What's happened to the 'Hot Hatch' market?

[Alfa Pete]

A couple of other options, which are under 8 seconds 0-60.
Skoda Fabia Monte Carlo 1.5 TSI ( possibly too new and over budget…)
Seat Ibiza FR 1.5 TSI (well within budget)
Not sure but think they may be available with DSG gearbox?
Hyundai i20N mentioned is 0-60 in 6.3 but out of your £18k budget and manual only.
Same issue with the Fiesta ST.
Fiesta 140 or 155 ST line ? 9 secs 0-60…? But powershift auto I think is only available with the 125 engine .
Auto only makes choice quite limited ………
Only choice I can find plentiful examples fitting your criteria is an Audi A1 S line or Black edition with the 1.4 or 1.5 TSI and DSG

Edited by Alfa Pete on Saturday 10th June 17:23

Edited by Alfa Pete on Saturday 10th June 17:24

Edited by Alfa Pete on Saturday 10th June 17:24

Edited by Alfa Pete on Saturday 10th June 17:38

Edited by Alfa Pete on Saturday 10th June 17:39

[Whataguy]

KW15ZZZ said:

I can't stand the shape of the UP, but I have been looking at the VW Polo GT and GTI. They do look rather boring style wise through.

The polo is really is a smaller golf, so follows the design. I and many others have trouble telling them apart as the differences are small.

This was the best review I'd found of the gti when I was looking at them:

https://youtu.be/qk7wny6QXN0

The racetrack section of the video was particularly good.

[eddietiv1]

KW15ZZZ said:

abucd4 said:

i20n maybe?

The only ones I've seen are all over 10 seconds to reach 60mph.

No mate, the N as been out over 12 months now, just take a little time to keep up with the times, it's a different proposition.

[ChrisH72]

eddietiv1 said:

KW15ZZZ said:

abucd4 said:

i20n maybe?

The only ones I've seen are all over 10 seconds to reach 60mph.

No mate, the N as been out over 12 months now, just take a little time to keep up with the times, it's a different proposition.

Perhaps thinking of the i20 N line?

The i20N starts at well over 20k and is sub 7 secs to 60. Manual only too.

Of all the ICE suggestions here so far I think the black Clio RS220 Trophy that ZX posted looks the best. The Polo might actually be a better car and looks good value but the RS Clio is more interesting.

A 5dr Cooper S could be worth a look. They seem to come with various seat options so not necessarily going to be the same as in the Mini electric. 5 door might suit better too.

Otherwise I still think the EV options look good for the OP if they live in London and drive regularly in the city.

[Dashnine]

Macron said:

Dashnine said:

OK, it may be a bit too long at 4.5m but the Cupra Formentor Hybrid (245) is good fun to drive and pretty quick to 60 - 7.5 ish I think.

I think the caution of hybrids maybe battery longevity, all depends how long you’re planning on keeping the car really.

For £18k?

Hmmm, might have missed that…. That could indeed be problematic…

[LightningBlue]

biggles330d said:

BMW i3s. Brilliant fun, c.180hp, not hugely fast but light (for an EV). I see mine as a modern day interpretation of my old Mk2 golf gti. Small-ish, but great turning circle and practical stuff like that.
£18k should get you into an early 120aH BEV model (about 68 plate like mine).

We have a fleet at work and the driving experience is horrible, at least to me. They bounce a lot and take time to settle back, they’re tall and slab sided so very sensitive to cross winds, they’re hard to drive smoothly because of the regenerative braking, the tyres are like bike tyres so they really don’t drive like a normal car. The i3 is a real oddity to me, every time I drive one I can’t understand how BMW who were renowned for driving dynamics could have produced it. On the plus side the power train is very nice, but I’d rather have a Corsa E over the i3.

[LightningBlue]

In terms of the seat belt, the OP could use a left arm to grab it. Not worth buying an extra doors and potentially sacrificing looks just for that purpose…the 5 door Mini is truly hideous, although the Clio is done very well with the hidden handles

[KW15ZZZ]

Glenn63 said:

The auto bit takes a massive bunch of cars out the equation. What about m135/m140?

Too big / long.

[KW15ZZZ]

ZX10R NIN said:

So OP any of the suggestions work for you?

I've got a few more ideas to look at, although I've already discounted some of the ideas. I hope to have a test drive shortlist of around 4-5 makes and models by the end of the day.

[KW15ZZZ]

[quote=Alfa Pete]A couple of other options, which are under 8 seconds 0-60.
Skoda Fabia Monte Carlo 1.5 TSI ( possibly too new and over budget…)
Seat Ibiza FR 1.5 TSI (well within budget)
Not sure but think they may be available with DSG gearbox?
Hyundai i20N mentioned is 0-60 in 6.3 but out of your £18k budget and manual only.
Same issue with the Fiesta ST.
Fiesta 140 or 155 ST line ? 9 secs 0-60…? But powershift auto I think is only available with the 125 engine .
Auto only makes choice quite limited ………
Only choice I can find plentiful examples fitting your criteria is an Audi A1 S line or Black edition with the 1.4 or 1.5 TSI and DSG


Thank you. I'm going to look at the Audi A1 suggestion as well as a few others suggested. Hope to test drive some cars in the coming week.

[KW15ZZZ]

ChrisH72 said:

Perhaps thinking of the i20 N line?

The i20N starts at well over 20k and is sub 7 secs to 60. Manual only too.

Of all the ICE suggestions here so far I think the black Clio RS220 Trophy that ZX posted looks the best. The Polo might actually be a better car and looks good value but the RS Clio is more interesting.

A 5dr Cooper S could be worth a look. They seem to come with various seat options so not necessarily going to be the same as in the Mini electric. 5 door might suit better too.

Otherwise I still think the EV options look good for the OP if they live in London and drive regularly in the city.

I hadn't noticed the N after the i20, did look at them today but yes, too expensive for me.
I've been looking at the Clio RS cars, they do look very good so will put on my test drive list. I also want to test drive a Polo so will look into those models. I would really like to test drive the Fiat 500E but my partner is against it saying they lose 50% of range when driving at 70mph on the motorway so not really suitable for weekends away etc.

[KW15ZZZ]

LightningBlue said:

In terms of the seat belt, the OP could use a left arm to grab it. Not worth buying an extra doors and potentially sacrificing looks just for that purpose…the 5 door Mini is truly hideous, although the Clio is done very well with the hidden handles

Unfortunately I can't reach the seat belt with my left hand. I can't see why someone hasn't invented a seat belt holder of some sort that keeps it pinned to the top of the drivers seat for easy reach? Any budding inventors on here, there's a freebie idea for you!

The Clio does look quite nice so I'm hoping to test driver one this week.