i20n v fiesta ST v polo GTI
Discussion
Hi,
So I am considering changing my Toyota Corolla Touring Sports to a nice little hot hatch and from the research I have done so far, the 3 I have shortlisted are the Hyundai i20N, Ford Fiesta ST and VW Polo GTI.
Historically I have changed cars every 18 months or so but I want to keep this next purchase for longer (or that is the intention!)
As the intention is to keep it for longer than the 48 month (or max) PCP term I am not too bothered about the values of the car at the end of the term.
Although it is not on the top of my list, practicality in the form of inside space needs to be accessible as could have children within that time.
Coming from a Skoda Octavia VRS into Toyota Corolla Touring Sports has proved too much for me and I miss the power and the fun that comes with it.
Each of these cars, it seems, excel in each of their own area's;
Hyundai - Practicality - this has the biggest boot of the 3 and the most room for 4 adults. I am 6ft 2in and I can comfortably sit behind the drivers seat in my driving position.
Ford - Outright fun - this seems to be the drive that is the most lively, followed closely by the i20n
VW - Quality. The interior is a much nicer place than either of the above.
I am leaning towards Hyundai. Yes, it has a cheaper interior but Hyundai seem to be very reliable and have a 5 year warranty.
VW is niggling me. It is the better recognised brand and if I did change part way through my PCP then I am more likely to have positive equity to use.
Ford - This is the least practical of the 3 and depreciation hits Fords hard in the first few years, but would the daily enjoyment override all of that?
I am posting this to see other peoples opinions. Which would you choose, and why?
So I am considering changing my Toyota Corolla Touring Sports to a nice little hot hatch and from the research I have done so far, the 3 I have shortlisted are the Hyundai i20N, Ford Fiesta ST and VW Polo GTI.
Historically I have changed cars every 18 months or so but I want to keep this next purchase for longer (or that is the intention!)
As the intention is to keep it for longer than the 48 month (or max) PCP term I am not too bothered about the values of the car at the end of the term.
Although it is not on the top of my list, practicality in the form of inside space needs to be accessible as could have children within that time.
Coming from a Skoda Octavia VRS into Toyota Corolla Touring Sports has proved too much for me and I miss the power and the fun that comes with it.
Each of these cars, it seems, excel in each of their own area's;
Hyundai - Practicality - this has the biggest boot of the 3 and the most room for 4 adults. I am 6ft 2in and I can comfortably sit behind the drivers seat in my driving position.
Ford - Outright fun - this seems to be the drive that is the most lively, followed closely by the i20n
VW - Quality. The interior is a much nicer place than either of the above.
I am leaning towards Hyundai. Yes, it has a cheaper interior but Hyundai seem to be very reliable and have a 5 year warranty.
VW is niggling me. It is the better recognised brand and if I did change part way through my PCP then I am more likely to have positive equity to use.
Ford - This is the least practical of the 3 and depreciation hits Fords hard in the first few years, but would the daily enjoyment override all of that?
I am posting this to see other peoples opinions. Which would you choose, and why?
I20N for me too. And that's coming from a mk7.5 Fiesta ST3 owner.
The later Fiesta just doesn't really do much for me. I'm sure it's great but I've never been able to get excited about it. Similar with the VW. I've never tried one but it's just gut feeling.
My wife is on her 2nd Hyundai and has had them for the last 11 years. First was a tiny i10 Active 1.2 which was actually a huge laugh to drive and soooo small you could park it anywhere. She now has a 2016 ix20 small mpv which we bought ex demo for £10k. It's used as our main family car and hasn't put a foot wrong in 60k miles. I drive it a lot and it's absolutely fine at what it does. Cheap, reliable family motoring. We plan to run it into the ground however long that takes.
I love the look of the i20N. Love the i30N too but for me the i20 seems better value. They're listed on Autotrader at £24k brand new whereas a 4 year old i30N with 50k miles is still £20k. If I was after another hot hatch I'd probably go i20N but I think I'll be going a bit more sports car next time. Shame Hyundai don't do a nice 2 seat coupe or roadster!
The later Fiesta just doesn't really do much for me. I'm sure it's great but I've never been able to get excited about it. Similar with the VW. I've never tried one but it's just gut feeling.
My wife is on her 2nd Hyundai and has had them for the last 11 years. First was a tiny i10 Active 1.2 which was actually a huge laugh to drive and soooo small you could park it anywhere. She now has a 2016 ix20 small mpv which we bought ex demo for £10k. It's used as our main family car and hasn't put a foot wrong in 60k miles. I drive it a lot and it's absolutely fine at what it does. Cheap, reliable family motoring. We plan to run it into the ground however long that takes.
I love the look of the i20N. Love the i30N too but for me the i20 seems better value. They're listed on Autotrader at £24k brand new whereas a 4 year old i30N with 50k miles is still £20k. If I was after another hot hatch I'd probably go i20N but I think I'll be going a bit more sports car next time. Shame Hyundai don't do a nice 2 seat coupe or roadster!
My daughters boyfriend has a 2015 Polo GTi & it’s been nothing but trouble. Coolant leaks (twice), drop links & engine mounts in the six months he’s had it. It’s actually back in the garage today to have the dogbone mount bush replaced.
It’s done half the miles of my Fiesta which has (touch wood) needed nothing done in two years.
That’s my in-depth analysis of a sample of two cars
It’s done half the miles of my Fiesta which has (touch wood) needed nothing done in two years.
That’s my in-depth analysis of a sample of two cars
ChrisH72 said:
I20N for me too. And that's coming from a mk7.5 Fiesta ST3 owner.
The later Fiesta just doesn't really do much for me. I'm sure it's great but I've never been able to get excited about it. Similar with the VW. I've never tried one but it's just gut feeling.
My wife is on her 2nd Hyundai and has had them for the last 11 years. First was a tiny i10 Active 1.2 which was actually a huge laugh to drive and soooo small you could park it anywhere. She now has a 2016 ix20 small mpv which we bought ex demo for £10k. It's used as our main family car and hasn't put a foot wrong in 60k miles. I drive it a lot and it's absolutely fine at what it does. Cheap, reliable family motoring. We plan to run it into the ground however long that takes.
I love the look of the i20N. Love the i30N too but for me the i20 seems better value. They're listed on Autotrader at £24k brand new whereas a 4 year old i30N with 50k miles is still £20k. If I was after another hot hatch I'd probably go i20N but I think I'll be going a bit more sports car next time. Shame Hyundai don't do a nice 2 seat coupe or roadster!
Probably the closest you're going to get :PThe later Fiesta just doesn't really do much for me. I'm sure it's great but I've never been able to get excited about it. Similar with the VW. I've never tried one but it's just gut feeling.
My wife is on her 2nd Hyundai and has had them for the last 11 years. First was a tiny i10 Active 1.2 which was actually a huge laugh to drive and soooo small you could park it anywhere. She now has a 2016 ix20 small mpv which we bought ex demo for £10k. It's used as our main family car and hasn't put a foot wrong in 60k miles. I drive it a lot and it's absolutely fine at what it does. Cheap, reliable family motoring. We plan to run it into the ground however long that takes.
I love the look of the i20N. Love the i30N too but for me the i20 seems better value. They're listed on Autotrader at £24k brand new whereas a 4 year old i30N with 50k miles is still £20k. If I was after another hot hatch I'd probably go i20N but I think I'll be going a bit more sports car next time. Shame Hyundai don't do a nice 2 seat coupe or roadster!
https://www.autocar.co.uk/car-review/hyundai/velos...
Very happy with my I20N.
Can do it all, a day on track, followed by day getting 45+mpg in decent comfort for 6 hours in the motorway, then a few days away with the family (wife + 2 kids).
However you’ll be waiting 12 months for a new one now, or paying well over the odds second hand.
I’m sure the Fiesta is equally capable, so is more a looks/image preference.
Can do it all, a day on track, followed by day getting 45+mpg in decent comfort for 6 hours in the motorway, then a few days away with the family (wife + 2 kids).
However you’ll be waiting 12 months for a new one now, or paying well over the odds second hand.
I’m sure the Fiesta is equally capable, so is more a looks/image preference.
CrippsCorner said:
ChrisH72 said:
I20N for me too. And that's coming from a mk7.5 Fiesta ST3 owner.
The later Fiesta just doesn't really do much for me. I'm sure it's great but I've never been able to get excited about it. Similar with the VW. I've never tried one but it's just gut feeling.
My wife is on her 2nd Hyundai and has had them for the last 11 years. First was a tiny i10 Active 1.2 which was actually a huge laugh to drive and soooo small you could park it anywhere. She now has a 2016 ix20 small mpv which we bought ex demo for £10k. It's used as our main family car and hasn't put a foot wrong in 60k miles. I drive it a lot and it's absolutely fine at what it does. Cheap, reliable family motoring. We plan to run it into the ground however long that takes.
I love the look of the i20N. Love the i30N too but for me the i20 seems better value. They're listed on Autotrader at £24k brand new whereas a 4 year old i30N with 50k miles is still £20k. If I was after another hot hatch I'd probably go i20N but I think I'll be going a bit more sports car next time. Shame Hyundai don't do a nice 2 seat coupe or roadster!
Probably the closest you're going to get :PThe later Fiesta just doesn't really do much for me. I'm sure it's great but I've never been able to get excited about it. Similar with the VW. I've never tried one but it's just gut feeling.
My wife is on her 2nd Hyundai and has had them for the last 11 years. First was a tiny i10 Active 1.2 which was actually a huge laugh to drive and soooo small you could park it anywhere. She now has a 2016 ix20 small mpv which we bought ex demo for £10k. It's used as our main family car and hasn't put a foot wrong in 60k miles. I drive it a lot and it's absolutely fine at what it does. Cheap, reliable family motoring. We plan to run it into the ground however long that takes.
I love the look of the i20N. Love the i30N too but for me the i20 seems better value. They're listed on Autotrader at £24k brand new whereas a 4 year old i30N with 50k miles is still £20k. If I was after another hot hatch I'd probably go i20N but I think I'll be going a bit more sports car next time. Shame Hyundai don't do a nice 2 seat coupe or roadster!
https://www.autocar.co.uk/car-review/hyundai/velos...
showeringpope said:
I am leaning towards Hyundai. Yes, it has a cheaper interior but Hyundai seem to be very reliable and have a 5 year warranty.
I was surprised Hyundai didn’t match the interior design of the i20 to the i30 facelift. Looks so much better compared to the ipad-stuck-on-the-dash trend. The ST is even worse in that regard imo. I looked at buying a Polo GTI a few years ago and it didn’t even have a manual option at the time! Tries to be too much of a junior, cheaper Golf, at which point I’d rather buy something more exciting or just save up more and actually buy a Golf!
PH.sausages said:
Out of the 3 I'd go for the i20n;
Fiesta ST you see everywhere (they are good though) and the Polo isn't as good a steer.
Some good french bred alternatives 2nd hand though, Mégane 300 or 308 GTi are both great.
I have considered a used Megane RS trophy but (although this may be wrong of me) i cant get over their unreliability issues. Dont know much about the Peugeot 308 GTi's but again, its the preconceived idea of bad French manufacturing.Fiesta ST you see everywhere (they are good though) and the Polo isn't as good a steer.
Some good french bred alternatives 2nd hand though, Mégane 300 or 308 GTi are both great.
Edited by PH.sausages on Friday 2nd September 20:38
jam_up said:
I was surprised Hyundai didn’t match the interior design of the i20 to the i30 facelift. Looks so much better compared to the ipad-stuck-on-the-dash trend. The ST is even worse in that regard imo.
I test drove a '71 I30N hatch. The interior really surprised me and I thought it was up there pushing kinda VW Golf / Polo quality. In fact maybe better interior than the current gen Golf's!For me, I wasnt sure about the i30N hatch. I much prefer the fastback n styling. More unique. The hatch just looked like your standard hatch design and maybe a bit boring.
The i20N styling however is much more different to the fiesta and polo!
Mrs clarki has a Polo GTi. It's ok. I'm not a massive hot hatch fan but it is well built if a bit plastic fantastic inside and has been faultless and cheap to run. Good kit too with the virtual dash, pan roof, dsg box, etc, etc
The tyres it came with are terrible, really don't help the chassis bite, looking forward to changing them. But the brakes are good and now it has the 2.0ltr engine its surprisingly fast down the straight bits. Sure the fiesta is better to throw around but in terms of oomph the vw will easily leave the ford and Hyundai behind. Add the APR remap and its impressive. Leaves my little mx5 for dead!!
Honestly though, I preferred the mini it replaced;
The tyres it came with are terrible, really don't help the chassis bite, looking forward to changing them. But the brakes are good and now it has the 2.0ltr engine its surprisingly fast down the straight bits. Sure the fiesta is better to throw around but in terms of oomph the vw will easily leave the ford and Hyundai behind. Add the APR remap and its impressive. Leaves my little mx5 for dead!!
Honestly though, I preferred the mini it replaced;
Canon_Fodder said:
Yes indeed! I guess the OP doesn't like Minis
I have considered MINI's but the 5 door variant doesnt look as nice as the 3 door. The 5 door side profile looks a bit odd IMO.If practicality wasnt a consideration I would be shortlisting a 3 door Mini Cooper JCW for sure!
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