Hot hatch advice please!
Discussion
Hi, I've been a long time browser but I'm a first time poster so not sure whether this is the right place for this topic. If it isn't, someone help please
I am in the market for a properly fast hot hatch. I am 24 with a few years no claims so insurance shouldn't be a problem.
My car history is as follows:
Peugeot 106 1.1 - first car, utterly crap, brakes were beyond dangerous but a fantastic car to learn all the stuff a test doesn't teach you
Mercedes CLK Kompressor - addictive supercharger whine whilst not being that fast, rampant drinking problem, great build quality and comfort. Intro to rwd and fun in the rain despite handling like a boat. 15-20mpg was a wallet buster at the time though.
Peugeot 206 GTi - IMO a very underrated car, reliable, fast enough, good handling and fairly well equipped for the £170 I paid for it. Drove it for a year and sold it for much more than I paid.
Peugeot 306 1.4 - cheap, economical, sensible, comfortable, boring. I decided to grow up, I have since changed my mind.
I have a budget of about 5k and basically want the fastest car I can get for the money. Comfort is quite important as I cover about 25k miles a year. Economy is similarly important but I know I'll have sacrifice that for the speed I'm after. Would love to hear some opinions from those in the know, also feel free to suggest cars I might have overlooked. I would prefer something with tuning potential and 5 seats. Badge and image not important (I quite like a sleeper).
The shortlist at the moment is...
Mini Cooper S - bottom of the list because it's a bit small, looks like a bit of a toy and the interior is so gimmicky but the handling is very highly rated and with an upgraded supercharger pulley and the right exhaust it sounds great.
Audi S3 (the old one) - cheap, very tuneable, a friend had one that did 0-60 in 4 seconds, ridiculously addictive boost and launch, comfortable and well equipped. 4wd grip is great in the wet.
Vauxhall Astra VXR - has been highly recommended by friends and is apparently quicker than the s3 with the right mods.
Renaultsport Megane 225 - rumour has it this is one of the best handling cars out there, has enough performance and is the right size, looks good IMO as well
Looking forward to hearing from my fellow petrolheads!
I am in the market for a properly fast hot hatch. I am 24 with a few years no claims so insurance shouldn't be a problem.
My car history is as follows:
Peugeot 106 1.1 - first car, utterly crap, brakes were beyond dangerous but a fantastic car to learn all the stuff a test doesn't teach you
Mercedes CLK Kompressor - addictive supercharger whine whilst not being that fast, rampant drinking problem, great build quality and comfort. Intro to rwd and fun in the rain despite handling like a boat. 15-20mpg was a wallet buster at the time though.
Peugeot 206 GTi - IMO a very underrated car, reliable, fast enough, good handling and fairly well equipped for the £170 I paid for it. Drove it for a year and sold it for much more than I paid.
Peugeot 306 1.4 - cheap, economical, sensible, comfortable, boring. I decided to grow up, I have since changed my mind.
I have a budget of about 5k and basically want the fastest car I can get for the money. Comfort is quite important as I cover about 25k miles a year. Economy is similarly important but I know I'll have sacrifice that for the speed I'm after. Would love to hear some opinions from those in the know, also feel free to suggest cars I might have overlooked. I would prefer something with tuning potential and 5 seats. Badge and image not important (I quite like a sleeper).
The shortlist at the moment is...
Mini Cooper S - bottom of the list because it's a bit small, looks like a bit of a toy and the interior is so gimmicky but the handling is very highly rated and with an upgraded supercharger pulley and the right exhaust it sounds great.
Audi S3 (the old one) - cheap, very tuneable, a friend had one that did 0-60 in 4 seconds, ridiculously addictive boost and launch, comfortable and well equipped. 4wd grip is great in the wet.
Vauxhall Astra VXR - has been highly recommended by friends and is apparently quicker than the s3 with the right mods.
Renaultsport Megane 225 - rumour has it this is one of the best handling cars out there, has enough performance and is the right size, looks good IMO as well
Looking forward to hearing from my fellow petrolheads!
FWIW, none of those are properly fast...
The fastest in a straight line is the Astra VXR
The best round corners is the Megane
The best compromise between the 2 is the Civic Type R (which can easily be made faster than the VXR for a grand)
The best noise is the Focus ST (imo).
The least wallet destroying is the Civic Type R.
The Leon Cupra R is an alternative if you want a yellow car.
The one I wish I saved up a bit more for and bought is the Golf GTi (mk5)
The fastest in a straight line is the Astra VXR
The best round corners is the Megane
The best compromise between the 2 is the Civic Type R (which can easily be made faster than the VXR for a grand)
The best noise is the Focus ST (imo).
The least wallet destroying is the Civic Type R.
The Leon Cupra R is an alternative if you want a yellow car.
The one I wish I saved up a bit more for and bought is the Golf GTi (mk5)
Edited by vtecyo on Tuesday 28th July 14:26
barryrs said:
£5k would just get you into a 147 GTA.
Its a flawed car no doubt but 4 years on from selling mine i still wish i had kept it tucked up in the garage for occasional use.
I have always loved them! Could it cover 25k a year without falling apart though? That 3.2 v6 is as much art as mechanics. Its a flawed car no doubt but 4 years on from selling mine i still wish i had kept it tucked up in the garage for occasional use.
Didnt actually think of the Golf, it definitely ticks the boxes of practicality and comfort but I didnt think it was that fast or that tuneable. Im really looking for something very fast. I know 0-60 times arent really applicable in the real world but I'd like something that does it in about 4.something seconds.
vtecyo said:
FWIW, none of those are properly fast...
The fastest in a straight line is the Astra VXR
The best round corners is the Megane
The best compromise between the 2 is the Civic Type R (which can easily be made faster than the VXR for a grand)
The best noise is the Focus ST (imo).
The least wallet destroying is the Civic Type R.
The cheapest to repair (I think??) is the Leon Cupra R.
The one I wish I saved up a bit more for and bought is the Golf GTi (mk5)
Yeah none of them are that quick when they are stock. I dont mind modding whatever I get to get the performance out of it. Potential is more important than what it does out the box, as long as I can get the car and mods done for 5-5.5kThe fastest in a straight line is the Astra VXR
The best round corners is the Megane
The best compromise between the 2 is the Civic Type R (which can easily be made faster than the VXR for a grand)
The best noise is the Focus ST (imo).
The least wallet destroying is the Civic Type R.
The cheapest to repair (I think??) is the Leon Cupra R.
The one I wish I saved up a bit more for and bought is the Golf GTi (mk5)
Interesting summary of the cars though, thanks for the insight!
purplenoise said:
I have always loved them! Could it cover 25k a year without falling apart though? That 3.2 v6 is as much art as mechanics.
I dont see why not; i did 18 to 20K in mine for a few years.You will get through suspension bushes and need fairly regular cam belt changes though so you will be looking at circa £2k a year to run excluding fuel of course.
purplenoise said:
I have always loved them! Could it cover 25k a year without falling apart though? That 3.2 v6 is as much art as mechanics.
Didnt actually think of the Golf, it definitely ticks the boxes of practicality and comfort but I didnt think it was that fast or that tuneable. Im really looking for something very fast. I know 0-60 times arent really applicable in the real world but I'd like something that does it in about 4.something seconds.
4.x from a FWD is going to require A) a lot of power and B) a lot of traction. Not cheap to achieve on the usual suspects.Didnt actually think of the Golf, it definitely ticks the boxes of practicality and comfort but I didnt think it was that fast or that tuneable. Im really looking for something very fast. I know 0-60 times arent really applicable in the real world but I'd like something that does it in about 4.something seconds.
If you're warming towards the GTI, then you'll need the Edition 30, which can map to 320-340hp. The only spannering required being the fitment of an uprated high pressure fuel pump.
Even that will only get you into the 5s.
SuperchargedVR6 said:
4.x from a FWD is going to require A) a lot of power and B) a lot of traction. Not cheap to achieve on the usual suspects.
If you're warming towards the GTI, then you'll need the Edition 30, which can map to 320-340hp. The only spannering required being the fitment of an uprated high pressure fuel pump.
Even that will only get you into the 5s.
Pretty sure the s3 could go sub 5 with the right mods but for the budget I would have to get one already modded. My friend did say he couldnt launch it very often though for fear of blowing up diffs and other parts. Said it was a fairly fragile car running that kind of power which has kind of put me off. If it wasnt for that I would already have bought oneIf you're warming towards the GTI, then you'll need the Edition 30, which can map to 320-340hp. The only spannering required being the fitment of an uprated high pressure fuel pump.
Even that will only get you into the 5s.
I know someone who is running an S3 on a shoestring and I can't quite believe how he's doing it. Incredible performance for the money (nowadays). I guess there is something to be said for it being well put together in the first place, that despite age and mileage the quality means routine maintenance is all that is required. That said, sub-30mpg over 25kpa is going to be ruinous, as others have said!
Sadly, the only real option for such usage is probably something diesel. Then, perhaps running a more interesting car for the weekend? Searching out something "interesting" and "diesel" is impossible, since the two are mutually exclusive!
Sadly, the only real option for such usage is probably something diesel. Then, perhaps running a more interesting car for the weekend? Searching out something "interesting" and "diesel" is impossible, since the two are mutually exclusive!
purplenoise said:
Yeah none of them are that quick when they are stock. I dont mind modding whatever I get to get the performance out of it. Potential is more important than what it does out the box, as long as I can get the car and mods done for 5-5.5k
Interesting summary of the cars though, thanks for the insight!
Civic Type R then (EP3). 250bhp from a N/A unit that revs like the K20 is actually quite special.Interesting summary of the cars though, thanks for the insight!
For 250bhp you'll need:
Exhaust incl manifold
Inlet manifold (RBC is a common one)
Intake
K100 remap.
Thanks for your input guys, I was thinking of getting rid of the Peugeot 306 Im running at the moment and just running the 1 car (hot hatch) as I have a bit of a history of just accumulating cars (at the moment I have 3 - 1 is for sale and 1 is just sat parked up).
With what you guys have said I might just run the 306 as a motorway hack and pile the miles on that. That takes the mileage and fuel economy element out of the hot hatch as it will essentially just be a toy and doesnt need to be particularly practical etc. Is the sub 5 thing really that unrealistic? 5 seconds to 60 doesnt strike me as particularly fast. I know NONE of these cars will do those figures stock but Ive said Im prepared to mod to them to get there.
With what you guys have said I might just run the 306 as a motorway hack and pile the miles on that. That takes the mileage and fuel economy element out of the hot hatch as it will essentially just be a toy and doesnt need to be particularly practical etc. Is the sub 5 thing really that unrealistic? 5 seconds to 60 doesnt strike me as particularly fast. I know NONE of these cars will do those figures stock but Ive said Im prepared to mod to them to get there.
It actually sounds like Im obsessed by that figure but Im really not. It's just the easiest measure of the kind of level of performance that I'm looking for. My benchmark is the tuned s3 my friend had and that is the only figure I had for it. I dont have any in gear times or anything. Was putting out just over 300 bhp and about 300lb ft. I couldnt care less about top speed because Im never going to max it outside of something like the nurburgring anyway.
purplenoise said:
SuperchargedVR6 said:
4.x from a FWD is going to require A) a lot of power and B) a lot of traction. Not cheap to achieve on the usual suspects.
If you're warming towards the GTI, then you'll need the Edition 30, which can map to 320-340hp. The only spannering required being the fitment of an uprated high pressure fuel pump.
Even that will only get you into the 5s.
Pretty sure the s3 could go sub 5 with the right mods but for the budget I would have to get one already modded. My friend did say he couldnt launch it very often though for fear of blowing up diffs and other parts. Said it was a fairly fragile car running that kind of power which has kind of put me off. If it wasnt for that I would already have bought oneIf you're warming towards the GTI, then you'll need the Edition 30, which can map to 320-340hp. The only spannering required being the fitment of an uprated high pressure fuel pump.
Even that will only get you into the 5s.
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