Does anybody remember how cheap the Golf 5 GTI was when it came out? With inflation, development costs, expensive materials and standard safety features, you'd be lucky to buy a hot hatch from the class below for the same money.
British website/car dealer Parkers decided to shine their spotlight on the bottom of the hot hatch segment. More specifically, we are looking at miss-matched people's champion.
The most powerful car here is the Fiesta ST, the newest version with sharp styling and a 1.5-liter turbo engine producing 200 horsepower. It's also got launch control, though the Suzuki Swift Sport still manages to keep up with it off the line.
Japan's contender now packs a 1.4-liter turbo and is a massive 60 horsepower down. But it's light and manages to keep its honor despite the drag racing loss. Finally, we have Volkswagen's idea of a cheap car. Honestly, it's more fun to drive than the Polo GTI, which would have been a direct match for the Fiesta ST, but with a tiny 1-liter turbo, the Up! is in really bad company here.
As you can see, we've flown through to the conclusion, but that's because Parkers also shot a comparison review. The Swift is the main talking point because its low weight makes it so chuckable. But the steering is said to be less enjoyable than in those other two cars.
The little GTI is built as a bargain with parts from other VW models. It feels slow, so it's not one of those coveted performance Volkswagens. Finally, we arrive at the new Fiesta ST, a car which we've also reviewed. The 3-cylinder engine actually feels better than the old 1.6-liter, and they kept pretty much everything we loved before. The only problem is that with all the goodies, it can become expensive.
Mihnea's favorite cars have already been built, the so-called modern classics from the '80s and '90s. He also loves local car culture from all over the world, so don't be surprised to see him getting excited about weird Japanese imports, low-rider VWs out of Germany, replicas from Russia or LS swaps down in Florida. Full profile
Would you like AUTOEVOLUTION to send you notifications?
Google News