[olddog]

Hp isn't the right question.

The torque curve over the rpm range is what makes a car predictable and controllable or not. A nice flat torque curve from 2500 to 5000 rpm with a smooth ramp on both ends is very predictable and easy to learn how to drive. Obviously it gets harder as the torque increases, but it is manageable.

When the torque is shooting up in leaps and bounds to a very short lived peak and then drops off a cliff, the car is totally unpredictable. I hate an engine that has 200 lb-ft of torque at 3500 rpm and 500 lb-ft of torque at 4500 rpm. One second you have it floored and it's a dog. The next second the tires go up in smoke. Every corner you come out of at a different rpm and the response to the loud peddle is wildly different than the last corner.