Average BHP and 0-60 in UK...

[Joetidman]

Bit of a random question that I've never been able to answer is around the 'average' BHP and related 0-60/acceleration on cars in the UK. There has been a trend towards downsized engines but more and more power over the years with even superminis packing 200bhp these days. However there are also lots of city cars now with 50bhp as well and one imagines that the volume cars (and most popular specs) are quite small to average engines. So what do people think? Audi is a premium, sporty brand, so are our cars more powerful than the average in the UK or not? Are cars collectively getting quicker or just the top end models? Does it matter, given better brakes and safety kit? Thoughts on a postcard...


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[pburv]

Maybe this will help a little?
http://www.zeroto60times.com/compare-cars/

 

[Daveotto]

Cars are getting more powerful to meet customer demand led by marketing hype and at the top end they are stupidly powerful and quick (like my S3 and your S5)

The majority of us are continually getting caught up in the efficiency hype of smaller more efficient engines with higher BHP and therefore quicker but secretly all want more power in the one upmanship stakes (even Audi up BHP on facelift models e.g S3's 300 - 310BHP)

My daughter recently bought her first new car (Seat Ibiza SC FR) and I was questioning whether 89BHP was enough and she has to drive round with a telematics box for a year which prevents her even pushing the 1.2 89BHP engine anywhere close to the limit .

 

[PanamaS3]

Car manufacturers have to comply with Government imposed restrictions on carbon emissions, which get stricter each year (unless you live in US where Trump wants to remove them), therefore smaller displacement engines with turbos is where it seems to be at along with hybrid or full electric....all of which have crazy power to weight.
I wouldn't say Audi is particularly more powerful than the average...their competitors have equal models...though at present it does seem like there is a bit of power struggle/one upmanship game going on between them all....especially on the higher volume supermini/hot hatch/hyper hatch market. I also think this market segment is booming because you can buy a daily useable car with performance coming close to much more expensive real performance sports cars, without the cost and headache of driving your halo pride and joy everywhere....look at Clarkson now in his daily Golf GTI...
In a way it does matter that they're all getting faster, as the roads aren't....so its a bit pointless....but people often love to have what they can't fully use

 

[Joetidman]

I think all of what you've said is true. I was looking at the most popular Ford Focus engine as a benchmark. Today it is the 1.0 ecoboost with 125hp with 0-60 at 10.9 seconds. The most popular focus mk1 was the 1.6 zetec 100hp with similar 0-60 15years ago. So actually the performance hasn't massively changed over that time although refinement, emissions and fuel efficiency have massively improved. I wonder if 125-150hp works out as about average given the sheer volume of small hatches there are from Nissan, Ford, Mazda etc. S3's, M3's, 911's surely have to make up less than 5% of the cars on the road?


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[Retroman]

Average speed in central London is 10mph and on our motorways it ranges from 24 to 48 MPH. We don't need all this BHP and 0-60 nonsense . England is one of the most overcrowded countries in the World.

 

[Joetidman]

My local A roads love a 90mph overtake though


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[Retroman]

What we really need is a 30 MPH electric car with a V12 engine noise CD piped down the exhaust to satisfy the inner boy-racer in us.

 

[pburv]

What we really need is a 30 MPH electric car with a V12 engine noise CD piped down the exhaust to satisfy the inner boy-racer in us.

My car already has one..It's called a ''Soundaktor''.....
Unfortunately it doesn't sound like a v12.....

 

[RSS-S3]

I don't understand the point of a small displacement engine trying to be fast!

City cars are fair enough with there 1 litres and 3 cylinders, for bobbing about from point A to point B in town.

But when manufacturers such as ford ram a 3 banger in a fezza and call it a ST ..... my eyebrow raises with nothing but confusion.

A small engine puffed up just so It can rev its tits off at every set of traffic lights to get going again, just so It can be labelled as "efficient" is bonkers to me.

 

[PanamaS3]

I don't understand the point of a small displacement engine trying to be fast!

City cars are fair enough with there 1 litres and 3 cylinders, for bobbing about from point A to point B in town.

But when manufacturers such as ford ram a 3 banger in a fezza and call it a ST ..... my eyebrow raises with nothing but confusion.

A small engine puffed up just so It can rev its tits off at every set of traffic lights to get going again, just so It can be labelled as "efficient" is bonkers to me.

it's not just "efficient"....its kinder to the environment....one day you will be sitting at the lights with a laptop battery under the hood and you WILL like it! lol

 

[RSS-S3]

it's not just "efficient"....its kinder to the environment....one day you will be sitting at the lights with a laptop battery under the hood and you WILL like it! lol

I just cant kill my love for v8's

 

[Joetidman]

I think the future will be electric autopiloted cars for commuting and family journeys (mandated in most big cities) combined with an explosion in raceways etc with purpose built manual sports cars for people to play with at the weekend. Not sure how I feel about that, but that's where we are headed


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[RSS-S3]

I think the future will be electric autopiloted cars for commuting and family journeys (mandated in most big cities) combined with an explosion in raceways etc with purpose built manual sports cars for people to play with at the weekend. Not sure how I feel about that, but that's where we are headed


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Probably.... but until then I will still love displacement

 

[PanamaS3]

as is the way with human ingenuity in times of need....someone will create a place where you can still enjoy ones love of more cylinders....its called the U.S.!!!

 

[Joetidman]

My new V6 is settling in nicely I must say I don't think big engines will disappear but I do think they will end up being 'hobbies' whilst mainstream cars will be automated. Maybe not for 15 years though so plenty of time to enjoy petrol in the meantime


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[Audi Bairn]

My new V6 is settling in nicely I must say I don't think big engines will disappear but I do think they will end up being 'hobbies' whilst mainstream cars will be automated. Maybe not for 15 years though so plenty of time to enjoy petrol in the meantime


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I know yours is the newer turbo version but I did love my 3.0 V6 Supercharged sob sob......