I don't want to spoil Lucifer's M4 thread and I'm delighted he's pleased with his car order.

My question is this: how do you use all of that power on the public roads?

My SL350 only has 310bhp and crawls to 62 in 5.9s. But I'm often frustrated that I just can't use that power: >120mph is stupidly easy to achieve whilst you think you're doing no more than 60mph. And I can push it around country lanes at ridiculous speeds even though it's a heavy GT rather than a hard-driving sports car. I can't use a fraction of its capability on public roads. Anything quicker would drive me mental. I'm so happy I didn't choose the 500 or, indeed the AMG A45. I now really have doubts about the Merc GT - it would feel like being married to the sexiest woman in the world but having "no lead in the pencil"

How do others cope?

I've asked that question a dozen times here.

For fun, I'd much rather drive something small and light with a modicum of power, such that its limits can be explored somewhere approaching legal speeds.

A car which is too powerful, or too competent around a corner, is simply too uninvolving to drive at legal speeds.

And anyone can go quickly on an autobahn... so what? Compensation, perhaps?

Do you really need to use much of it much of the time

I can't. I'm not a skilled enough driver nor am I mad enough to try that hard. I drive pretty fast within my limits and without taking silly risks but if not held up by something slow on a windy road, I guess my journey times would be almost the same in my 5.0 XKR or in a 1 liter Fiesta on public roads with speed limits.

So why buy something fast? Well, often, not because it is fast per se, that is often just a side effect of buying something nice. I buy my cars primarily because they are, to me, nice to look at, at any speed. All cars these days are very competent and most are pretty fast too. The choices are now down to personal taste so why not buy something you desire.

My current car is my favourite by a long way.

My coupe was brilliant, fast, comfortable and good looking, but even that was pushing the limits of power usefulness at 250bhp.

The family 911 TT (Read dads, but he never drives it) is too fast, you are easily doing more than double the speed limits by the time you leave the slip road on to the motorway. There is no way you could use that power on a country, twist road safely.

I now have 100hp and one of the sweetest handling vars I have ever driven. The Panada 100hp is perfect for fun driving and day to day driving. Although it does scream a little on the motorways.

However that being said, I would have a much faster car if I could, not because it is fast, but because I want it. Fast cars are often more than just speed, the new Alfa I would say is a prime example of this.

You can't. Why would you buy anything with so much more of something than you can actually use, car or otherwise?

Willy waving

well, I had a nice 4.7L V8 Jeep GC. Way too much power for the handling capabilities anywhere. However, it was a pleasure to drive, quiet, refined and easy to make relaxed progress. No willy waving, just driving pleasure for me.

We often buy over specced products. A very powerful hifi might seem pointless but it means that it is mainly used in a more linear part of its operating range dealing with transients much better so actually sounding more realistic but not necessarily louder.

Same goes for cars. It is nice to have some ability in reserve. We don't want to drive at the limit and an over-specced machine also lasts longer. There are many possible benefits other than outright speed and bragging rights. You can always use acceleration even if you stop at the legal speed limit. Some cars are too slow for a relaxed drive, most are more than adequate, but some make fluid progress easy and fun, so why not?

It's not just about power.
A lot of decisions are also guided by styling and the sporting (big power) models look better in my eye.
For me noise is also a big factor. You can't make a 1.2 Fiesta sound like a V6/V8/V10/V12 etc

Yes you can

I hear the argument about how "nice" the car is but many high-spec cars come with a high-spec but lower powered model. My SL is a prime example: it's the lowest spec engine - there's a 5 litre and an AMG (maybe 6.3) beyond mine - the AMG adding about £60k to the price. Mine is the "AMG Sport" model and has all the toys (nearly) available that the AMG has. The interior is lovely and the seats fantastic. I'm sure the same is broadly true of many of the "fast" models - MSport or whatever.

Once upon a time you could argue that the engine note was worth it - but with neutered exhausts and artificially enhance cabin noise, this isn't even true. The i8 with its tiny motor sounds incredible from inside and, I think, makes so much sense in the modern world - electric for much of the time and the noise and power for those opportunities. And no need for massive tyres. I still wonder, with the deals that exist now, whether I should have gone that route after all.

Sounds like a Playstation V8!



But an M4 will always sound better than a lower spec car regardless of artificial noise inside and the top spec models usually have flared arches etc that would cost a fortune to replicate on a lower standard body model.

A "350SL" is already in the "well more than fast enough bracket" so that box is ticked. There are faster cars which will be even more effective but at this level it is no longer so important. On public roads, the lower powered versions of these cars might actually be the sweet spot and the clever choice - more than fast enough but also somewhat sensible. I only went for the R version of mine because usually I always buy the sensible version - this time was going to be the exception, especially as the price difference used was so small and it had the options that I wanted, in a colour that I did not mind. We don't buy these cars with our heads so it is hard to justify why we bought what we did, we just bought them

I actually agree with Neil with regard to his point about many products being greatly over-specced for what you could realistically need. For example I just took advantage of our co-op electrical discount to buy a 55in 4K SUHD TV, along with an xbox one S for playing ultra high definition blu rays. Do I need ultra HD? Nope. I already had a decent enough TV, and in fact already had an xbox one.

OK so doing the equivalent with cars is not the same thing at all, of course I know that. Barring some smart-arsed comments there aren't many ways you could kill yourself, friends, family or innocent passers-by with a TV, whereas you easily could with a high powered car. But then again, you can kill someone with any car, and you can land yourself in prison with any car (if not through speeding then through dangerous driving etc). Even my wife's Nissan Juke will do over 100mph.

So to answer the original post (and a very good one it is, by the way) from my personal point of view, why did I just order an M4, when I could've easily had an M-sport 4 series diesel.. and saved myself quite a lot of money in the process, too?

Well.. part of it is the drama and kudos of owning the 'M' car, and the way it makes you feel (and if you're not a fan of M cars then apply that statement to whatever you want.. Italian supercars, V8 muscle.. whatever. We're all here because we're car fans, albeit with different tastes). Of course, I've still not answered the question because that has nothing to do with performance or speed.. I guess there's a certain amount of the ownership experience that knowing you have a capable car brings, before you even step foot in it.

So for the speed on public roads issue.. well, yes, when you have a car that can reach the motorway speed limit in a matter of seconds it's frustrating that you just aren't able to push it to its limits. But there's still more than enough excitement, and in some cases benefit, to be had from using it within the limits of what's legal and acceptable. When you need a bit of overtaking power, say you're stuck behind a tractor at 15mph on an NSL road, the ability to get up to a safe and legal overtaking speed in a shorter amount of time would certainly appear to have its advantages. And then let's be honest - there's the fun factor, for example that moment when you exit a roundabout on an empty NSL dual carriageway, and you get the chance to open the taps - albeit for just enough seconds to get you to 70 - and feel the thrill of the acceleration.

Do you NEED an M4, or even a McLaren or anything else excessive, for that purpose? Nope. But the combination of all of the things above (and a lot more besides) is what makes a lot of people buy them anyway.

I guess my question was as much related to not being frustrated as much as anything. I understand a lot of the heart-over-the-head stuff (15-plus Alfas have proven that). I drive my SL in Economy mode 95% of the time which effectively de-rates performance else I'd be really frustrated.

This is exactly why I have two cars - a diesel Alfa GT for commuting (average speed for 60 miles a day is a paltry 27mph...)

I then have the Coupe for when I need the thrill of G. Yes, its faster than I need and occasionally, I worry that getting caught could deprive me of my freedom, let alone my license, but I tend to be VERY selective about where in enjoy the car.

That said, I understand the point - I occasionally borrow my brother's Lotus Elise 111S - HUGE fun without having to go particularly quickly

I guess we all need half a dozen cars:-

Something blingy & exotic - pose value
Something cheap & dirty - skip runs and dog-carrying
Something fast & loud - the thrill of driving
Something slow & comfortable - for when wafting is required
Something chunky & tough - 'cos off-roading is well 'ard, innit
Something cheap to insure - 'cos most of us will have kids wanting to borrow the car at some point

I reckon a new Range Rover SVR would probably tick most of those boxes....

Funnily enough I always said my ideal lottery win garage would contain 5 cars:

- a 4x4 for winter days, Range Rover perhaps
- something truly exotic, my current favourite choice here being a Huracan
- something for taking on track days
- something great to look at and flashy but still capable of transporting a couple of people - maybe a Maserati Granturismo S
- something fast but comfortable, and this may sound a bit odd, but the new high performance Porsche Panamera Diesel (the one which does 0-60 in about 4 seconds) would be great to fill this slot

Well, relative to Nigel's list, I have:
- Merc SL350 - comfortable, wafting, convertible with pace/noise when needed
- old Merc E320 cdi - work wagon and tow car with long-distance capability
- Fiat 500 1.2 semi-auto - cheap, short-run city car (that's a riot to throw about with abandon)
- Alfa Giulia GT - race car (could be road legal), hard-core, adrenaline inducing.

No bloody 4x4 though - I don't have a horse...

I believe the technical term is a 'Velben good' - a thing that you buy because you can, rather than because you need to, part of whose appeal is the cost of it.

My Z4M has 343bhp, more than enough now the roads are slippery! Maybe I'm getting old but I make full use of the 3 DSC settings.
All on, perfect for overtaking, even on wet roads as the DSC will not let you get out of shape.
M Track (1/2 way house), used most of the time, allows full power (wheelspin) and a certain amount of lateral movement before it gathers things up.
All off, great fun and used to brighten my commute!

See here when experimenting with no back boxes this time last year.
First overtake was with all systems on, rest of the clip was all off.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u3-K273Rxhg&feature=youtu.be

Contemplating a Corvette Z06 as my next car, but the safety systems are relatively poor so may have to be more careful with 400bhp+.