HOT HATCHES are amazing now. But.
Discussion
Back, been away in the south of France.
For me, the best hot hatches of all time are firstly, the Mercedes A45AMG. Quickly remaps, (preferably with a sports exhaust), to 414 bhp and can put every last bhp into the road surface, unlike many HHs. Fantastic car with practicality, 5 doors, 40 mpg potential, yet the same 0-100 as a Porsche Carrera 3.8 as standard.
54 extra bhp takes less than an hour and £500.
Next is the Golf R. A do everything car with 300 bhp. It has the lot.
3rd is the Audi RS3. I drove one lightly fettled to 420 bhp and the sound and go of that thing rocked.
I used to have stuff like the 205 GTI 1.9, Renault 5 GT Turbo and Escort Cosworth, great back then, but the question said for now, not then, they are like fossils in so many ways. I recently drove a minter Escort Cossy with the laggy 227 bhp engine and it was just so poor in every way, compared to the new and amazing Merc. Supercar real world performance for BMW repmobile money.
For me, the best hot hatches of all time are firstly, the Mercedes A45AMG. Quickly remaps, (preferably with a sports exhaust), to 414 bhp and can put every last bhp into the road surface, unlike many HHs. Fantastic car with practicality, 5 doors, 40 mpg potential, yet the same 0-100 as a Porsche Carrera 3.8 as standard.
54 extra bhp takes less than an hour and £500.
Next is the Golf R. A do everything car with 300 bhp. It has the lot.
3rd is the Audi RS3. I drove one lightly fettled to 420 bhp and the sound and go of that thing rocked.
I used to have stuff like the 205 GTI 1.9, Renault 5 GT Turbo and Escort Cosworth, great back then, but the question said for now, not then, they are like fossils in so many ways. I recently drove a minter Escort Cossy with the laggy 227 bhp engine and it was just so poor in every way, compared to the new and amazing Merc. Supercar real world performance for BMW repmobile money.
Been doing some proper test drives today and the 4 cars I drove were the A45AMG, the Golf R, the Megane 275 and the M235i.
The Megane's engine felt dated and did not rev like a modern day turbo should and was fairly slow. It would be good on a track in the corners though.
The M235i had a beautiful engine but I will await the M2 before going down that route.
The Golf was fantastic. A little fettle to 350 bhp and that might just be the best all round car on earth.
But my suspicions were right. The A45AMG is fabulously fast out of the crate. Rapid gearbox just adding to the fun.
That thing with another 64 bhp will be a genuine supercar baiter and yet it will take you on holiday or do the shopping or school run.
I wager that if we put one of those against an Integrale (I had a series 2 Integrale myself) it would make it look silly.
Laggy, weak and slow.
The Megane's engine felt dated and did not rev like a modern day turbo should and was fairly slow. It would be good on a track in the corners though.
The M235i had a beautiful engine but I will await the M2 before going down that route.
The Golf was fantastic. A little fettle to 350 bhp and that might just be the best all round car on earth.
But my suspicions were right. The A45AMG is fabulously fast out of the crate. Rapid gearbox just adding to the fun.
That thing with another 64 bhp will be a genuine supercar baiter and yet it will take you on holiday or do the shopping or school run.
I wager that if we put one of those against an Integrale (I had a series 2 Integrale myself) it would make it look silly.
Laggy, weak and slow.
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