Fun Sporty Hatch - So Many Choices!

[SiQS]

I'm currently on the lookout for a fun sporty hatch to get me to work and back. It needs to be 4 seats as I will sometimes need to put the car seats in for the kids every now and again, but it can be 3 or 5 door. Doesn't matter if it's a bit of a squeeze at the back for the kids as its only a short journey and its going to be rare they will be in this car. Budget of about £15k and upto 4 years old.

So far i've been looking at;

Abarth 595 Competizione
Audi S1
Ford Fiesta ST
Ford Focus ST (bit bigger but better for the kids)

Any other options? Or which one would you go for out of the list?

[Hammy98]

Polo GTI
Golf GTI Mk7? - could possibly get one in budget
Scirocco R
Leon Cupra
Mini Cooper S
Alfa Guilietta Colverleaf

[stargazer30]

I have a fiesta ST and I ferry around my wife, 2 sons 17 and 14 both 6ft tall and my daughter who's 12 but just a halfling. I'm 6ft 2. The fiesta ST is suprisingly roomy if you can live with the 3 door. I'd say its as big as the mk1 focus I used to have.

Fiesta will beat the Mk3 focus ST on fun factor easy.

The missus has just bought a new mini cooper and its fun getting them in and out of that! Weird considering its not actually much smaller than the fez.

[g7jhp]

Volkswagen Up GTI
Audi S1
Mini Cooper S

[daemon]

g7jhp said:

Volkswagen Up GTI
Audi S1
Mini Cooper S

+1

Great little cars

Easy to tune / remap too.

246BHP with a tuning box, 291BHP with a remap.

[culpz]

For the sheer fun factor, i'd go either Abarth 500/595 or the Fiesta ST.

[JohnnyMc]

Came here to say F56. Avoid R56 like the plague. Had two both went bang.

Fiesta ST with a remap if you can stomach the thought of a deprec hit or being a model behind once the new one lands. (Presuming it’s as good as looks likely).

[Tannedbaldhead]

208GTI and Polo GTI.

Neither is quite as performance/handling orientated and therefore as much fun as the Cooper S or Fiesta ST but that compromise is rewarded with cars that are more refined, easier to live with and just that bit more pleasant for everyday use.

[ZX10R NIN]

Get a last of the line 2.5T Focus ST-3 preferably with some Mountune mods.

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...

[cerb4.5lee]

I'm a big fan of the S1 and I really like the way it looks. The Fiesta ST always gets great reviews too. Always wanted a Focus ST aswell.

I have a F56 Mini Cooper S and I love it, its great fun on back roads and its a nice place to sit. My kids fit in the back okay(aged 2 and 10) but its a little awkward getting them in being a 3dr.

The boot is tiny but its surprisingly practical with the seats down, as daemon mentions the great thing about the MCS is that its easily tuned if you crave more performance.

[DoubleD]

Job done

[daemon]

cerb4.5lee said:

The boot is tiny but its surprisingly practical with the seats down

+1

I find you can get three to four shopping bags across it and they sit in place. 3 shopping bags in the boot of the A45 and they're all over the place by the time you get home (though that might be more to do with my driving )

And with the split level boot option and the back seats down you've a completely flat boot floor so its like a small van