Why you don't put young men in high powered cars

[grbeck]

Ah, youth. You describe the M5's dynamics very well. AMG Mercedes models have a similar sensation, and Car & Driver said it best. When driving one of those, you can simply look up the road to a given point in traffic, and say "I want to be there RIGHT NOW", and you are.

 

Part of the reason I'm awfully disturbed by today's horsepower war among family sedans is the antics from my youthful days (which we're LUCKY to have survived without a single accident). The most powerful engine at our disposal was a Gen II General Motors 3.8 liter boat anchor, and we still had no issue holding 105 on the highway like it was nothing. I am fearful for years from now, when young kids are getting behind the wheels of 240hp Honda Accords and 270hp Nissan Altimas like they're nothing.

 

You don't need high horsepower to do something stupid in a car. I learned to drive on my father's 1973 AMC Gremlin, which has hardly fast, although it often made me furious.

 

It was one of the worst pieces of junk ever produced by Detroit, with lots of dumb engineering (let's put a heavy in-line six up front, keep the rear-wheel-drive layout, and REMOVE most of the weight over the rear wheels, and keep those drum brakes, too), and underpowered to boot. But I still managed to do some stupid things behind the wheel. Of course, looking back, buying it in the first place was probably the worst decision of all...