Any of the current crop of small cars actually fun to drive?

[AlexC1981]

Hi All,

I have been driving big fat cars for the last 12 years and I have this idea that a tiny car would be fun. It could be rose tinted spectacles as I look back at the fun I had driving my Metro Turbo years ago. I bought a TR7 V8 recently and it has reminded me how much fun driving used to be.

I really want that go-kart feeling again that I had in my Metro, but in a more sensible modern package than my TR7. Outright speed and acceleration is a secondary consideration to responsive steering, sharp throttle and a revvy engine, however I draw the line at anything slower than 12 seconds 0-60.

My car allowance from work means it has to be under 7 years old, so I was thinking of something 2012 or newer and I could spend up to £7500 for the right car, but I would prefer to spend under £6000.

I am currently considering:

Fiat Panda 0.9L TwinAir turbo. 83bhp, 145Nm, 1050Kg. 0-60 in 10.8 sec. Approx £5500. 3653mm long. Can be chipped to 95bhp. I really like the interior. Handling is thought to be decent, but not as good as a Ford Ka or a Kia Picanto.

Kia Picanto 1.25L. 84bhp, 121Nm, 925Kg. 0-60 in 11 sec. Approx £5500. 3595mm Impressive weight for a modern car and would still be in Kia's 7 year warranty. The handling well reviewed in Parkers, though I have not read any others yet.

Vauxhall Agila 1.2VVT / Suzuki Splash 1.2L. 92bhp, 118Nm, 990Kg. 0-60 in 11.6 sec. 3740mm long. Approx £5000. Has better power to weight ratio, but 0-60 is slowest.

Nissan Micra 1.2 Dig-S. 96bhp, 142N, 1005Kg, 0-60 in 10.9 sec. 3780mm long. Approx £6500. The numbers make this sound the best option, but the reviews say the handling is rubbish. It does have a supercharged engine, which might be interesting.

Chrysler Ypsilon 0.9L TwinAir. 83bhp, 145Nm, 975Kg. 0-60 in 11.5 sec. Approx £6500. 3842mm long. It looks minging, but it is sub 1000Kg. Not sure why it accelerates so slowly compared to the Panda that has the same engine.

Toyota Yaris 1.33 VVT-i. 99bhp, 132Nm, 1005Kg, 0-60 in 11.3 sec. 3885mm long. Approx £6000. Getting lardy now.

Honda Jazz 1.4i-VTEC. 98bhp, 127Nm, 1051Kg. 0-60 in 11.4 sec. 3900mm long. A bit porky.

Alfa Romeo Mito 1.4 TB. 105bhp, 130Nm, 1090Kg. 0-60 in 10.4 sec. 4063mm long Approx £6500. Tax and fuel economy is much worse than the above cars. Much more powerful versions are available if I max out my budget, but this car is much more lardy and I feel like I might be moving away from what I am looking for. It is 660mm longer than my Metro was and 250Kg heavier!

All these cars are bigger, heavier and slower. I appreciate that modern cars are more sturdy, but I can't find anything small and light that has a half decent engine in it to make up for the extra weight.

I have discounted Smart's due to the gearbox. Ibiza's, Clio's, 208's, Fabia's are too big. Fiat 500 is too girly. VW Up and the Seat/Skoda equivalents are too slow and so is the Toyota IQ, Ford Ka and the Citroen C1.

Does anyone have any experience in driving these cars or can offer any advice please? I drove a Corsa courtesy car a couple of years ago and hated it, so is this whole thing a really bad idea? After reviewing the cars available I'm not so sure. The Picanto sounds best at the moment, but I have a bit of a thing for the Panda interior styling which could push it into first place. Also the Kia is....a Kia.

I am not adverse to the idea of small modifications to improve handling or performance.

[Impasse]

You've missed the Swift Sport off your list. Could be a mistake to ignore that one.

[HTP99]

Twingo 133?

[TREMAiNE]

AlexC1981 said:

VW Up and the Seat/Skoda equivalents are too slow

I actually have an absolute blast ragging the nuts off of my Citigo!

[Beyond Rational]

Why worry about the length, but not the width or wheelbase? IMHO they'll have more impact on the driving experience, rather than the parking.

[MaxA]

small & go-kart feel? think about the Abarth 500 or MINI Cooper S

[Colonial]

Not sure of budget, but Citroen DS3?

[DanielJames]

Colonial said:

Not sure of budget, but Citroen DS3?

If sitting what feels like a mile from the road is your idea of a fun drive then yes, the DS3 is a great shout

[Zad]

Is the Fiesta ST too big?

[Blayney]

Swift sport. Twingo RS or GT.

[anonymous-user]

Your budget just about gets you into a RenaultSport Clio 200. They'll be older than you were thinking of, but if it's a go-kart feel with decent performance you want I'd say they've got to be worth a test drive.

[Colonial]

DanielJames said:

If sitting what feels like a mile from the road is your idea of a fun drive then yes, the DS3 is a great shout

Horses, courses etc.

I found it better than the Cooper S on rough roads in particular.

Coming from a Golf R I find it a much better drive, and a better compromise than a RCS. If short distance/mainly fun then the Renaults are a better shout.

[battered]

I hired a series of small hatches in Ireland while I was working in Ireland 2 years ago or so. I found odd variation between Mii and Citigo - the Seat was great fun, the Skoda dull as hell. I never worked out why. Is it in-batch variation or different settings?

[irish boy]

I'd go panda, I'm 15k miles into my twin air 4x4 and it really is a super little daily driver. Very characterful engine, pulls harder than its horse power suggests it should, then becomes quiet at motorway speeds.

[Mound Dawg]

I'm not sure that the current crop of tiddlers with tiny turboed engines and drive by wire throttles are going to give you a "sharp throttle". Not in the traditional sense that cars like your old Metrot had anyway.

[ORD]

Mound Dawg said:

I'm not sure that the current crop of tiddlers with tiny turboed engines and drive by wire throttles are going to give you a "sharp throttle". Not in the traditional sense that cars like your old Metrot had anyway.

This. To my mind, a turbo hatchback is for getting the shops and pootling on the motorway. If you want a fun car, stick to the lightest ones that you can find with reasonable NA engines and test drive those.

[Pistachio]

Audi A1 1.4TFsi great fun and good economy too

[ORD]

Pistachio said:

Audi A1 1.4TFsi great fun and good economy too

[Ghost91]

TREMAiNE said:

I actually have an absolute blast ragging the nuts off of my Citigo!

I drove a citigo sport and it was great fun! Looked kinda cool too..


Panda 100HP is a good shout although older than your other choices. I will point out though that the ride is horrendous and we got rid of ours for this reason, but then the ride on most of the cars you suggested is crap anyway.

[nickofh]

Mitsubishi colt Ralliart?

1060kg , 7.2 secs 150hp from its 1.5 turbo mivec. Changing the downpipe and a remap should give close to 200hp per tonne.

Edit to add

http://m.ebay.co.uk/itm/2012-Mitsubishi-Colt-Mitsu...

Edited by nickofh on Wednesday 19th August 09:15