RE: Chris Harris Video: Hot Hatch Showdown
Discussion
Fantastic video. Loved it. Right now, my money's with a house deposit but with a new fiancée (likely to be wife next year), a new 3 bedroom house and a wedding to finance but in a year and a half with children possibly to come soon, I see this class of cars a smost likely to win my money when I replace my current steed. That makes this video (and the BMW/Audi hatch comparison) the most relevant to me for a long time.
Y'know, I've wondered about the M135i and Audi RS3 tests and this video... just how much is the car and how much is the rubber they sit on?
I bought my Octavia vRS- a car which would have its enormous backside handed to it by any of the three cars here, but I still enjoy it- and I thought understeer was just a fact of life. It's still a fact of life but significantly less so since the Yokohama S306's went to the great tyre fire in the sky and my car was shod with Conti SportContact 4's. (I know, quoting the model numbers of tyres probably makes me a sad spod, but bear with me here.)
It's clearly not practical for a road tester to take 2 or 3 sets of different branded tyres with a car and tell Joe Public which tyre matches a car best but I wonder how much of a difference it all makes.
Dear Chris- you've driven several Megane RenaultSports now: have you tested them with different rubber and do you think it makes much of a difference? but I wonder what different results we may have seen to this (or the M135i vs RS3, or any of these groups tests for that matter) based on what rubber the manufacturers deck them out with before releasing them into the journalism wilderness...
Of course, none of these car manufacturers would how their products off around a track while they're wearing LingLong DitchfinderPlus Specials but I wonder how much of difference they make to these verdicts. I'd be interested to know what Chris (or anyone) thinks of this.
Current plan? Wait for the middle classes to fight each other to buy Golf GTi Mark 7's next year and pick up a better second hand one of this year's non-VW class acts for my money...
Y'know, I've wondered about the M135i and Audi RS3 tests and this video... just how much is the car and how much is the rubber they sit on?
I bought my Octavia vRS- a car which would have its enormous backside handed to it by any of the three cars here, but I still enjoy it- and I thought understeer was just a fact of life. It's still a fact of life but significantly less so since the Yokohama S306's went to the great tyre fire in the sky and my car was shod with Conti SportContact 4's. (I know, quoting the model numbers of tyres probably makes me a sad spod, but bear with me here.)
It's clearly not practical for a road tester to take 2 or 3 sets of different branded tyres with a car and tell Joe Public which tyre matches a car best but I wonder how much of a difference it all makes.
Dear Chris- you've driven several Megane RenaultSports now: have you tested them with different rubber and do you think it makes much of a difference? but I wonder what different results we may have seen to this (or the M135i vs RS3, or any of these groups tests for that matter) based on what rubber the manufacturers deck them out with before releasing them into the journalism wilderness...
Of course, none of these car manufacturers would how their products off around a track while they're wearing LingLong DitchfinderPlus Specials but I wonder how much of difference they make to these verdicts. I'd be interested to know what Chris (or anyone) thinks of this.
Current plan? Wait for the middle classes to fight each other to buy Golf GTi Mark 7's next year and pick up a better second hand one of this year's non-VW class acts for my money...
Edited by blearyeyedboy on Wednesday 21st November 22:34
Edited by blearyeyedboy on Wednesday 21st November 23:47
Chris Harris was a great "signing" for PistonHeads. 
The only bit that looked good in all of them, were the seats! RichyBoy said:
Excellent video.
Hot hatches just don't excite me anymore, they've become too big and heavy.
Agreed on both counts, especially the latter.Hot hatches just don't excite me anymore, they've become too big and heavy.
A couple of months ago, I was on a fag break outside a restaurant and there was a brand new Astra GTC parked up opposite me in the car park. I thought it was a good looking piece of kit, but the over-riding thought was, 'fvck me, for a 3-door hatch, that is bloody enormous'
Can't stop looking at the wrist watch!Sleeve just pulled up enough to show the whole dialnammynake said:
_Batty_ said:
Shame Renualt cannot make their products last. Slightly better build quality would help them no end.
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