next car...cupra r, s3, civic type r, 182 clio?
Discussion
As above, I've just sold/given my m5 away and now have to locate a small hot hatch for the oh and toddler.
Pretty much narrowed it down to the above 4 cars. Budget is circa 5k. Not driven any yet but I'm looking for (a) reliable (b) fast (c) accessible for child seat and pram (d) fun to drive for me on a weekend.
Opinions gratefully accepted...
Pretty much narrowed it down to the above 4 cars. Budget is circa 5k. Not driven any yet but I'm looking for (a) reliable (b) fast (c) accessible for child seat and pram (d) fun to drive for me on a weekend.
Opinions gratefully accepted...
1974nc said:
The dearth of torque in type r worries me slightly as I'm used to either turbo or displacement..
if you can change gear and dont need to outrun a v8 going up hill while you have a fully loaded car, torque isnt the big issue it sometimes made out to be in my opinion.my current car has twice the torque of my previous one and in all honestly you dont massively notice it.
1974nc said:
As above, I've just sold/given my m5 away and now have to locate a small hot hatch for the oh and toddler.
Pretty much narrowed it down to the above 4 cars. Budget is circa 5k. Not driven any yet but I'm looking for (a) reliable (b) fast (c) accessible for child seat and pram (d) fun to drive for me on a weekend.
Opinions gratefully accepted...
For half the money I'd also look at an MGZS180. Great write up in Evo and available as a hatch or saloon. Also 4 proper doors, so more family friendly while still offering hot hatch style fun and driving. KV6 makes a nice noise too and is quite tractable.Pretty much narrowed it down to the above 4 cars. Budget is circa 5k. Not driven any yet but I'm looking for (a) reliable (b) fast (c) accessible for child seat and pram (d) fun to drive for me on a weekend.
Opinions gratefully accepted...
Not sure if in budget, but a look at a Mazda 3 MPS might be worth it too. Lots of HP and fast although understated and not quite so sharp.
Civic Type R EP3 is not a good choice. The seats tip forward and hit the roof so access to the rear is limited and you then have to rest the seat position every time. AC was optional too.
Personally, I'd go for a 4 door if it was available though it wouldn't preclude me buying a better 2 door so to speak...and of the ones elected, I'd be starting by looking at the Cupra though I haven't driven one.
Personally, I'd go for a 4 door if it was available though it wouldn't preclude me buying a better 2 door so to speak...and of the ones elected, I'd be starting by looking at the Cupra though I haven't driven one.
I went through a similar decision last year. These were my thoughts.
S3 - getting on a bit and leggy for that budget. Nice seats though.
CTR - Love the engine, dont really care about the torque as you drive it in a different manner. The end of line cars with the bigger recaro's are much nicer to sit in, but I found the interior to be very bland, with almost no kit/toys. plus, I found them to be quite crashy and hard riding.
182 Clio - too small for my needs and the driving position is utterly rubbish for me (i'm 6ft 2)
LCR - I've always liked the looks, and being a slightly bigger car, with 5 doors, it works better for me with the mountain biking i do. Also, same engine as the S3, amazing brakes and much, much better steering that the CTR.
So, after a long test drive, I bought the LCR. 2005, Emocion Red, FSSH, 40k miles from a SEAT dealer with warranty cost £7990 12 months ago. 18k miles on, and I love it! Only criticisms are that its a bit quiet, theres not much sound from the engine/exhaust on the inside. I'd prefer it to be a bit fruitier. Servicing is reasonable, I'm averaging above 30mpg in it, and when you get a quiet, nice bit of B road, its a pretty great machine to hustle down.
S3 - getting on a bit and leggy for that budget. Nice seats though.
CTR - Love the engine, dont really care about the torque as you drive it in a different manner. The end of line cars with the bigger recaro's are much nicer to sit in, but I found the interior to be very bland, with almost no kit/toys. plus, I found them to be quite crashy and hard riding.
182 Clio - too small for my needs and the driving position is utterly rubbish for me (i'm 6ft 2)
LCR - I've always liked the looks, and being a slightly bigger car, with 5 doors, it works better for me with the mountain biking i do. Also, same engine as the S3, amazing brakes and much, much better steering that the CTR.
So, after a long test drive, I bought the LCR. 2005, Emocion Red, FSSH, 40k miles from a SEAT dealer with warranty cost £7990 12 months ago. 18k miles on, and I love it! Only criticisms are that its a bit quiet, theres not much sound from the engine/exhaust on the inside. I'd prefer it to be a bit fruitier. Servicing is reasonable, I'm averaging above 30mpg in it, and when you get a quiet, nice bit of B road, its a pretty great machine to hustle down.
A vote for the LCR, decent performance especially with a decent map, good compromise between handling and ride comfort, reasonable boot for the multitude of rubbish to be hauled around. The interior is rather dark but the materials used are of a good quality, and finally in my biased view, the best of the best looking of the VAG hatchback derivatives of that era.
Another option is the Skoda Octavia 1.8T of the same vintage.
The Mazda 3 MPS is also a good call and the Rover probably would be good value for money.
I test drove the Clio, CIvic and bought the LCR, the clio is fun but a little small. The Civic has a lovely engine but is hard work compared to the Leon, always stirring the gearbox to get going. The LCR can be driven very easily thanks to the torque, and power is just a pedal press away. It also has neat touches like being able to disable the front airbag to put the little one in front seat.
Another option is the Skoda Octavia 1.8T of the same vintage.
The Mazda 3 MPS is also a good call and the Rover probably would be good value for money.
I test drove the Clio, CIvic and bought the LCR, the clio is fun but a little small. The Civic has a lovely engine but is hard work compared to the Leon, always stirring the gearbox to get going. The LCR can be driven very easily thanks to the torque, and power is just a pedal press away. It also has neat touches like being able to disable the front airbag to put the little one in front seat.
Edited by Traveller on Friday 10th June 14:43
I was faced with the same "what car" as the threadstarter, except I didn't want an S3.
I drove a Civic Type R, I liked the naughty feel the engine had to it, it sounded ok, seats were nice, I liked the looks and overall, it's one of my favourite hot hatches (assuming we are talking about EP3s and not that awful FN2 here!). What I didn't like was the slightly cheap and uninspiring interior. I know it's all about the drive and if I had not found another car I liked more I could have lived with it. Not as slow as some people say, but not as quick as some make out either - a turbo car with greater BHP and torque will leave it behind easily.
The Clio 182 I drove was nice too, though it suffered from the "melted Renaultsport steering wheel", which seems to be a common feature on these cars. The seating position is too high and even when bottomed out it still felt like were perched up in the car. The interior is pretty bland. The performance was ok and it felt good to drive, it's a good "sensible" hot hatch I suppose. Much like the Ford Fiesta STs I looked at, it was "quick" rather than "fast" imo.
The last car I drove was the Cupra R 225 and thats the one I bought. I found one that had a few subtle mods and found the insurance was not that much more than the other two cars - perhaps less of them have been crashed over the years! In the end I went for the Cupra for a number of reasons. It looked fantastic, very muscular and powerful, the performance was great - so it doesn't have the most "steering feel", it's set up to be a quick and devastatingly efficient car and these things can really fly. Mine has a Milltek exhaust on it and in terms of sound quality it wiped the floor with the other cars I tested. My only gripe is there is too much sound proofing - it's a very quiet cruiser but the engine and exhaust are a bit muted when the windows are up. It sounds so good however, that I night I often drive mine with all 4 windows down just to take in that awesome noise. It's also very comfortable and spacious inside, and not too bad on the juice either. I average about 32mpg in mine on a mixed route commute of about 16 miles, 35mpg in slower traffic and 28mpg if it's midnight, the roads are empty and I'm booting it. I don't think I will ever get bored of being forced back into my seat when that turbo comes on boost
Check my profile if you want to see some pics or read more about my car, and feel free to ask me any in-depth questions about the cars you are looking at (apart from the S3!).
I drove a Civic Type R, I liked the naughty feel the engine had to it, it sounded ok, seats were nice, I liked the looks and overall, it's one of my favourite hot hatches (assuming we are talking about EP3s and not that awful FN2 here!). What I didn't like was the slightly cheap and uninspiring interior. I know it's all about the drive and if I had not found another car I liked more I could have lived with it. Not as slow as some people say, but not as quick as some make out either - a turbo car with greater BHP and torque will leave it behind easily.
The Clio 182 I drove was nice too, though it suffered from the "melted Renaultsport steering wheel", which seems to be a common feature on these cars. The seating position is too high and even when bottomed out it still felt like were perched up in the car. The interior is pretty bland. The performance was ok and it felt good to drive, it's a good "sensible" hot hatch I suppose. Much like the Ford Fiesta STs I looked at, it was "quick" rather than "fast" imo.
The last car I drove was the Cupra R 225 and thats the one I bought. I found one that had a few subtle mods and found the insurance was not that much more than the other two cars - perhaps less of them have been crashed over the years! In the end I went for the Cupra for a number of reasons. It looked fantastic, very muscular and powerful, the performance was great - so it doesn't have the most "steering feel", it's set up to be a quick and devastatingly efficient car and these things can really fly. Mine has a Milltek exhaust on it and in terms of sound quality it wiped the floor with the other cars I tested. My only gripe is there is too much sound proofing - it's a very quiet cruiser but the engine and exhaust are a bit muted when the windows are up. It sounds so good however, that I night I often drive mine with all 4 windows down just to take in that awesome noise. It's also very comfortable and spacious inside, and not too bad on the juice either. I average about 32mpg in mine on a mixed route commute of about 16 miles, 35mpg in slower traffic and 28mpg if it's midnight, the roads are empty and I'm booting it. I don't think I will ever get bored of being forced back into my seat when that turbo comes on boost
Check my profile if you want to see some pics or read more about my car, and feel free to ask me any in-depth questions about the cars you are looking at (apart from the S3!).
Thesaint01708 said:
Its an odd feeling at first, but you cant beat the grin factor knowing that when most turbo cars are out of their boost range the Type-R is just getting into its power band 
Turbo diesels maybe! If I'm driving fast, and my car is coming on boost at 3000rpm and I'm shifting up at about 6200rpm, I'll be dropping into the next gear at peak torque and about 75% boost, with full boost only about 0.2 seconds of lag away before full power comes on again. Not all turbo cars go flat towards the red line, modern petrol turbos don't suffer like this any more, turbo diesels do though.And even if the Type R is getting into it's power band, what does that matter if it's already been left behind by faster turbo cars, whom aren't going to magically lose momentum and let the Type R catch up anyway?
I love the Type R, but it's not some kind of secret weapon!
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