Hot hatch minefield- which one?

trev 1515

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Earlier R56 models did have their issues however the F56 jcw is a very detuned 2lt turbo, so a lot of gains with decat and map, seem to handle the power upgrade very well
Definitely a good shout then. Supercharged JCW is still a mighty bargain too, hard to come by now though
 

KevM

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Cars have gotten too fast to be fun now.
It’s all too woolly & safe and more about numbers and stats than the pure driving experience.

To me, 200bhp is plenty for our roads. If you are sitting at 6500rpm with the engine making the right noises & really hanging on to a good chassis, I think it’s more than enough to make most enthusiastic drivers smile.

I would chose that any day over ‘sitting at 155 in 8th gear on the motorway’. Yawn...
 

gcon45

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You're not picking one of those up for £20k, it would be the previous generation which are awful.

FK2 (MK9)?
I never had a drive in one but they’re generally rated very highly.

24F22251-BD36-4581-A1F7-CF0460FA5FC7.jpeg


I wouldn’t be a massive fan of the older FN2 to be fair. Last of the N/As.
Nice interior though.
 

trev 1515

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Only thing I don’t like about the fk2 is the rear arches, or how far the wheels sit in. But a spacer would probably sort that
 

gcon45

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Only thing I don’t like about the fk2 is the rear arches, or how far the wheels sit in. But a spacer would probably sort that

DC5 has the same issue all round.
Think the standard wheels are ET60.
Maybe a good thing you can’t see them too well with the white wheels going grey at the first touch of the brake pedal!
 

Jonny_W

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When the FK2 was released I went to have a look and got a test drive. I loved it, it was a great going car that gathered pace quick.
 

trev 1515

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They look terrible in pics but make a lot more sense in the flesh, to me anyway!


The throttle isn’t just on and off :joy: :p :laughing:
Thought that myself, went to look at a red one a few years ago and thought it was much nicer in the flesh. Other problem I think they had was they were over £30k new for a civic, I think when they drop to £12-15k there will be more around
 

Jbridges522

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They actually made relatively few of them cant remember the numbers but lower than some special editions. Even though mine basically sh*t its self i have so much love for them think they are all the car you could ever need and just look mad. I would say the r56 jcw is “funner” but after a while has you wanting a bit more power. Have to say owning my 1st and 2nd rwd cars in the last few months i cant see why people hate on fwd, I love the feeling of the front tyres squirming for traction.

Thought that myself, went to look at a red one a few years ago and thought it was much nicer in the flesh. Other problem I think they had was they were over £30k new for a civic, I think when they drop to £12-15k there will be more around
 

RComms

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I was in the same position a few months ago. Similar budget, and looking for a hot hatch.

honestly, I think you’d be hard pushed to buy a bad one these days. It’s more down to personal preference on what you want imho. Anything I actually drove was pretty capable.

But as others have said here... A Golf R is a great choice if you want something subtle. The Civic is supremely capable, but I personally think it looks like a dogs dinner. I30n looked better to me, but was still abit ott personally.

My point is with these cars these days, is what one person thinks is great, the next person won’t be interested in. My advice would be to drive as many as possible, and go for something that appeals to you, rather than what the masses say is the ‘best’ imho.
 

mike150

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Its all down to personal opinion though. I've had a GTI and R, the GTI felt more fun on a back road blast. I wouldn't necessarily say the R was boring as such, it just didn't give me that sense of enjoyment or make me smile when pushing on a bit. It did look great though.
Agreed, I currently have a GTI and its not much slower, its easy on fuel and its a wee bit more fun to drive fast. The only fun in the Golf R / S3 platform is when you tune them they are really fast, that in itself is not fun though. I had a tuned 18 RS3 and it was the dullest REALLY fast car I've owned!

A Seat Leon Cupra is a great idea too but they are rare and nearly all manual, I wanted a DSG.
 

Graham

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From that list, i'd be in the Civic, though a little hard on our roads due to the massive wheels and rubber bands.

I'd personally be in an i30N Performance, or if you like German, get a Golf GTi PP with Revo ECU software, as they are a proper hoot to drive, in that state.
So Hyundai have announced that the restyled i30 N will be available with a DCT 'box. I actually cannot wait to get my hands on one!
 

kharma45

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Any sign of the 4wd or is that gonna be for the Kona N only?

No 4WD for this generation of i30N. Facelift really is just the DCT, new infotainment and some styling tweaks. Lighter alloys on the N this time to cut a bit of weight.

Not a car that IMO needs 4WD, and it’s heavy enough as it is.
 

jonnyboy

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Same thought process as myself I started off wanting a Golf R drove one and it was ok drove a Cupra Leon same thing was just ok both didn't really give that fizz feeling. Tested the fiesta St definitely felt more exciting to drive plenty of power for the b roads and grip, Going to test a Peugeot 208 Gti tomorrow
 
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