You've only taken on board half of his sentence. He said 'sensible limits' implying not just the limits of the driver.
Fast family hatchback
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You've only taken on board half of his sentence. He said 'sensible limits' implying not just the limits of the driver.
The problem is, short of a motorway or dual carriageway on-ramp, there is very little road (at least in my day to day driving) where using anything even approaching full throttle is possible for more than a second or two. About the most usable “feature” of having north of 300bhp is that you can overtake in very short amounts of time/space, but in these days where everyone has a holier than thou cam, using that potential will probably get you posted on facetube as a “dangerous” driver
My next car likely won’t be as powerful (unless a deal presents itself on a hot estate), there’s just no need on a daily driver. I’m instead leaning towards a like-warm family barge and a weekend play thing that has the power instead.
Perhaps it's the relative lack of power or just the local roads and times i tend to drive them but I don't really find that with the ST. I genuinely use all of its grunt a few times a week, albeit in relatively short bursts but I'm not sure that changes no matter the car. Our fiesta only has about 100bhp or so but you still can't drive the thing in a ham fisted, foot to the floor manner everywhere you go.
I have no desire to remap mine but that's only really because it's terrible at putting down what power it has in anything other than bone dry conditions rather than thinking any more power would make things dangerous. It's a great balance of practicality, relatively good handling and power otherwise.
Can totally see the appeal of a slow day to day car and something that's properly impractical and made for the weekend, but for me that's more about handling, lightness and a car you could genuinely take on track a few times a year without worrying about destroying bits of it.
I can also understand why people might think a lower powered car that also happens to be cheaper is a better balance, but I don't think it's because nobody is able drive a powerful car in the road day to day without acting like they stole it.
I have no desire to remap mine but that's only really because it's terrible at putting down what power it has in anything other than bone dry conditions rather than thinking any more power would make things dangerous. It's a great balance of practicality, relatively good handling and power otherwise.
Can totally see the appeal of a slow day to day car and something that's properly impractical and made for the weekend, but for me that's more about handling, lightness and a car you could genuinely take on track a few times a year without worrying about destroying bits of it.
I can also understand why people might think a lower powered car that also happens to be cheaper is a better balance, but I don't think it's because nobody is able drive a powerful car in the road day to day without acting like they stole it.
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I can totally relate here. I was originally looking at an S1 as a 2nd car but there is no way I can fully enjoy it on my 30-minute commute through speed bumps and built-up areas. Much like @paradigm 's S3, it'd be a total waste, even though they're a hoot. So I'm looking at Fiesta STs, but even those might be a waste. At this rate, I'll end up in a 125bhp 1.0 Fiesta Ecoboost 
Exactly, it’s not like I don’t enjoy it, and that I can’t drive it “normally”, more that I could get 95% of the ownership experience if the car were a 190PS 2.0TFSI S-Line rather than the 310PS S3.I can totally relate here. I was originally looking at an S1 as a 2nd car but there is no way I can fully enjoy it on my 30-minute commute through speed bumps and built-up areas. Much like @paradigm 's S3, it'd be a total waste, even though they're a hoot. So I'm looking at Fiesta STs, but even those might be a waste. At this rate, I'll end up in a 125bhp 1.0 Fiesta Ecoboost
But then you look at used cars and you see that the 2.0S-Line is only a few grand less than the full fat S model.
At least that's my findings with the A/S1, Fiesta/Focus ST..
I just can't believe how poor VFM small cars are
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Bit of a climb down from an M140i, but I'm beginning to think this might actually be the answer...
Yes it's the 1.4 TSI, 158PS iirc. Not sure about remapping; I've never looked into it for the Golf, but I looked into it with my S80 and my current insurers instantly decline to insure modifications to engine performance.
Indeed. It's all about whether I can justify that price for what is essentially a commute hack and 2nd car runabout.
Mk7 Clubsport or Mk7.5GTI Performance would be my 2p.
Your opening paragraph fully supports my argument there is much more to enjoying a car than ragging it none of which requires 300+ bhp if you are fully utilising 300+ bhp how can you be doing anything other than ragging it and if you are ragging 300+ bhp to the max on the road in a small light hatch you almost certainly shouldn't be!
you dont need 300hp, you dont really need 220hp if you want fun without speeding everywhere, you want a car that handles really well, the enjoyment is from the driving not straight line speed, i like speed, but we not americans, id rather have a tamed 150hp car that handles very well than a stupidly more powerful car that might make you go beyond your capabilities of such performance.
how are you not happy with the golf? i used to drive a 58 plate bluemotion tdi on standard steel wheels and that was great fun, was quickest of the diesels or cars i was driving back at that time, 108hp, 183lbs.ft, i used to have fun in a 50-55hp 1ltr 02 swift, a 70hp 1ltr 107 and i even have fun in my 1.6 120hp petrol pug 2008, i would love a car with 150-187hp again and neither of these petrols have turbos/
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It's not fast or sporty enough for my current tastes.
I owned a 140bhp, circa 1 tonne mid engined car and whilst it handled fantastically it was nothing like quick enough. I've also driven the same car with nust over 200bhp and it was fantastic. Won't be far off the kind of power to weight mentioned elsewhere in the thread.
It's all very well saying a well sorted car matters.....and I agree but a well sorted car with more power is just better.
It's a no brainer to say that a low weight, mid engined and or rear wheel drive car with a decent amount of power is where it's at, but if you want to transport people and stuff the weight goes up and drivetrain layout tends to give way.
Anyone who claims a 150bhp modern golf is powerful enough and a great driving experience is barking.
Anyway I'm not going to continually discuss this - I can understand people thinking certain power levels are "enough", but I'll never buy in to the suggestion that you can never use more than *insert abritrary power figure here* on the road without it being dangerous
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Overtaking potential is a big factor. My commute can easily see me stuck behind a slow coach for ten miles because there are very few opportunities to overtake in my current car.
Something more powerful would be able to do it in more places and with bigger margins.