Fast hatch around £4000 other than a Cupra R?

Defy Belief

Defy Belief

Defy Belief

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What are my options?

I'm currently looking at Cupra R's, mapped they get to around 265-280bhp or so which is more than enough, I can't seem to find anything else I like the look of that really competes with the £4000 ish price range?
 
Defy Belief said:
I drive down a pretty long dual carriageway to work and hear that the Type R's have dreadful torque, so I think it wouldn't be the best for overtaking etc.
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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Torque

Torque is part of the basic specification of an engine: the power output of an engine is expressed as its torque multiplied by its rotational speed of the axis. Internal-combustion engines produce useful torque only over a limited range of rotational speeds (typically from around 1,000–6,000 rpm for a small car). The varying torque output over that range can be measured with a dynamometer, and shown as a torque curve.
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Honda Type-Rs traditionally have high revving engines, which negates the lack of torque. They're about as fast as each other at stock I believe, but the Leon will have more tuning potential (being a turbo) and be a more relaxed drive. The Civic will be a more frantic drive, requiring more frequent gear changes and tuning is almost pointless. If you want to drive quickly with minimal effort, the Civic probably won't be for you. You can only try it and see which you prefer.

EDIT - I think the fastest you'll get (if that's the main criteria) for the money is an older japanese turbo; MR2, Impreza, Skyline, 200SX, Evo, GTO etc
 
Nothing in this price range comes close to the Cupra R for it's all round ability IMO.

You should get a nice one for that too!
 
Defy Belief said:
I drive down a pretty long dual carriageway to work and hear that the Type R's have dreadful torque, so I think it wouldn't be the best for overtaking etc.
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You don't need loads of torque for sitting on a Motorway. It's not as if 'overtaking' on a motorway requires you to accelerate hard is it?
 
Defy Belief said:
I drive down a pretty long dual carriageway to work and hear that the Type R's have dreadful torque, so I think it wouldn't be the best for overtaking etc.
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It's a 200bhp hatchback, overtaking other cars is hardly troublesome. However, they do rev quite high at motorway speeds so it's not the most relaxing car for really long commutes.
 
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Fair points, it's just what i've read about Type R's. Anyone driven both a Type R and a Cupra R to compare? There's quite a lot of Type R's around in Gloucester too. I have a daughter so the 5 door Leon seems more appealing in that factor too.

I don't want something that drinks devil fuel. :p
 
Defy Belief said:
Fair points, it's just what i've read about Type R's. Anyone driven both a Type R and a Cupra R to compare? There's quite a lot of Type R's around in Gloucester too. I have a daughter so the 5 door Leon seems more appealing in that factor too.

I don't want something that drinks devil fuel. :p
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I drove both before buying my Cupra R. The Honda feels far cheaper, and whilst it is arguably more fun at 100%, for most of the time, its just too compromised, too much like hard work to keep "on the boil", and is nowhere near as nice a place to sit, especially for longer journeys/commuting.

During my LCR ownership, my friend had a CTR for the entire duration, he was always commenting on how my car was quieter, and less tiring to be in, as well as it being faster. On the flip side, I never felt like I was missing anything from his car.
 
paradigm said:
I drove both before buying my Cupra R. The Honda feels far cheaper, and whilst it is arguably more fun at 100%, for most of the time, its just too compromised, too much like hard work to keep "on the boil", and is nowhere near as nice a place to sit, especially for longer journeys/commuting.

During my LCR ownership, my friend had a CTR for the entire duration, he was always commenting on how my car was quieter, and less tiring to be in, as well as it being faster. On the flip side, I never felt like I was missing anything from his car.
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Pretty much sums it up. I have a Type R but luckily I use it for track (well once :p), a 1 mile commute to work, a few miles trip to the gym and the occasional 1 hour or so journey.

If I had to spend 50% of my time on a dual carriageway I'd want something quieter (road noise at 70mph is pretty loud). To be honest I'd look at a BMW 1 series.
 
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