be honest, we could of bought the cooking A3 if we intended to play straight all the time, and i assume all you S3/RS3 drivers primarily did it for the same reasons i did (and not the ones i told my wife, "its 4wd, so its good in the snow", "its a ruthlessly efficient engine", "dont worry 310PS is just marketing, it doesn't mean anything these days")

 

[GSB]

Power corrupts. (1st Baron Acton)
Power is nothing without control (advertising hack for Pirelli)
The measure of a man is what he does with power -(Plato)
It is said that power corrupts, but actually it's more true that power attracts the corruptible. The sane are usually attracted by other things than power. (David Brin)
The greater the power, the more dangerous the abuse. (Edmund Burke)
Power is the ultimate aphrodisiac. (Henry Kissinger)
We need more power scotty (capt. J. T. Kirk)
We dinnae have the power captain (Chief Eng. Montgomery Scott)
If you can leave two black stripes from the exit of one corner to the braking zone of the next, you have enough horsepower. (Mark Donohue)


Personally, I'd take less weight over more power, since the effect is much the same, but with more agility and efficiency, but there's no denying that lots of power is a lot of fun.

 

[Bristle Hound]

Power corrupts. (1st Baron Acton)
Power is nothing without control (advertising hack for Pirelli)
The measure of a man is what he does with power -(Plato)
It is said that power corrupts, but actually it's more true that power attracts the corruptible. The sane are usually attracted by other things than power. (David Brin)
The greater the power, the more dangerous the abuse. (Edmund Burke)
Power is the ultimate aphrodisiac. (Henry Kissinger)
We need more power scotty (capt. J. T. Kirk)
We dinnae have the power captain (Chief Eng. Montgomery Scott)
If you can leave two black stripes from the exit of one corner to the braking zone of the next, you have enough horsepower. (Mark Donohue)


Personally, I'd take less weight over more power, since the effect is much the same, but with more agility and efficiency, but there's no denying that lots of power is a lot of fun.

@GSB - Excellent post !

 

[SpeedyFrog]

Unecessary but exhilarating for sure!
Satisfaction to drive a car a little bit more special too.
How you fully used that power on the UK public roads for more than 10s without potentially endangering other people is an interesting side effects... I assume a lot of S/RS cars don't have the driving skills required to master such powerful cars...

 

[Ruhel]

Overkill for UK roads. So many speed cameras and not many places to legally let loose would mean I would just be itching to let loose.

 

[encee]

I`m in agreement with the majority; yes, 300 ponies is a pretty good figure for the road, as it`ll keep you away from most things you meet really...

However, in reality it`s probably more than you`ll ever need for the road. I once owned a Mini Cooper S (R53 for anyone that knows), which was only around 163bhp IIRC, but ****** hell, it flew when you caned it - or so it felt like, anyway, probably due to the size - and coupled with being able to chuck it about for fun, it was a really good motor...

 

[Jassyo06]

No not for me it's the peripherals that comes with more power that l am more interested in

 

[Rob2k68]

I think it's more about the delivery than the headline power figures, the old shape Honda CTR with 201 horses available at 7,800 rpm was a hoot.

 

[SteveMcB]

I've now got 340bhp and 700nm to play with and reckon it's just about spot on, it is a heavy lump but, truthfully, probably still too fast for our roads. I've owned a couple of nippy scoobies but this is the first car I've owned which is always going quicker than I think it is, I'm blaming it 100% for me getting my first ever speeding ticket - first week of ownership, 80 in a 70 , thankfully I was stuck behind a Polo at the time!

I'm totally against speeding in the built up area, I've even got the DIS configured to display the big digital speedo, but even so it can be a real effort not to creep over the limit at times.
Should I get a less powerful one? No chance

 

[MA3RC]

I don't own an S3 but have driven plenty of them and it's a lovely car, with more than enough power to leave the majority of cars on the road in your rear view mirror.

As much as we all love a fast car, 75% of the time you don't have the right road conditions to use it to it's full potential (laws, other cars, cyclists etc).

My thinking is that a car is plenty quick enough (for the road) if it can get you out of a dodgy situation quickly. Usually anything with a 0-60 < 8 seconds will do that. Assuming you're not looking for gaps / dodgy maneuvers ha!

But then it's like anything in life, you just become accustom to the power of your car and always feel like it could do with that little bit more

 

[Baldyone]

At the time of birth for this thread, I was driving an A3 150ps manual TDI with my eye firmly set on an S3. Now, I'm in my 5th month of ownership and really enjoying it.
I fill up twice as much (almost). It's cost me an extra couple of hundred to insure it, and more to pay for the pleasure of having it on my drive each month. I try to behave and keep sensible but whenever I have a clear bit of road I almost can't help but tap the left hand paddel a couple of times, or pull the stick back and drop the gear box in sport. press on the loud peddal and just grin. It's deffo addictive. I find I have to drive really conservatively and calmly to keep legal but managing that has become part of the ownership experience for me. Audi have the balance right with this car I think. Nice normal hatch back with a bucket load of go for when you want it and I'm pretty happy with my lot. 300ps is spot on for me right now and if by magic I was to loose half over night and have it morph back into my diesel I'd certainly miss it.

 

[Baldyone]

And super sports seats add 10ps too. If I was to loose them, I'd go on a murderous rampage. B&O is another 5 I recon!
Then there's it's rear with those 4 shiny exhaust tips. I don't think I've yet managed to park it and walk away with out looking back at least once!
As Jassy hinted at earlier, it's everything that comes with the Power that makes the car and those like it and bigger, a bit special

 

[jaypers777]

All of this talk about 'too much power' is rubbish. Having a car with the capabilities of an S3 makes driving a lot more pleasurable all within the confines of what's legal. The issue is around temptation, which I guess many behind the wheel of a car with such capabilities give in to without too much provocation. Acceleration can get you out of trouble (and into trouble in the wrong hands). Whether you're in a 1.2 Corsa or a 2l Turbo S3, I would wager that the majority creep over the speed limit from time to time. I doubt most of us in this country do the silly speeds on UK roads that an S3 can achieve. I also know how much I enjoy my S3, which can be driven enthusiastically without risking my licence.