Car appreciation... the aesthetics, the engineering, etc

Yeah. No effin fords. But thank for input

Subaru gives impressive performance but week engines acc. To Google

Bmw and audi looking good performance wise.... Not sure that beemer 1 series on rwd would be stable enough on such a light car? Esp wet roads? Or am i being stupid and should trust BMW engineering......

I wouldn't imagine the BMW is all that light to be honest?

^ this.

Might be worth test driving a few.

What does an E63 estate weigh? 2 tonnes?

Modern Golfs are tubby, but there will still be a fair bit of a weight advantage.

There is also the R. Although given the price difference and car sales modles I wouldn't be surprised if some light tuning to a GTI gave you the same performance ( I have no evidence for this just cynicism).

Another option if space is a real issue is a classic mini Cooper.

Subaru gives impressive performance but week engines acc. To Google

What versions you looking at? Some have some issues, others are pretty good so long as you are careful to avoid using poor petrol or not keeping on top of the oil levels/changes

The small hatch awd version.... Need engine forged apparently....

Newest fiesta ST and focus ST get great reviews and are really light on their feet.

The problem with small cars that are quick but not fast is that the majority of driving is dual carriageways, roundabouts, and motorways, where cars like that with mediocre interiors do not stand out.

M140 isn't special but it's a proper M Lite.

I had an M135i for a few years (a ‘14 plate 5 dr). It was fantastic! With decent tyres on it had plenty of grip on both dry and wet roads. Completely normal to drive in town, with an angrier more exciting side revealed in Sport mode when you wanted it. For a car that size, it was quick!

Some suspension tweaks were going to be my first upgrade to make the car more settled on bumpy roads, but then I sold it and moved abroad.

The few things that weren’t so great were the relatively small rear legroom and boot. Totally fine for a couple though.

Be sure to get one that has proper Bluetooth connectivity and some options. A lot were specced super low on cheap lease deals. The m140i is meant to be a step up interior wise, more powerful engine and prettier looks.

Many people do not want to run big, large engined cars, even if they can afford it. The STs may not stand out, but you're comparing with real high performance items. Agree not special, but a Fiesta is perfectly capable on a motorway. As much as they don't excite me, the M140 is a good size with performance only a tiny minority of vehicles can match.

I have a can of hydraulic fluid with no opening, how should I open it and store it? I probably only need 10-20% for the E61 boot lifter.
My first thoughts are can opener or nail but I expect someone who knows what they’re doing has a better idea...

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This isn't a great picture, but - Fuchs?

Nope. Don't think they work in that size, needs more rubber

I think those are 18’s, I’d likely go for 17’s.

Nah, feels like faux retro

The Fifteen52 Magnus Walker ones work better with more modern cars I feel...

Not sure I'd go for two-tone splits though, maybe with silver studs?

1 series is tiny though? Smaller than an astra. 1 series does make itself feel bigger than it really is I guess.
Mate had. 135 coupe, something I wanted to love, but it has a secret little turbo on it, found it mimicked a larger torquey/lazy engined BMW saloon, but I wanted it to be a lightweight quick reacting na screamer which it wasn't. Annoying, or maybe the later ones were better? Think his was a 2010 to 2012 and I drove it in 2013

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.

Reading that back I'm not sure what I'm trying to say.

I think you're recommending a Porsche 911

Nah, feels like faux retro

I'm not sure on this one, faux-retro would be reproduction/homage wheels - these are genuine Fuchs "impellers", made in 17/18/19.

It's a bit like saying that running alloy rims on a racing-bike is faux retro, if that makes sense?

+1 on faux-retro... It's really a bit kitch.

Imo the nicest and most cost-effective wheel upgrade for your car would probably be 996 Turbo twists...

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Never been a huge fan of those tbh, and finding some narrow-body hollow-spokes for sale at a reasonable price is slightly harder than finding a unicorn.

The sooner Ezekiel gets out of a pushchair, the sooner I can have a 996 Turbo as my only car.

My Lazarus got up and walked, thus I have a Z4...

Something like this and maybe on the end of a can opener

Twists are nasty.

What about some 18" Eta Beta 3 piece splits? I wish I'd never sold my set