Case study no. 1.
2 years ago I had a Trial Lesson who then did a couple more flights. He then said 'If I wanted a plane to commute to London, what should I get?' I said a Reims Rocket (210 horse VP prop version of the 172.), expecting him to look for one once qualified. 2 days later he rang me up and said 'I've got one'.
He did his first solo in it, then all the rest of his course. He got his PPL in bang on the 45 hours, now he's using it in the Summer months to commute.
So I'd say, absolutely no problem, it is more expensive per hour but if you own the aircraft then why not?
Case study no. 2.
2 guys who have never flown small aircraft bought a higher-powered and VP-equipped Robin off eBay, NOT something I'd advise but it was cheap! We've just started on the course. I guess it depends how you do the math. We charge £168 per hour plus instructor for our PA28 Archer, which includes £28 VAT. They'll probably not lose anything on depreciation on the aircraft, so it's insurance, hangarage, maintenance and fuel to factor in. Incidentally, insurance was pretty cheap for them while they're training - it ramps up once you get a licence!
I can't see a problem with learning to fly with a higher-performance aircraft once you accept that some aspects of the flying might take a little while longer to learn.
TOO