Current king of the hot hatch?

[Lov31l]

As a younger PHer i have been drawn more towards the hot hatches as they are the best all rounder, i use mine to commute, it has luggage space and is still fun on track. I currently have a clio 197 and love it, i find it has to be driven keep the car above 4000rpm and it becomes alive. This was a car from the era when Renault were very big in the hot hatch market and understandably so, the clio had the wide body, aggressive styling and performance to boot. But as the clio gets older who has replaced its place on the market. i have looked recently and currently believe that one of the best cars for driving in the hot hatch market is the Fiat 595 Competizione, it has the aggressive body styling that makes it different from the standard car, it has a manual gearbox, the monza exhaust is loud and lairy, the power delivery instant and drive very smooth. I have been in a number of other current hot hatches and think value for money the Fiesta is phenomenal but not a major step up, its too similar to its base models in my opinion, The new clio although having a lot of power lacks driver engagement although sounding very nice with the dsg box and again lacks styling only having minimal changes. the audi s1 looks nice but i have never had an opportunity to experience one. what are peoples views as to the best current Hot hatch to buy? who has got the crown of best hot hatch manufacturer currently and why? look forward to hearing peoples opinions on this

[Lov31l]

ecsrobin said:

Now back to the OP saying about the Competizione power delivery it is very much nothing nothing 3,000RPM GOOOOOOOO. But it gets a lot of attention, sounds great and handles well. And considering it's just a tarted up 500 I still like to take a glance as I walk away. And compared to the competition it holds its own and comes in and a very competitive price for what you get.

Is it the King? Who knows but I think it's a front runner.

that bit there!! Personally im after something that will put a smile on my face every time i see it or drive it, after test driving the 595 i could see that car giving that feeling. Its such an unsuspecting car the salesman needed to put fuel into it so i pulled into a petrol station, upon restarting the car the bewildered looks from others filling up said it all for me. the only fault i could find is it being too loud on cold startup and motorways, how have you found yours?

as for defining a hot hatch 3 door as a personal preference but manufacturers must be trying to make the market more accessible by people with children. I personally look more to a mid level hot hatch. i see the rs3 more grouped with the focus rs and a45 and at a push the megane as the high end hot hatch the higher power cars. the clio, fiesta, high end abath, peugeot 208 gti and mini cooper s are the mid layers still decent power whilst not being madly priced. with the likes of the suzuki swift and lower powered 500 abarths sitting in the lower group less power (doesnt mean less fun) and a more affordable car.

[Lov31l]

roystinho said:

I went for an Abarth 595 Competizione. 180bhp, LSD, a smidge over 1000kgs, Brembo 4 pot brakes, an amazing soundtrack with the monza exhaust, carbon fibre clad leather and alcantara buckets. My little gripe is the seat height, but then it's no worse than the new focus RS. For me it's more like an old school hot hatch than the over powered, over gripped options of the classs above. It's great fun (that's what it's about isn't it?)

yeah thats something i found but i had just stepped out my clio which has pretty low seats as standard and has a 50mm drop in the suspension. do you use yours on track at all how do they take abuse? seems a big ask from the little 1.4

[Lov31l]

culpz said:

OP, you actually have one of the best hot hatches out there. It's easy to get side-tracked with the new generation of turbo power but it's all just a number's game now and they're much less special than they used to be.

The problem with the 197/200 is that they're heavier than the 172/182 so they need to be worked harder and also use quite a bit more fuel. I can imagine it's frustrating knowing there are other cars out there with bigger and more powerful engines that could get you similar economy.

Yeah the clio is a really good car, ive done a few tweaks to help handling wise not that it needed it but i felt it was a bit too soft as standard. Its done well considering its 10 years old next year so is no spring chicken but does still take everything i throw at it

I love the practicality of the hot hatch and have been interested by the views on this post. I like a hot hatch to be based on a standard car but have some obvious body shaping with a wider body and more aggressive front end something which i feel a lot of the vw's lack they're a bit too sensible looking although they do have oodles of power. The A45 is such a good looking car with the canards on the front and has a mass of power but is well above the others on price. The megane has got a good backing but the new generation soon to be out doesnt look as appealing to me its a bit chunky and bland. in the 3 door market the fiesta is obviously a good car and thats why they're everywhere being affordable and a brilliant drivers car but again ford haven't gone to town on the styling. fiat with the new face lift 500 abarth is a great looking and sounding car. the new clio sport is as good a mix as any but again very plain to the eye.

I understand its a case of what your after from a car but there has got to be certain ones that stand out from the crowd for sure in comparison to their competitors.

[Lov31l]

roystinho said:

Mike, I've got the latest 595 Competizione after all those Renaultsports, yes the steering isn't as connected as something like a 200 or 182 trophy, but show me a current car that does... But for fun, it has bags of it. I could have had pretty much any car up to about £30k, and chose this above all the VAG stuff and even some run out megane Cup-S's. For me having something at 180bhp and just over 1000kgs means it's quick but not so fast that it's too quick on the rd, it has the best soundtrack of any car with a 4pot turbo, it's really well damped now it has koni fsd all round, the diff is brilliant compared to ones without them.

I'll admit, maybe close to the limit it doesn't quite match a 182 Trophy (I sold my T for the 595), but it's not that far away, and in a way it's a bit more tricky to drive which gives it a different type of challenge (if you get my point, I'm a few beers in)

Oh, I brought up the seating position, but it's perfect for me so all depends on your size/limb length

thats one of my biggest issues as im 6ft 4, not the tallest but still above average, i managed to fit in a mk1 ka for a year and a half :') also managed to contort myself into a lotus elise the other day (not easy but manageable). i found with the seat fully back and the extra gained by the bucket seats that it wasn't a problem sitting in the little fiat. I think im going to continue with the clio for another year and keep an eye out for a yellow 595 and if one pops up that takes my fancy then i may be very interested

as for the BMW 135 and 140 they are smashing cars!! just very sensible german. Audi have got it right on the german front for looks in my opinion.

[Lov31l]

this is more what i was meaning in terms of looks, ive seen one in person and found it quite cool looking with the racey touches.