Which 5 door hot hatch?

[Ecosseven]

Morning all,

Thinking about a medium sized hot hatch with a manual gearbox for my next car. Budget is £13-15k. I know a lot of people want a 3 door as it looks better but I want a 5 door for the added practicality. The obvious choices are a Golf GTI or a Ford Focus ST. Any others that I should be considering?

Thanks in advance.

[LukeR94]

Mazda 3 MPS?

[cuprabob]

Seat Leon FR or Cupra
Skoda Octavia VRs
BMW 125i or 130i

[p1tse]

not sure on prices these days but under budget

mk5 R32 or Edition 30 (+Remap)

[stupidbutkeen]

brand new suzuki swift sport or is that a bit small and slow?

[pimpchez]

LukeR94 said:

Mazda 3 MPS?

i have one well under his budget

[Basil Hume]

I was in the same boat and bought a Mk5 Golf R32. I wanted something cheaper than a brand new hot hatch, after an experience with a new-ish Audi S3's depreciation.

The long and short of it is that it's always a pleasure to drive the R32 - bimbling around in 20mph zones, motorway journeys, foul weather, clear B-roads etc. I'd have been quite happy in a GTI (and not much slower), but it's well worth it for the sensory experience of 6-cylinders and AWD.

Have a look at my ownership thread and "Garage" reviw.

[Dave Hedgehog]

i am biased but i would go for the R32 for the engine as well

[dibblecorse]

Is the Alfa Romeo Giulietta in range yet ?

[edo]

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/2014...

Volkswagen Golf 3.2 V6 R32 4MOTION 5dr GREAT SPEC + LOW MILEAGE

26900 miles
BLACK, Black Vienna Leather, Sat Nav, Winter Pack - Heated Seats, Folding Mirrors, Automatic Xenon Lights, Recaro Sports Seats, Auto Dimming Interior Mirror, 18" Alloys, Blue Calipers, Tyre Pressure Monitor, Heated Mirrors, Dual Climate Control, CD Player, Upgraded Sound, Remote Central Locking, Ex Demo + 1 Lady Owner., £14,750

[edo]

dibblecorse said:

Is the Alfa Romeo Giulietta in range yet ?

Had a brand new one as a hire car. Diabolical seating position, and build quality was pathetic - more squeaks and rattles than the 15 year old P38 range rover I owned.

[essIII]

Audi S3 (8P)?

Fast, tuneable, nice inside, looks good, 5 doors available under 15k.

[edo]

Good call.

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/2014...

[JonnyVTEC]

Do you fit the extra doors afterwards?

[daemon]

Subaru STI.

[3MPSmk2]

Speak to pimpchez about his Mazda 3 MPS. Nicely modded, safe and reliable tune.

Only the Focus RS or M135i beats it IMO, and both cost twice as much at least.

Edited by 3MPSmk2 on Friday 11th July 12:06

[scherzkeks]

edo said:

Good call.

The facelift 8P (2008+) would be a better buy. The AWD system is basically identical to that of the newest model.

[xjay1337]

Audi S3 8P or Golf Mk5 GTI Edition 30.

[essIII]

scherzkeks said:

The facelift 8P (2008+) would be a better buy. The AWD system is basically identical to that of the newest model.

It was the 8P that we were talking about. There we no mechanical changes from the mid-8P facelift - the haldex software was altered, but nothing radical.

Here's a 5 door for under budget:

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/2014...

[fadeaway]

JonnyVTEC said:

Do you fit the extra doors afterwards?