What do you think the hottest hatch is out of the bunch

What do you think the hottest hatch is out of the bunch

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GA55SED

Original Poster:

44 posts

142 months

Sunday 19th August 2012
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Hello there fello pheaders I'm currently in the process of looking for a new hot hatch I've got a budget of no more than 6k I have a few ideas Leon cupra r
Civic type r
Mk1 r32 golf
Audi s3 mk1

Out of the bunch the type r is the one I've always had a thing for and the one my heart as always fully wanted but at the same time the r32 is sticking out and hard to brush away under the carpet.

I'm not really fussed about 5 doors etc or mpg I just want one of them off the list
If any body could give some ideas and there own views of the above this would be much appreciated.

I would love some feed back off anyone that's owned any of the above.

Thanks people


Edited by GA55SED on Sunday 19th August 10:56

GA55SED

Original Poster:

44 posts

142 months

Sunday 19th August 2012
quotequote all
Your quite right my thoughts are the same regarding the r32 especially with that music to your ears v6 growl. If I could afford the mkv r32 i wouldn't need any help choosing as deep down that's what I want but another 3k on the car would defiantly get the mrs having a moan. And I can't see geting a new r32 with mt budget frown

GA55SED

Original Poster:

44 posts

142 months

Sunday 19th August 2012
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Have you owned a ep3 by any chance ?

GA55SED

Original Poster:

44 posts

142 months

Sunday 19th August 2012
quotequote all
Apologies I meant newer model as in the last of the r32s. The golf r looks nice but to be honest even in I had anywhere near the money for one of them I would be looking at a e90 m3 not a golf tongue out I personally think they should of never of let go of the r32 unit on the first place but with time comes change I suppose

GA55SED

Original Poster:

44 posts

142 months

Sunday 19th August 2012
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caraddict said:
Type R.
I've heard quite a few who love the mps but if I'm honest I'm not a fan

GA55SED

Original Poster:

44 posts

142 months

Sunday 19th August 2012
quotequote all
Vitorio said:
I've heard the R32 be described as a bit heavy and cumbersome for a hatchback, so while it might be very quick, it could be less nimble then the competition, which imho is BAD for a hot hatch.

I'm not a big civic fan, but out of your list the CTR appeals most

Given free choice, i'd be looking for an alfa 147 GTA, stylish italian hatchery with a lovely 3.2 litre V6
I've also heard the that with the r32 it can be a tad weighty at the front end abit like the vr6 I would of thought. I think it's just the growl of r32 That sucks me in to wanting one.

I must say tho I personally think the type r is the best handling out of the bunch

GA55SED

Original Poster:

44 posts

142 months

Sunday 19th August 2012
quotequote all
ryanthescot said:
what about a megane r26?
I currently own a Renault 5 gt turbo and it's like my little baby it never sees day light these days but I must say when I take it out it's just something else and puts most of the usual hot hatches in the rear view mirror from the lights.

And it's weird because the amount if people that comment on the car when I'm out in it is unreal and then I take my everyday drive out which is a mk2 focus rs and nobody batters a eye lid compared to my little r5 turbo.

I must say tho I'm not a fan of new Renault hatches I drove a megane turbo not sure of the exact model but it just felt so cheap sorry to the lovers of newer Renault hit hatches but there just not for me

GA55SED

Original Poster:

44 posts

142 months

Sunday 19th August 2012
quotequote all
NISR227 said:
Civic Type R EP3 - owned one for a couple of years. I would recommend you get a fastroad geometry setup though, for £80-£150 (got mine done at APB) it will be the best money you spend on the car. Makes it turn in better, easy predictable lift-off over steer and really does improve the handling and feel of the car. Obviously LSD and Hondata K-pro/100 remap improves things further but will cost some.

Very reliable, they just beg to be driven hard and take it all in its stride. Yes you have to really thrash it to get the best out of the car but it rewards when you do this, the gear change is still one of the best manual changes on any car and it all can be addictive on a good b twisty road. The lack of torque down low isn't as bad as you think, you can't rely on it for overtakes, more like change down a couple of gears to do that, but there's still enough to get around with when your takeing it easy.

I came from a highly modified turbo hatch, and I've got another turbo hatch after the Civic, completely different ways to drive, but all good in their own way.

Re the S3, tried one once, very boring to drive, no feel with the wheel. Leon Cupra R is the better option if you want the same turbo route at that price, 1.8T used well like the S3, but with a better chassis. R32 is special, still rare, torque, and awesome sounds, not really a handler though and very very thirsty.
Thanks for the info ive heard alot of people saying in reviews for the ep3 that it dose not have enough torque etc and how it feels not as refined as its rivals but for me it's just a raw drivers car and puts the others to shame a lot of the time on normal roads. And surely the drive is the most important. Thanks for your info tho it's very much appreciated



GA55SED

Original Poster:

44 posts

142 months

Sunday 19th August 2012
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DoubleSix said:
Why do these threads consistently overlook the BMW 130/135???

I'm baffled tbh, is it the price?, bangle design? lack of overt hot hatch styling?????

If this is a car lovers site surely a RWD car with a 6 pot up front is, well, superior to all the fwd scrabblers that usually get trotted out.

Having had a fair few hot hatches I know that the 130i I currently have outperforms an S3 on all counts. Genuinely confused. confused
I had a 130i m sport 2 years back and the mrs fell in love with it so much she ended up having it off me. When I had the 130i I can't say it's not a great car because it well and truley is and its great for a drive of smiles especially with the rear wheel drive fun round the corners. But for me as mad as this may sound it just lacked something I could never put my finger on and I was never a fan how it blended in to much which can be a good thing to some.

But for me I think a hot hatch for me is about standing out not blending in.
But to the little beemers defence it's a cracking little car and you don't see a great deal of them around these days

GA55SED

Original Poster:

44 posts

142 months

Sunday 19th August 2012
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firman said:
Op, surely if you have a MkII Focus RS that itself is one of the hottest hatches around? It has all the makings of one anyway and as I imagine hot hatches they should be fwd anyway.
My rs is something I will never let go and I was never a fan of modern fords before it and personally I think it's deffo in the top 10 of greatest hot hatches in this day and age but I just want something for abit of fun and that's why I'm looking at the bunch I've listed And at the mo the type r ep3 is stealing my heart I must say. And as crazy as this sounds but I think the type r is a more joyful car to wring round the neck. My rs can be to civilised at times

GA55SED

Original Poster:

44 posts

142 months

Sunday 19th August 2012
quotequote all
e8_pack said:
So why another hot hatch, are two not enough?
I'm just hot hatch mad it's the young soul in me lol

GA55SED

Original Poster:

44 posts

142 months

Sunday 19th August 2012
quotequote all
Mastodon2 said:
I had a 270bhp Cupra R 225 with upgraded suspension, it was stonkingly quick in a straight line, cornered as flat as a pancake and resisted torque steer and wheel spin amazingly weel for the power. It was savage on boost, but it was still too comfortable and refined for what I wanted at the time. The Civic Type R I replaced it with is considerably slower, but much, much rawer. Whereas many turbo cars to me, feel like they give their best effort lower in the rev range - for example, the Cupra R had a 7000rpm redline iirc, but you might as well have shifted up at 5800rpm because it had done it's best work and needed another gear by then, the Civic is the opposite.

The Civic feels like an ordinary, albeit short-geared 2.0L hatchback, but as you let the revs climb, the induction note starts to harden at around 4000rpm, and a few seconds later as you pass 5800rpm, all hell breaks lose and the car bolts down the road like a greyhound. Ok, coming from a big power turbo car, you will notice that for all the drama, you simply aren't travelling as quickly as you would be in a VAG offering, but to me the noise, drama and general hooligan vibe of the Civic Type R makes it a winner.

When I change mine, I doubt I'll get another hot hatch. I driven many quicker hot hatches, and my Cupra R was a faster (and still good) car, but unless I went for something left-field like a Pulsar GTI-R, I doubt I'd be having much more fun than I get in my EP3. They say the EK9 Civic Type R is like an EP3 but rawer and even better handling, though more fragile also, and I'd love to own one but don't think I ever will.
Thanks for that been waiting for someone who's had both lol that's what gets me with the ep3 type r how raw it is and personally that's why it stands out more than the others on my list which is usually my different approach as I'm such a turbo lover if I'm to be honest.

I test drove a fn2 type r civic a few years back and I never forget the feeling when the vetec comes into play it's astonishing and even know its heavier than the ep3 and feels abit boatish the vetch just makes you want more. And forget the size and weightiness of it.

I drove a ep3 type r shortly after on a test drive but the sales man was not allowing me thrash it so i couldn't get in the vetech But even on a everyday drive scale it felt a dam site better than the fn2 so I can only imagine the ep3 is tonnes better and even more after clarksons review on it.

Have you ever had a cupra r at the lights since having your ep3 ?

GA55SED

Original Poster:

44 posts

142 months

Sunday 19th August 2012
quotequote all
SWoll said:
R32 is definately the most special of the bunch IMO.

Saw a mint example in blue the other day parked at the local supermarket and still looked very cool to my eyes.

Might not be the most dynamic of hot hatches but it's what I would go for.
I love them in blue there rare to see now days well a mk1 is nice when they do come around

GA55SED

Original Poster:

44 posts

142 months

Sunday 19th August 2012
quotequote all
Mastodon2 said:
It wouldn't be a fair test unless I was racing my old Cupra, or an identically modded one. My Cupra R had a Jetex induction kit and cold air feed, Milltek catback, Forge dump valve, Forge turbo intake pipe and a REVO stage 2 map, so it was making about 270bhp - a significant chunk more than a standard 225. No doubt about it, that Cupra would have murdered my EP3 in a straight line, and it was probably quicker over a twisty road too, but the Civic is way, way more fun. Furthermore, I don't race anyone, on the open road or off the lights!

Turbo hatches lend themselves well to power upgrades and outright speed, the joy of the Type R is the rev-hungry nature and the lightfooted, sharp response of the car.
It's a hard decision for me because I'm a turbo lover and at the same time a r32 is quite tempting But I must say for now the type rs got the edge for me.

GA55SED

Original Poster:

44 posts

142 months

Sunday 19th August 2012
quotequote all
abbotsmike said:
It's just too big! To me, hot hatches are all about being small and nimble. IMO, even the focus RS is pushing it a bit on size, although it's a lovely car!
Your right and I must say I do agree even with the rs comment tongue out lol but you are right even know that it's a great car but it is abit if a heffer in size.

But as much as the 130i is quite big and as I said before it just misses something for me hence why I let the mrs have it without a argument lol but it's brilliant to drive its like some of the older hatches for fun I.e 205 gti and gti 6 306 obviously I'm not saying there the same drive but it just brings the fun factor in the bends like a oldie hot hatch

GA55SED

Original Poster:

44 posts

142 months

Sunday 19th August 2012
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cuprabob said:
It was a general comment and not in response to your post and I'm aware that the OP referred to it as that.

In R32 circles there is the Mk4 R32 and the Mk5 R32
Apologies people I actually meant mk4 and mk5 sorry of I've confused anyone

GA55SED

Original Poster:

44 posts

142 months

Sunday 19th August 2012
quotequote all
cuprabob said:
Lol quite right tho when you think about it and a mk5 r32 I must say looks preety plain as standard but I would still love one to be honest brilliant noise. What would you choose out of the list on the thread ?

GA55SED

Original Poster:

44 posts

142 months

Sunday 19th August 2012
quotequote all
Hoygo said:
Try a Megane R26 than,the one you might have tried must be the normal 225 which is sh!t.

And id take the Civic TR out of that list,the mk1 R32 is absolutely sh!te and the mk1 S3 gives me headache,the ep3 would even match these in straight line speed while being better at everything else.
I've just looked and I think the one I did drive was the 225 I must say tho I'm not sure of the model but the latest megane sport I have seen looks very nice not sure if you know the one I mean 2010 model I saw a white one recently with nice brembos it looked savage but tbh I'm not a fan of newer French cars.

My Renault 5 gt turbo is my only French exception lol

GA55SED

Original Poster:

44 posts

142 months

Sunday 19th August 2012
quotequote all
cuprabob said:
I had a MK5 R32 for 5 years and quite liked the fact it didn't stand out too much from the pack.

From the list I would pick the Mk4 R32, there is just something special about the V6 and as you say the noise. It's not the fastest, it's quite heavy, but the traction is good and it feels "special"
The only reason I wasnt a fan of it blending in is because I just think hot hatches should be loud and bold but that's just me I suppose. But even with the mk5 a nice set of bbs and a miltek exhaust and a few other bits and it no longer looks plain.

But your right and not the only person to say it but they are one special bit of kit and that alone makes it a tighter section for me. Civic type r ep3 mk4 r32 or Leon cupra r its a hard one

GA55SED

Original Poster:

44 posts

142 months

Sunday 19th August 2012
quotequote all
DoubleSix said:
I still dont get it. I bought the 130 for my mrs when I had the Cayman, since getting rid im temporarily in the BMW.

Its no bigger or heavier than the R32 everyone on here seems to love. It has better weight distribution. Better dynamic and SO MUCH MORE FUN on and over the limit. I ran a 57 plate S3 for a while which frankly bored me to tears. Turn off DTC on the little beemer and it's oppo all the way! Makes me giggle like no car has for a long time...

I guess if traffic light heroics and straight line perforance are a priority then none of the above really matters. But dynamics are first on my list.
Personally for me the r32 is just more of a special car and many may think different and I never thought I would say it but I would say its better made too.

Don't get me wrong by all means it brings smiles to the face and in the bends it's cracking but it just misses something for me. But anytime I have to drive the one I gave to my mrs it's a complete joy. It's a great car but as for great hot hatch that's another thing