Top 200 BHP cars - on a budget!

We can´t help it: We love horsepowers. But we don´t want to pay too much for them. MotorTorque selects the top power-beasts available for less than 25 grand.

For £25K, you can get a pretty decent car - but what if you want a car that has tons of power? Surprisingly, you can choose between quite a few models. The fastest one of these - the Nissan 350Z - will whip you from zero to 60 mph in only 5.7 seconds - that´s as fast as a £40,000 Porsche Boxter S.

Top 5 budget 200 BHP cars

We asked all the petrol-heads at the Askaprice / MotorTorque offices which of the eligible vehicles they liked best - rated from 1-10. These are the top 5:

5 - Chrysler Crossfire

The crossfire is one hell of a sports car. With the brash boldness of American craftmanship, its sharp rear-end and incredible handling, it is a sportscar through and through. The Crossfire´s body is stiffer than most others out there, which causes the relatively weak engine to be extremely responsive across its rev-range.

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4 - BMW 1-series 3.0

The 1-series is an superlative car by any standard. Mated to the incredibly agile 3.0 litre engine in the BMW 130, it becomes a beast of a hot hatch. One of the best-handling hatchbacks on the road today, with oodles of torque, a very well-balanced suspension system and one of the fastest accelerations on the list (5.7 seconds from 0-60, only beaten by the Nissan 350Z and the Subaru Impreza WRX), makes the 1-series a hot candidate in our 200 BHP+ list.

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3 - Mini Cooper S Works

The Mini has a following unlike any other car out there. The Coopers have traditionally been the performance models, so that´s fun. Then, MINI decided that the Cooper wasn´t good enough, smacked a supercharger on top of the engine, and called it the Cooper S. Of course, the John Cooper tuning company sat back in their chairs, and they must have thought something along the lines of 'Hah, MINI are a pack of sissies', and started designing their own take on the car.

The result is the fantastically fun Mini Cooper S JCW, where the JCW stands for John Cooper Works, of course. The mini is a small thing, and the 210 horsepowers really offer a rip-roaring experience. You should be able to pick one up for less than £20,000 with discounts - and you´ll have the drive of your life

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2 - Mazda RX-8

The RX-8 keeps winning tons of awards. The 2+2-door sports coupe from Mazda has a ton of charm, an engine note that rivals the BBC Philharmonic and a ride that is unique. The cars on this list tend to have 3-litre V6 engines, but Mazda decided they could do better: The RX-8 only has a 1.3 litre engine, but due to the revolutionary (no pun intended) engine in this car, that is good enough for a rip-roaring 227 horsepowers.

It looks good, it feels great, and at less than £25,000, it is one of the most affordable true-bred sportscar money can buy.

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1 - Nissan 350Z

The Nissan 350Z is a big filthy cheat - it is £300 more expensive than our self-imposed barrier. But before you call your solicitor to sue us, have a look at the specs: At nearly 280 horsepower, it is 15 bhp more powerful than the second car in the list (the BMW). It accelerates to 60 mph in only 5.7 seconds - same as the Subaru WRX - and it has one of the highest top speeds in this test. Of course, it helps that it also looks hot.

But what shall we do about the fact that it bends the rules? Well, if you want a 350Z, print off this article, and show the guys at the showroom how amazing this car is. And demand a 2% discount. That way, you´ll get it for less than 25K, and you´ll be driving away in the most powerful car to ever have seen a price-tag under twenty-five grand.

Of course, the insurance class (18E) is going to kill you, but then that´s what you get for wanting the best of the best.

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Most bang for your buck

If you want the maximum number of horsepowers for as little money as possible, you might be surprised to hear the winner: If you spend £18K, you get an excellent 237 horsepower if you buy an Astra VXR - the best value in our list. Runners-up are the Hyundai Coupe, which gives you the same amount of power for only £18,200, and the Seat Leon, which offers 222 horsepower at £17,850.

The cheapest car that gives you near-200 horsepower performance is the Honda Civic Type-R, with 197 BHP for only £16,147. Nobody knows why Honda decided to take it out of production, but we can only hope that they will soon introduce a new Type-R based on the new Civic.

All sub-£25K 200 horsepower cars

Not sure about our picks? Well here are most of the ones which fit the bill - see if you can come up with your dream car selection for less than £25K!