This may be sacrilege, but we’re just going to come out and say it. Horsepower is not that important. It’s essential, but it isn’t the end-all-be-all of car performance. It’s part of the whole – like a sprinter’s right leg.
We’re writing this because of an article in The Verge that pointed out the “horsepower wars” among car manufacturers. We hadn’t really considered this, but it’s true that some people tend to base their perception of a car’s performance on that one number – which makes about as much sense as saying someone is a good runner because they can squat lots of weight.
Let’s put it into perspective
Take, for instance, the 2016 Mazda MX-5 Miata. This lightweight beast goes from 0-60 in 5.8 seconds using a 2.0L four-cylinder that produces 155-horsepower. The 2016 Golf GTI goes from 0-60 in 5.8 seconds as well, but its 2.0L turbo four-cylinder is packing 220-horsepower. That’s a difference of 65-horsepower between the two, but the GTI isn’t any faster. It even tops out at 5 mph slower than the Miata.
The difference here is the weight. The Mazda Miata weighs just 2,309lb, while the Golf GTI weighs 3236lb. Those 900 extra pounds really do a number on the GTI.
But that’s really just the tip of the iceberg. The 2016 Ford Mustang’s 2.3-liter EcoBoost turbo four-cylinder makes 310-horsepower, but 0-60 in the Mustang – a car that has exactly twice the amount of horsepower as the Mazda Miata – is only 5.6 seconds. That’s just two-tenths of a second faster than both the GTI and the Mazda.
And just to be clear, both the GTI and the Mazda would leave the 2.3-liter Mustang in the dust on a racetrack. They’re much better in the corners.
How about supercars?
Currently, the world’s fastest (in terms of top speed) supercar is the Hennessy Venom GT. It’s 1,244-horsepower 7.0L Corvette engine and two turbochargers push it to the world-record speed of 270.49 mph.
Meanwhile, the 1500-horsepower Bugatti Chiron’s top speed is 261 mph. It’s much more powerful, yet 10 mph slower. So what does horsepower mean? Not all that much, apparently.
The bigger picture
Why should you care? Because if you’re ever going to buy a car for performance, we want you to make the right decision. Sure, performance combination of all the elements: weight, horsepower, torque, technology, aerodynamics, and so on, but what really matters is how a car feels to drive – not what the spec sheet says. Get in it, drive it, see how fast it’ll accelerate from 0 to 60 mph. Make sure it’s a car that you can have fun in. That’s what really matters.
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