Most Performance Car Buyers Go For The Fastest Version Possible
It’s a pretty common trend for fast cars these days: you get the entry-level version, and one that’s a bit faster. The top-of-the-line model will have more power, perhaps a few more options plus a chassis change or two. And whether it’s called an S, a Plus or something else, we were curious to know: just how many people go for the fastest possible option?
To find out, we got in touch with a few manufacturers, and from what we’ve found, most UK buyers opt for the shoutiest version available. The first example is the Audi R8, where buyers are presented with two choices: the 531bhp V10, or the 602bhp V10 Plus. Audi told us that a whopping 80 per cent of buyers thus far have gone for the Plus, which does make sense: for the £18,000 premium you get a lot more power, and so much extra kit that if you specced it all on the standard V10, it’d end up being more expensive than the Plus.
So, what’s the point in the standard one, then? An Audi spokesperson told us that: “there are Audi customers who also want the supercar experience delivered in a slightly more understated form. This is evident when you compare traditional entry-level R8 sales, which in the majority of cases include features such as comfort seats and darker or more understated colour combinations.” The fact that just the Plus was available initially has skewed the figures, but we’d expect the Plus to remain the most popular version.
While Mercedes was unable to give us exact figures, it hinted that the split for the AMG-GT and AMG C63 models were weighted heavily towards the more power S models of each, while rivals BMW are predicting that 70 per cent of all M3 and M4s will be ordered with the new £3000 Competition Pack. This echoes the company’s experiences with the E9x M3, most of which were sold with its version of the pack after it was introduced.
If you go further down the food chain, it’s the same story. Seat originally offered 265 and 280 versions of its Leon Cupra in the UK, with the former - less powerful - car coming without the sensational VAQ differential. However, Seat UK dropped the 265 from the range due to poor sales - recently a spokesperson from the company told us that “less than five per cent” of buyers opted for the ‘lesser’ car.
Its rival from the Peugeot stable - the 308 GTI - enjoys a less extreme split between the 270 and the 250 editions of the car (the 270 comes with bigger brakes and wheels, an LSD and posher seats). But the more powerful 270 still takes a substantial 70 per cent of sales.
As with Audi, Peugeot’s rhetoric on the subject of the faster models dominating sales again focuses on defending the less powerful version. Some buyers might want something extreme, is the reasoning. However, when it comes to most of us rowdy performance car buyers in the UK, it seems that if we’re going to do it, we’re going to do it properly and get whatever version shouts loudest.
Where do you stand? Would you get the ‘lesser’ version of any of the cars we mentioned?
Growing up on a diet of World Rally Championship highlights and lengthy Gran Turismo 2 sessions, a life in cars was as good as inevitable for Matt.
Comments
Personally, id rather buy a Golf GTI rather than the bonkers ‘R’
Simply because I think the R is overpowered
I think the new Golf GTI is underpowered.
I think GTI Performance might be the best compromise. :-)
i got a ride in a remaped 397hp golf r, it’s worth every penny. Acceleration like 10 people stab you in the back.
I would take the R because it’s AWD, we get long winters in Sweden :(
As a guy who prefer bone-stock cars rather than heavily tuned ones, I get the higher spec instead. I don’t want to waste time to upgrade a lower spec car. Unless is a very weak car or something has many good car part upgrades. Or the higher-spec one is too bad.
Thinking about it there’s not much stuff I really want on a car as an extra, like voice control or bluetooth or even leather seats, what I’d personally like is if they could offer a sporty version, but you can choose to have less/lesser things in your car, but still have the fast bits
Remember that some markets only receive the higher-end version, here in NZ we don’t get the regular versions of AMGs if that model has an S version.
the only thing the top models have to the base ones is bragging rights… give someone a 531 hp R8 and tell him it is the 600 hp one, and i am sure as hell he is going to absolutely believe it
I think that part of the reason of making these “slower” versions of supercars is to boost customer satisfaction and even sales of the faster versions.
makes sense, nearly everyone wants “the bigger one”
I would go for sls amg black series, older one, not this stupid gts. 640 hp for a race car which can be your daily if you are mad enough to park it at mall
i would like to see what % of C7 corvettes are the stock C7 and which are the Z06. i have a feeling that since the Z06 came out a very high % are Z06’s because of the extra styling and power
I would think otherwise. Corvette is an everymans sports car with an everymans price. The Z06 is priced out of the every day Joes budget
You don’t get the idea of this at all, you could compare Z06 with Z06 Z07 Package or standard C7 with Z51 Package. Otherwise this would make no sense hence these are two separate cars, for example they didn’t compare 991 Turbo S with Carrera S didn’t they?
However, when it comes to most of us rowdy performance car buyers in the UK, it seems that if we’re going to do it, we’re going to do it properly and get whatever version shouts loudest.
I believe it.
70%-ish of buyers in the UK went for the Mustang GT over the Mustang EcoBoost. Whenever I see a fast Jaguar its always the S rather than the R-Sport. So on and so forth. You can tell the UK was America’s dad by how much we love stupid cars over here. :P
Also, what’s the point of buying a mustang if not the V8 engine?
and how many of the convertible mustang buyers went for an automatic ecoboost?
Great car buddy.