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The car industry remains in the grips of a horsepower war, obsessed with one-upsmanship which has overshadowed the things that make a truly great car. For example, when the Ford Mustang debuted, the base six cylinder engine created just 101 hp and Carol Shelby called it “A nice little secretaries car.” Then he turned it into a stripped out 300hp Shelby GT 350. But today the base V6 Mustang offers 300hp and the full fire breathing Shelby is a 200mph monster with 660 horsepower.
The numbers have exploded. In the 1990s 400hp was the realm of supercars, today you can find more than 400hp in a luxury sedan. 500hp used to bring whispers of awe, but now that requires over 1,000hp. It has begun to lose all reality and meaning.
YouTube comments and forum postings abound with people throwing stats back and forth like darts. Tuners brag about taking factory quick cars and dropping their 0-60 times into the two second range with ¼ mile speeds once reserved for designated drag machines.
The result of this horse-power-palooza is the misconception that a more powerful car is always a more fun car. While it’s true that a powerful car offers a rollercoaster style launch whenever the mood strikes, most huge horsepower machines are also just plain huge. Their power is so immense that using the upper reaches of these cars is impossible even on a race-track. So the thrill comes in bragging rights and two or three seconds of full throttle, like starting a rocket just long enough to light a birthday candle.
The problem seems rooted in the stats themselves, especially 0-60 times and top speed ratings. While these figures make for easy side by side comparison of two models, they actually tell very little about how a car feels to drive:
0-60: Probably the best known measure of a cars performance. People who barely know cars will ask the 0-60 time of an exotic while acting like they understand what it all means. In truth, normal driving almost never requires a quick 0-60. Even freeway on-ramps rarely give enough room or necessity to probe a cars ability in this area, especially with traffic congestion and the fact that 18-wheelers and mini-vans must be accommodated alongside those who want to see how fast they can go. A more useful figure would measure the passing speeds of 30-50, or 60-80. Knowing how quickly you can pass a truck on a two-lane road is vital information for every one of us, yet those numbers are rarely tested or archived.
Top Speed: This is the ultimate bragging right number and as useful as a retiree telling you he ran a 4 minute mile fifty years ago. Most people I’ve met have barely driven into triple digits and the vast majority have never broken 120mph. Meanwhile, the quickly shrinking unrestricted sections of the Autobahn don’t offer traffic flow or enough clear road for even the Germans to regularly reach 150. Yet, the measure of modern supercar is the ability to break 200mph. Achieving these speeds requires special locations and meticulous care, and even standing mile events around the country rarely see a stock 200mph+ car reach those speeds in the space provided.
Over the course of this show I’ve found myself more drawn to small cars with low weight and low power. I enjoyed the Corvette ZR1, for example, but much prefer the Lotus Elise. The draw for me is the intimate involvement provided by a smaller car and the ability to feel the vehicle move with the tiniest input. Because there’s nowhere to exploit a wickedly powerful car, most drives offer only a tease. A less-powerful and well balanced machine allows you to take it all the way to its limits with only a twisty road and a Sunday drive at your disposal. The old cliché applies here: It’s more fun to drive a slow car fast than drive a fast car slow.
This problem has come into extreme focus with the release of the Subaru BRZ and Scion FRS. These are incredibly fun cars to drive, but the statistics are pretty embarrassing. A measly 200hp is available with torque so low that it doesn’t even make an appearance until the engine is screaming. They remind us of the departed Honda S2000, which was difficult in traffic but nearly a Lotus Elise on a back road.
Yes, these cars need more power in the same way as the Mazda MX5. They can handle more power and in high altitude or a freeway passing situation a driver will find them lacking. But like the Miata, they offer fun at any speed and the ability to drive a car at the limit while staying in the confines of most people’s existence. I guarantee you that a FRS will feel more rewarding on a twisting mountain road than any 600hp beast. It won’t be faster. It won’t scare you. Instead you’ll be able to push the car to your limits and then, like test pilot, go searching for the edges of the car’s capability without fear.
When a car is light and well balanced you can feel it moving with you, flowing like a dance partner. Heavy or imbalanced cars feel like they are going to do something you didn’t ask for, slip, bite, or step on your toes. Unfortunately, most powerful cars are also heavy cars and either feel like they might kill you, or have so many electronic aids to keep them in check that it may as well be a limo.
If you only use your car to commute, or blast down a mostly straight freeway in search of a gap between other cars, then small and light aren’t for you. A 500hp weapon can spear through traffic and create passing zones anywhere there’s daylight between bumpers. For some, this is the only interaction they have behind the wheel, but it’s actually business travel instead of driving.
Driving requires corners, weight shift, and speed maintenance. It shifts you in the seat and engages your sense of balance. A perfect corner offers the same satisfaction as nailing a dance move, dunking a basketball, or pulling a skate trick. Graceful and satisfying movement isn’t anchored in speed or even power, but in balance.
So the Awarning is this: Driving bliss isn’t measured in 0-60, top speed, or horsepower and torque… heaven is found in the feel of tire-grip through your fingers, the angle of slip you feel through your seat, and the smile that grows on your face when a great car accepts your offer to dance.
Your thoughts on the Horsepower war? How much power is enough? And do you judge a car by the 0-60 stat? Tell us in the Comments below!
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13 Responses to “Horsepower Corrupts”
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I’m wondering if the Japanese didn’t foresee some of these problems when they had the gentleman’s agreement not to post HP ratings above 276*. With less of the focus on HP there could be more focus on other aspects of the cars (like actually turning). At the same time, I do love the feeling of my Toyota Tacoma’s v6 when I punch it.
*This didn’t stop them from building cars with true HP ratings above that
In New South Wales, Australia, we have a police state. Automatic speed cameras are everywhere and it is normal to get randomly breath tested on a weekly basis. The police have set up unmarked vehicles which they park on the side of the road and can automatically detect speeding cars across all six lanes of a freeway and photograph the speeding car. They don’t have to pull you over… you just get a letter with an invoice. The courts have decreed that a radar detector is a “scientific instrument” and therefore cannot be questioned in court. They used to allow up to 10% over the limit before they book you, but now you for only have a tolerance of a couple of kms over. Radar detectors are banned and the Police use Radar detector detectors. Our state government is broke and they raise significant revenue by fining anything that moves in the name of greater safety. They quote figures of how they have lowered road fatalities, but never give any credit to the significant improvements in the car and safety systems technologies that have come through in the last decade. Learner drivers have to do 120 hours of supervised learning to get there provisional license. It takes three years of error free driving to turn the provisional license into a full license. On their provisional license they cannot drive any V8, turbo or supercharged vehicle. One mistake in their first year and they have to start over again. In this environment… you can own a Ferrari down-under, although it will cost you triple the price of the same car in the US… and you can never use it for much more than shopping or they will take your license.
SO well written. I honestly had almost more fun with a 120hp Mini Cooper sporting around in the mountains of NC than any super car I’ve had the pleasure of driving. (If you count a Porsche Panamera S as one.)
Hi I agree with you. On one side I like the power and the 0-60 of the modern cars, but on the other side I remeber my BMW 318is E30 without powersteering, ABS, ESP as the most fun to drive.
New to this site. Great little article. Over the years I’ve driven some of everything. Learned to drive in daddy’s 72 Caprice. First car was a 77 Camaro. From there an 90 Ford Probe and then family came along. Everything from Econo van to an 98 Expedition to haul the kids around. I later supercharged the Expedition firmed up the brakes and suspension and even ran it on a track a few times, 22s and all. A whole lot of fun to drive, but not practicle for track days. Purchased practicle 2 years ago in the form of an 05 GTO. With the goal of keeping upgrades and total vehicle cost south of $45k, I used the experience gained in upgrading the SUV to transform my goat into a daily driver that could master both the highway and the track. I’m in full agreement with the previous comments; HP without the ability to harness it or explore it is useless. The real trick in any high HP car is proper setup and balance. Last but not least is a driver who knows the limits of such a vehicle. 472RWHP later and multiple upgrades to brakes, suspension and tire setup I have a car that has become my Avatar and has allowed me to be the talk of my kids school. It the best of both worlds, Road & Track. I drive for fun and speed…
My first car as a 19 yr. old GI stationed in Germany in 1982 was a 1971 BMW 2000. It had a little 4 banger that made about 90 HP mated to a manual 4 speed. It only weighed about 2400lbs and understeered, but it felt like it was part of my body when I drove it. You could feel the road through the steering and anticipate what it was going to do if pushed too hard. Scary to drive on the autobahn but fun on twisty German backraods.
Bottom Line. My most favorite car that I owned was a 1991 Suzuki Swift GT. Friends told me it wouldn’t last me a year. It lasted me 8 fun filled years and 300,000 hard km. of trouble free driving. It had 100 hp. and something like 75 lbs/ft. of torque. It felt like it went around corners like a go-cart and went like a scalded cat and used very little fuel doing so. I would love to find a car that can do the same today. Fiat Abarth maybe. Good times.
When I was young, a friend of my father’s told me that I should never confuse my car and my “machine”. He meant that I shouldn’t confuse the car that is the love of my life and the car I wander to work in every day. Driving a gas gussling, 600hp sports car everywhere can be a pain in the proverbial. You come out from the mall and some idiot has put a trolley into your door. My son disagrees and would happily drive a Viper everywhere. I think horses for courses.
0-60 times I think are still relevant in everyday driving for things like freeway onramps, especially short ones or if you have to stop at a light before getting on the freeway. My old Honda Civic had a 0-60 time of around 11 seconds… embarrasing and made getting on the freeways from short onramps a bitch. That time went up even more with people in the car and gear in the trunk. My GTI will do it in just over 5… MUCH better. I feel safer knowing I can get up to the speed of traffic quicker.
Passing speed and power is important too, especially on freeways. Smaller cars tend to get bullied around, ignored, or just flat not seen by bigger SUVs and trucks. It’s nice to know I’ve got power to get myself out of a tight spot or remove myself from a clusterf— in a hurry.
A top speed of over 90mph is pretty much useless in a street car for everyday driving. It’s how fast you can get there that’s more important.
Depending on the size of the car, I feel that anything from 200hp(small car) to 300hp(full size) will get the job done in a satisfying and safe manner. I do like driving our big V8 Challengers at the shop (360hp) and the new 5.0L Mustang that packs 420hp is outstanding, but a V8 in a car is a bit of a luxury and a bit of fun more than it’s practical. Doesn’t mean I don’t want one, though.
Lamborghinis, Bugattis, Ferraris – etc. All pretty to look at and I’m sure load of fun to drive but there’s very few places where you can max a car like that. People can and do own cars like that and can and do take them to the track, but if you’re NOT making a point of doing that, you’re wasting your horses and your money. I’d LOVE to own a Lambo one day but I feel like I’d need to take it to the track regularly to justify having it.
If you want in-gear acceleration times… 40-60, 60-80 etc you cannot beat superchargers. They are God’s gift to acceleration while cruising.
I agree with everyone. Over my 15 years of driving I’ve owned 10+ cars. Pretty much all types, very slow to 430hp. Fastest car I’ve ever owned was my 08 Corvette. Would blur your vision on those rare occasions you could really launch it. Despite all that probably the most fun was my 1996 Acura Integra GSR. There was this insanely curvy road in my hometown where you could keep the revs between 6000 – 8000 and the straights were just long enough to hit redline (8000) before downshifting. Really fun little car you could wind out litteraly every day. Drove a friend’s S2000 a few years after I got rid of my GSR and my first thought was “this feels like a GSR on steroids”. Perfect. P.S. please, please review a 2001 Intregra Type R. Would love to see your comments. That would be a fun video. In CA i know you could find a stock example.
I must agree with you Todd. I bought a Ford Lightning because it had a whopping 380 hp/450 tq and that was huge back in the day, less than 10 years ago. Today I’ll pull up to a light and a v6 camaro can run with me. But because there isn’t many electronics helping me, I still get the feeling as if I’m one with the car. Corners are still fun even though the slightest touch of the gas peddle will cause my back end to go crazy, it feels like I won the super bowl when I get it right. Passing times are really what I pay attention to nowadays not the stupid 0-60. I’ve yet to use 0-60 in real life driving, but 50-70 I use on a regular basis. Horsepower should just be what muscle heads and tuners pay attention to. I can’t tell you how many times I see old women driving beasts like an SRT8 or GT500. If I had to put a number on how much horsepower is enough, I’m going to have to say 350. I feel like 350 will make you smile and not kill you at the moment of a planted foot.
I have had eighty cars and I currently own an MX-5, an S2000, a 3.0L Z4, S Type-R, E55, four pristine Z32s etc. When I go driving on the weekend I could choose anything, but I often choose the MX-5. Why? Because I have to make it work hard to have some fun. I like to hear the exhaust note at high revs. The S2000 is also great fun but a not real linear. You simply cannot get the big engine cars off idle without breaking the law. Drive for fun, not for speed.