In all honesty Bill your the exception to the rule.
Jonzy- I just answered that post (wasn't me).
Those AWD monstors do eat clutches and need servicing twice a year with a silly 16mpg (if you drive like miss dazy) but there is no getting away from the fact the question was
"Will a K03s Cupra keep with 300bhp Jap cars?"
As for driver ability I was taking into account the driver being exactly the same (just to make it a contest of cars) remeber this works both ways. I am sure a 300bhp Evo enthusiast/driver that races his 205GTi every weekend on Rally stages will beat a 19 year old boy who *thinks* he's a good driver in a 230bhp cupra.
Bill ... How much have you spent on your car to get 400bhp+? and how reliable is it to drive to work (e.g. 50 miles per day)? And I don't think a 300bhp STi is going to beat a 400+ bhp Cupra
... EVER.
But taking the most extreme
Ibiza and the most extreme Evo in the country into account say E.g. Simon Norris in a 800+bhp Evo and Bill in a 400+bhp Cupra we again have a totally different kettle of fish.
The answer is a cupra with K03s / FMIC / remap / exhaust might keep with a GT4 / WRX but keeping up with / beating a 300bhp Jap car will require a different turbo. And then you need to keep in mind you have a modded car taking on a factory standard car.
Alpha