-
TBH i've not looked at the "hot hatch" market for decades and just assumed the (VAG range) GTi / R / 4motion / Cupra etc was the nuts for speed - but they aint when compared to big german estates i was looking at - but i dont want to drive around in something that feels tacky inside (which i've found on almost all hatch rentals apart from Golf/Audi) , and to be brutally honest i feel Ford are like that - and lets not get started on Fiat or BMW Mini .
so from the above i can take BMWs slightly smaller space if i can get epic performance and solid nice interior.....
saying that i've just been sent the Topgear BMW v GOLF video link where the BMW 1 almost killed Clarkson when driving in a straight line on a wet airfield - sobering viewing.
Perhaps i should go retro and look to the 80's/90's jap hatch turbo market - I used to own an EP71 turbo when living in NZ.....
anthonyj-
Take anything that Clarkson says with a pinch of salt, it's all for viewing numbers, scripted, and over exaggerated.
Remember when everyone got put off Evos because he tested the FQ400, an absolute monster of a car, but putting it in 4th at 30mph and putting his foot flat. Of course it was going to do nothing, it's got a fucking massive turbo that needs to spool. If I do that in the Volvo I get the same performance, but work the gears like you're supposed to and you get the performance you're supposed to.
80s/90s Japanese cars are awesome but they have shit interiors and won't pass ulez if you're in London.
-
and lets not get started on Fiat or BMW Mini .
Regular Fiat 500 (idk about Arbarth) does feel budget on the inside, but I wouldn't say it's that bad - just a small city car, and looks better than other cars on its platform like the Ka.
But I'm surprised you say that about the BMW Mini though. Other than the stock speakers, even the One (which I used to have) had a rock solid, quality interior. And a mate had a Cooper with all the extras and the interior of that was lovely place to be. If I still lived in London, and space and money weren't an issue I'd get a tuned convertible Cooper in a heartbeat (R56/7 not the new ones).
I'd still go back to the point about test driving them in your real world conditions. Where are you going to be driving it fast and how fast? On a UK motorway >99mph and you loose your license (
and barely arrive faster than had you driven at 60mph). I'd relate it to motorbikes, and say on the whole it's better to have something that feels fast than is actually super fast. -
Mu uncle just owned a M140 and loved it. Was meant to be his sensible, everyday car but he ended up doing a couple of track days in it and was elated to find it super capable and quick, showing up some more expensive/sporting cars in the process around Cadwell Park. The only reason he got rid of it was because he has a serial car buying problem and though his new "sensible everyday car that he could maybe use for the odd trackday" should be an M2 Competition...
NurseHolliday
hugo7
ricky2slicky
What I'm trying to say is, if you use an M140, a C63, an M3, or an E63 as a comparison, in that straight line drag out of a roundabout onto a dual carriageway, the Fiesta ST is going to be left behind. It doesn't stop it being a great car, that current car pitched against 10 year old big engined saloons would probably do really well, but against current cars it's not got punchy pace.
A car that's quick and good round corners but not fast has its place, that's why I own an MX5, it's great on a tight curvy road, and really fucking fun on a track.
However, compared to even your average hatchback or saloon accelerating out of a roundabout, it can barely keep up.
So if 90% of your driving, you're going to have to suffer medium performance, then you at least want decent comfort, which the Fiesta and Focus STs don't provide.
I think that's one of the things that make Alfas really desirable. They look beautiful standing still, they generally have really lovely interiors, they sound really good and the hot ones are fast otherwise they handle well with middling performance.
Problem with the M140 is that the interior is lower rent than the bigger models so the gap between something like the Focus ST and the M140 in terms of interior comfort is reduced.