Which Hatch? FK8 vs TCR vs S3 vs GRY vs M140i

[orangeaddikt]

Struggling to decide so looking for some inspiration and some real world opinions.

Requirements:
-Couple of track days a year (without much modification)
-Comfy enough for road trips to Scotland/Nurburgring or occasional commute (90 mile round trip but not every day)
-At least some practicality
-Parked on the street (no garaging or secure parking available)
-No soft tops
-Don't mind a good automatic or manual
-Modern (maybe 2015ish<) - I don't mind (and have owned) several older cars but would prefer to go for something pretty young/low mileage/low owners
-£30K (ish) budget

A bit of background, currently have a 430d daily and a JDM Legacy Spec B. The Subaru was bought mainly as a stop gap until the beemer arrived so will be up for sale very soon. I have thought about tracking this but have read a few horror stories of EJ20s suffering on track and doesn't feel like quite the right thing to do it in.

Love a hot hatch and have had several Renaultsports which were all brilliant (182 FF, 275 Trophy, 280 Cup) but would like to try something different so have been looking at the following:

-FK8 Civic Type R
-Golf GTI TCR (or R but insurance jumps up a lot)
-Audi S3 8V
-GR Yaris
-M140i

Thoughts on these choices? Anything I am missing out or other suggestions? Just buy another RS Meg and be done with it? Happy to hear it!

[Belle427]

I can’t really help much having owned none of them but I’d take the Civic Type R.
Got a real soft spot for these.

[Glenn63]

Iv an m140, quite modified now and it’s the perfect all rounder for me I don’t know what I’d swap it for, without a substantial budget increase.
It’s my daily, i did 6 track days last year, fairly cheap to run/maintain, nothings gone wrong, properly quick and still returns over 40mpg on a run.
I regularly drive me the mrs the dog and a weeks worth of stuff up to Scotland to visit the in-laws.
Last summer I went north west to Cornwall in perfect comfort then on the way back stopped in at Donington, emptied my boot of suitcases had a morning upsetting the trailered, track prepped cars then packed up and carried on my way home.
Had zero issues with mine in 2 years.

[ZX10R NIN]

I think the Honda is the pick but I'd suggest taking a good look at the i30N:

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202303305...

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202303074...

308 GTI

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202303044...

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202303014...

[Mr Whippy]

Go drive them all?