Leon or other hot(ish) hatch

[niw2500]

I had an Ibiza FR tdi remap to 180bhp and have a golf gti dsg. Test drove the 230 f1 and hated it. Exhaust turbo noise is the only good bit. Gear change is gay, you sit to high. Steering wheel is gay and it wasn't that fast. I was expecting a bit quicker than the gti but it was about the same. I'm in the same boat with cars.

Gonna lease something but not sure. Leon FR TDI £205, Civic type r £195, astra vxr £229 or MkV R32 £239-250 a month + Vat that is.

Or buy an 06 STI?

I'm stuck. Civic is amazin to drive but not to quick. Leon is a warm hatch, VXR is chav and R32 cant tunit and dunno how quick it is compared to a k1

 

[Al]

I had an Ibiza FR tdi remap to 180bhp and have a golf gti dsg. Test drove the 230 f1 and hated it. Exhaust turbo noise is the only good bit. Gear change is gay, you sit to high. Steering wheel is gay and it wasn't that fast. I was expecting a bit quicker than the gti but it was about the same. I'm in the same boat with cars.

Gonna lease something but not sure. Leon FR TDI £205, Civic type r £195, astra vxr £229 or MkV R32 £239-250 a month + Vat that is.

Or buy an 06 STI?

I'm stuck. Civic is amazin to drive but not to quick. Leon is a warm hatch, VXR is chav and R32 cant tunit and dunno how quick it is compared to a k1

The car for you is a Leon Cupra mate. There is not many people that would class it as a warm hatch, escpecially in that company above. Comparing the FR TDi against VXR's, R32's etc is not exactly a fair comparison!

 

[phil3012]

I wouldn't call any Leon FR or Cupra a warm hatch.

Okay comparing 0-60 and other irrelevant figures on the FR TDi may make it look slow on paper, but the torque on it brings it closer to the others for usable power.

FR Petrol is similar performance to a Golf GTi which defines the hot hatch.

Cupra is similar performance to the VXR and R32 on paper and is in the real world quicker than the Civic Type R.

I'd go an test drive a few. Focus ST is amazing if you can live with the fuel economy.

 

[vRSy]

Just had a look good choice faster than the standard FR and cheaper than the cupra. What's being traded off for that? And strangely has more BHP than the clio and weighs a lot more yet uses less fuel :S ? Doesn't this come with an LSD as standard or am I imagining that?

And yeah Poverty, my friend just got the 197 and has new suspension and brakes on it. It sticks to the road like s**t to your shoe. But he lives on a road with potholes down it, and every one you reach you hit your head on the roof. And the fuel economy is terrible.

r26 comes without LSD, if you want an LSD you need the R26R, only 250 coming to uk i think. also they might be brilliant to drive but as with all renault sport cars the exhaust drone is unbearable, and the interior is the most tacky of any hot hatch on the market

 

[leonmac]

I think you will find the R26 does have a LSD. The R version is just striped out and therefore lighter (no Radio, Plastic windows, etc)


Its not the power that makes this car so good, its the LSD. It allows you to get your foot in much sooner and harder when powering off the corner.

Also most Renualt dealers will knock 20/30% off the price if you mention there friends and family discount. Did this a few years ago on a 182, got it new with cup packs for £11500 (list £15500)

Cheers all

 

[warren_cox]

I'd love the Renault, but ever since that issue with the Clio Campus bonnet catch where bonnets have been opening on the fly (and no recall has been issued), you start to understand the kind of company Renault have become. They blame poor maintenance from the user for a dealer issue which could ultimately cost lives. I know VAG have their moments (cough, coilpacks), but at least they're not threatening lives directly.

I love the architecture of Paris, France as a country, French cheeses an foods, but when it comes to an issue of dispute with the French I always get this image in my head:

Therefore I have to date sat in the car camp with the Germans / Spanish.

 

[SpursMadDave]

Well I don't have any ncb, I have been a named driver and driving a company car so have not had a policy in my name .

Also I have been looking on confused.com, I'm sure I can get the quote cheaper if I phone up and ring around. As for my post code its probably very good, I live in a small village car will be parked off road in a garage and the most crime the place has seen was 2 shed brake ins 5 years ago lol.

Ohh now you have ruined my choice again, as you say reliability is an issue. How bad exactly? is there any specific parts that go wrong? Are they cheap to replace or upgrade to parts that actually last?

Some companies take named driver history as ncb, worth looking around.

 

[noktoto]

r26 comes without LSD, if you want an LSD you need the R26R, only 250 coming to uk i think. also they might be brilliant to drive but as with all renault sport cars the exhaust drone is unbearable, and the interior is the most tacky of any hot hatch on the market

Megane RenaultSport 225 came without LSD, R26 came with LSD.

 

[vRSy]

i stand corrected,

but that still desnt deny that although it is an awesome car to drive, and probably the best performing hot hatch, it i still unbelievably cheap and tacky inside. i dont drive a seat, but your SEATs are pretty much no different to my vRS. once you've sat in a VAG motor, it shames the renault.

i prefer the understated look myself

 

[Rampage]

but i dont drive a seat, but your SEATs are pretty much no different to my vRS.

Bollocks!


The vRS dash is much nicer than the Leon's!

 

[warren_cox]

Bollocks!


The vRS dash is much nicer than the Leon's!

i'll second that!

 

[robdf2]

i stand corrected,

but that still desnt deny that although it is an awesome car to drive, and probably the best performing hot hatch, it i still unbelievably cheap and tacky inside. i dont drive a seat, but your SEATs are pretty much no different to my vRS. once you've sat in a VAG motor, it shames the renault.

i prefer the understated look myself

dont forget the 2ft long gearstick !

 

[vRSy]

i would really recommend the focus ST, i had one prior to my vRS, and id say it was the best of all the cars i have driven. very confidence inspiring from the first moment you get in it, with a great engine and sound, sweet ahndling, great traction. the only problem is the best i ever got out of it was prob 29mpg on a cruise controlled 70mph motor way run, 19mpg around town, but with the fuel economy as an exception, what a car.

i got my vRS cos the fuel economy was much better and it has a huge boot, and with the remap its as quick.

IMO dont bother with the VXR, was great when sat in it in the showroom, i iked it, but i was not impressed when i drove it(bloody quick though)

im yet to drive a cupra or leon FR so cant compare anything to it really.

 

[warren_cox]

i would really recommend the focus ST, i had one prior to my vRS, and id say it was the best of all the cars i have driven.

It's a great car, and a quantum leap from the old ST170 which in my opinion didn't deserve the ST badge. However it always seemed like it was a car where they had missed a trick to me. A bloody great 2.5 engine which sounded very handy, but then not much go to go with it. You've got 500cc (or an extra cylinders worth of capacity), and yet it didn't seem to translate to any benefit, only extra fuel consumption. A very competitively priced motor, even in ST3 spec, but the RS is a breath of fresh air in a slightly stayed world. It's nice to see the effort of new technologies being realised as it makes it feel like they've made an effort over the usual models (unlike the S3 where it looks like a 2.0TFSi S-Line but with silver mirrors!)

 

[Al]

i'll second that!

Thirded