Soldato
- Joined
- 2 Aug 2016
- Posts
- 4,936
- Location
- Third Earth
I adored my 2x 205 GTi's (One had a 405 Mi16 conversion) and really adored my 306 GTI-6.
Hot Hatchbacks..
- Thread starter Housey
- Start date
The 306 GTI was fantastic!
Caporegime
- Joined
- 11 Mar 2005
- Posts
- 32,247
- Location
- Leafy Cheshire
The 106 and Saxo had rubbish brake feel, unfortunately this was down to cheapness of design in the RHD variant of the car, the LHD one is much better.
Loved my Saxo, lift off oversteer put me into a wall however and wrote the car off.
Loved my Saxo, lift off oversteer put me into a wall however and wrote the car off.
We all look back fondly on hot hatches of old... I lost 2 friends to them, one in a Nova and one in a Saxo, to crashes that you'd probably walk away from in a Polo GTi today!
That said I'd love a Super 7 for track days and will probably save that for the mid life crisis
That said I'd love a Super 7 for track days and will probably save that for the mid life crisis
Add cams, a high flow exhaust manifold, ITBs, and a tune to suit, some more bits from Ohlins/Eibach and some chassis bracing, and you have something very good IMO, although I am very biased!
Still completely impractical mind
Add cams, a high flow exhaust manifold, ITBs, and a tune to suit, some more bits from Ohlins/Eibach and some chassis bracing, and you have something very good IMO, although I am very biased!
Still completely impractical mind
Oh I get that, no hot hatch can match the pureness of a RWD 2 seater with a proper set up and engine mods and the MX5 can be made very special. As I said it's not about that though, it's the sheer off the shelf all roundness married to epic laughs that make the hot hatch such an intoxicating thing. Back in the day it was the Golf GTI that made everyone laugh at the MG Roadster lest we forget.
Soldato
- Joined
- 2 Aug 2016
- Posts
- 4,936
- Location
- Third Earth
Yep. Really was.
As much as I loved my 205's and they were sorted, rebuilt rear beams, upgraded brakes etc. The GTI-6 was more refined, interior was a step up, passive rear steer was superb, more stable at 3 figure speeds, climate control (which worked) was a god send.
It handled like it was on rails and 3rd gear was the best. Sounded awesome out the box too. Sadly Peugeot seem to lose their way after that. A real shame.
Always wanted a T16 and an Escort Cosworth in my garage!!
My mid life crisis was a GT3
They also had great steering too, lovely weighting
As soon as he was old enough he swapped that briefcase for a bmw and...Fox was born.
Also yes, hot hatches are pretty much the holy trinity of fun, practicality and normally cost. Although as has been touched on some these days have really lost that cost aspect.
I still say the z4 was more fun than any hot hatch i've been in though. Shame it didn't have that practicality aspect.
Associate
- Joined
- 28 Feb 2003
- Posts
- 454
Are we really talking about hot hatches though, or the level below. My wife's last car was an Ibiza Cupra (1.4 TSI 180bhp) and I on occasion beat the crap out of it, again it wasnt perfect but it was fun to drive hard and feel like the limits were being pushed without the immediate prospect of loosing your license.
We now have a new Focus RS and whilst it's obviously at the other end of the hot hatch spectrum to date I haven't come close to finding it's limits. In my unskilled hands you would need to be really shifting to feel like you driving it hard and to do that you need eyes everywhere.
We now have a new Focus RS and whilst it's obviously at the other end of the hot hatch spectrum to date I haven't come close to finding it's limits. In my unskilled hands you would need to be really shifting to feel like you driving it hard and to do that you need eyes everywhere.
Soldato
- Joined
- 2 Aug 2016
- Posts
- 4,936
- Location
- Third Earth
Did you own one too?
I remember I was at the garage with my 205 having something done, some guy pulled in with his 306 Rallye and we got talking, 4 days later I was cleaning my 3 year old 1999 T reg China blue (Phase 3) GTi!
Good times, really was the drive of your life!
I can understand that. Reminds me of that James May feature once where he was arguing he could have so much more fun in a less capable car, because you can reach its limits faster/easier so it makes you feel more alive. I think I read soon after he got a little 100BHP Fiat!
My father had one as his run about and I drove it often!
We love him really. Need someone to dig into the ribs of idiots. He does that better than most.
I do like a good hot hatch too, sometimes wish I'd never sold my old modified Fiesta ST (given what happened to the two Honda's that followed). I drove that like an absolute idiot at times, proper hooligan and had some scary moments in it, but equally it was a shedload of fun...
200bhp with a loud exhaust and crazy intake sound (cast mountune inlet manifold) , smaller and lighter wheels, H&R coilovers, Quaife ATB, 300mm front brake conversion...
Out of the box though I think the Clio 172/182 bested it mind.
Caporegime
- Joined
- 22 Oct 2002
- Posts
- 28,848
- Location
- Boston, Lincolnshire
The new 208 GTI by Peugeot sport is a fantastic little thing as is the 308 GTI as well.
We have a Suzuki Ignis Sport. Only 110 BHP but also only 900KG's. It is the perfect daily hack for us. Cheap to maintain, cheap tax and very good on fuel 40MPG easy. 0-60 in the 8 second range and a barrel of laughs down a B road. Have to be careful though as it has that lift off over steer trait of early Pugs. Quite often I will take the longer route home to unwind on the way home
Last edited:
I bet it weights 54 tonnes though doesn't it?
Soldato
- Joined
- 5 Jul 2007
- Posts
- 5,511
- Location
- London
Had a 106 and 306 XSi loved them both. Great fun cars, now drive an E46 M3 which is obvsiously great fun, but in a far different way. The 106 probably the most fun, like to lunch differentials and gearboxes though. Still think I had more fun driving that thing than anything else since.
If I were going back to a hatch I'd be looking at a Clio 200, or a 182 Trophy I think.
If I were going back to a hatch I'd be looking at a Clio 200, or a 182 Trophy I think.
Last edited:
Caporegime
- Joined
- 22 Oct 2002
- Posts
- 28,848
- Location
- Boston, Lincolnshire
You would be surprised. 1160 which is a feather weight in Todays terms. Only about 200KG's heavier than a 106 GTI but near enough 100HP more, proper mechanical diff, big brembo discs. Only downside is they are quite expensive.
Even the 308 GTI is a light weight at 1205KG's. Especially when the likes of Ford Focus RS and even the Honda Civic Type-R are 200-400KG's heavier.
Soldato
- Joined
- 30 Mar 2010
- Posts
- 3,583
- Location
- Exile
Probably nothing, just me being an old git
It was fully stock bar a CD radio. It was horribly uncomfortable to drive for more than an hour, lacking the stopping power I felt needed (spent a fortune modding the 106), felt way too twitchy at pace... the potential for violent death at every turn... all the things that make hot hatches fun
It was fine, I just became aware of my mortality and desire for comfort!
I also found the 205 Gti to be way too twitchy, in the mid 90s I had a mk2 golf gti and thought about trading it in for a 205. I took one out for a test drive and changed my mind straight away. There was no subtlety in the accelerator, put your foot down slightly and it revved like a maniac. Definitely have a feel of death about them. Thinking back now there can't be much difference in the speeds between the two, but I never felt like the golf was trying to kill me!