12 hot hatches - alfa romeo · pdf fileofferings from new alfa –156 and 166 – the...

GGRROOUUPP TTEESSTT

FORCEThe clouds part to reveal a dozen hot hatches and three road testers. Their mission is to thrash round an

and eventually sit in a nearby pub and argue like crazed ferrets until they decide how good all twelve are,

Photography: Paul Debois

12airfield circuit, then tackle the road,

and if the new Golf GTI is still best

1 2 S T O R M E R S A R I G H T S H O W E R

Alfa Romeo 145 Cloverleaf £16,742Audi A3 1.8T Sport £19,520BMW 318ti Sport £19,005Citroen Xsara VTS £17,545Fiat Bravo HGT £15,818Honda Civic VTi £16,895Nissan Almera GTi £16,390Peugeot 306 GTI-6 £18,670Rover 200 BRM LE £18,000Seat Ibiza Cupra Sport £14,995Vauxhall Astra SRi £15,475Volkswagen Golf GTI £17,570

Motoring Editor

Angus Frazer

likes beer, junk

food, rallying, and

little baa-lambs

Peter Grunert, the

Clark Kent of Top

Gear, undresses

in ’phone boxes.

The modern sort

Fun Editor Zac

Assemakis has a

job you’d kill for,

but won’t let that

stop him moaning

Bags of passenger legroom – handy

if your mates are all fat Angus

64 December 1998 Top Gear

A L F A R O M E O 1 4 5 C L O V E R L E A F

Surely 145s should be red, by law? Even in junior mafioso black, though, it looks stylish

and distinctive in a kind of pointy bread van way. And, talking of bread, it rolls in corners

Even the name, AlfaRomeo 145 Clover-leaf, sounds good.It’s a little bit spicy, a

little bit exciting and hints at some-thing a touch more exotic than ‘VWGolf’ or ‘Nissan Almera’.

The 145’s looks are different fromany of the others too, with its straight-line styling and squared-off back end.And there’s plenty of neat detailing onthe Alfa like the front and rear lamps,the triangular grille, the beak-like noseand the historic-looking badges.

Inside, the badge is there again, shin-ing out from the middle of an elegantblack leather steering wheel with redstitching. So even before the engine hasbeen started, the Alfa has got the fire of

desire softly smouldering; turn the keyand suddenly it’s a proper conflagra-tion. Alfa Romeo may no longer fitboxer engines, but the 145’s four-cylin-der in-line unit sounds fantastic. It’salmost impossible to resist taking it upto the 7,000rpm red line every timejust to listen to that angry snarl.

With 155bhp, the Cloverleaf is oneof the fastest cars here and definitelyone of the most exciting to drive. Itssteering, at just 2.4 turns lock to lock,is the fastest of the lot, giving the carvery quick responses. But there’s aproblem – far too much body roll.More, in fact, than any of the othersand that steering only exaggerates it.That combined with a slightly choppy,unsettled ride leaves the driver feeling a

bit short-changed, especially on atwisty back road where the 145 fails todeliver all of its early promise.

But at £16,742 (with a standardboot-mounted ten-disc CD player) theCloverleaf is good value. Front seatpassengers will revel in the space avail-able, but getting comfortable behindthe wheel is not so easy. Unlike recentofferings from New Alfa –156 and 166– the 145 suffers from an unrecon-structed Italian driving position, forc-ing the driver to sit too high, with thewheel too close. Other niggles includea stereo mounted so low that it’s dan-gerous to adjust on the move and aboot that can’t be opened with theengine running. Minor details, butthey do knock the sparkle off the Alfa.

Styling ● ● ● ●

Performance ● ● ● ●

Handling ● ● ●

Interior ● ●

Value for money ● ● ● ●

Alfa has bags of charisma, a fruity

engine and is great to look at Zac

I love the

little

Cloverleaf

badge on

the back

Frog

You need joints in the back of

your palms to reach that stereo.

Typical Alfa oddness Frog

Wheels

make the

Alfa look

the part

Zac

The front end is just magic Angus

O U T O F F I V E

T E S T N O T E S

Top Gear December 1998 65

A U D I A 3 1 . 8 T

Sensible, solid and terribly grown-up, the A3 is a hot hatch for people who once owned a

MkI Golf GTI or a 205 but would like something a little bit less raw and scary these days

At times it’s easy toforget that the AudiA3 is a hot hatch,even though there is

no shortage of evidence. It’s the best-looking car here; it’s solid, modern,mean, muscly and elegant. It’s fast too,thanks to a 150bhp turbocharged 20-valve engine and it’s highly chuckablewith well-weighted meaty steering andloads of grip from generous tyres. Ithas excellent brakes and its ElectronicBrake Distribution makes it feel stableand composed, even when braking fora corner is left right to the last second.Rain or shine, this is a car that can bedriven quickly in almost total confi-dence – only a four-wheel-drive carcould feel more reassuring. Yet, despite

all this, at times it feels just toocivilised and refined to be a hot hatch.Its interior is of better quality and better design than any other car here,apart from the Golf; the Audi’s drivingposition is also superb, and its sportsseats give excellent support and a highlevel of comfort.

Without being told, it would be verydifficult to guess that the engine is turbocharged, for it does its job soeffectively, without any hint of lag ordelay. And on the motorway the A3feels every bit as grown-up as its bigbrother the A4. But for some, expect-ing that absolute raw-edge feel of anold-fashioned hot hatch, that is exactlythe problem with the A3 – it mightwell come across as just a little too

mature. Certainly, good though itssteering is, it can’t match the Peugeot306’s for sheer feel, nor can the Audi,which has a slight tendency to roll intight corners, change direction quite asquickly as the French car. With itsslightly firm ride, occupants do getjarred by the occasional pothole, butthe A3 deals impeccably with bumpycountry roads and no matter how fastit is driven it never feels like it is aboutto be bounced off-line.

A slightly quicker, more sportinggearchange would be good, but that’s asmall gripe. The biggest problem theA3 has is price; at £19,520 it’s thecostliest car here and where others havestandard air-conditioning and CDplayers, both are options on the A3.

ontest

Styling ● ● ● ● ●

Performance ● ● ● ● ●

Handling ● ● ● ●

Interior ● ● ● ● ●

Value for money ● ● ●

O U T O F F I V E

T E S T N O T E S

A3 driving position is spot on Angus

Flaptastic

door

pockets

resemble

the cover

of this

mag Zac

Audi

brakes

are the

biz Ang

This A-

pillar is

so solid

and the

whole car

feels so

safe Angus

Grips even on the slimiest stuff Frog

Nice chunky steering wheel, cabin

almost as posh as the Golf’s Frog


B M W 3 1 8 i S P O R T

Hey, what’s happened to this 3-Series saloon? The boot’s fallen off! Oh no, our mistake,

this is the Compact, BMW’s bonsai hot hatchback. Still, it’s an enormous giggle to drive

There’s a little button on theBMW’s dashboardand when it’s pushed

in, the 318ti Sport Compact becomesthe best car in the test, or at least thebest car at the test track. That buttonturns off the traction control. TheBMW is, of course, the only rear-wheel-drive car here and the sheer funof sliding it around a wet slalom coursein a tail-out opposite-lock drift issomething none of the other 11 cars,all front-wheel drive, can match. It’salso quite easy to do, for the Compactfeels well-balanced and there are nonasty surprises from the chassis, pro-vided the driver is at least half awake.Out on the road however, unless you

drive around like Tiff all the time, the318ti’s rear-drive advantage becomesmuch less relevant, but that’s not to saythat it isn’t still a lot of fun.

With just 140bhp the four-cylinderengine does have to be worked hardand even then the BMW doesn’t feellightning fast. Fortunately it’s got agreat gearbox with a direct, short andsporting throw, so it’s easy to keep theengine revving. The brakes feel goodtoo, as does the steering, although it isnot exceptionally quick. The BMW’shandling is tidy, neat and precise withstacks of grip. Like the Audi theCompact has a firm ride, but it feelssolid and composed and in completecontact with the road the whole time.

Inside, the Compact’s black interior

feels well put together and quite sport-ing but not especially modern,although the old-fashioned pull-outlight switches do give it a bit of charac-ter. The height-adjustable sports seatsare good, but the steering column isn’tadjustable so not everyone will be ableto find their perfect driving position.

Not everyone likes the styling eitherand it’s true that the Compact hasalways looked like a chopped-about 3-Series saloon rather than a model inits own right. Now of course, with thearrival of the new 3-Series it’s left look-ing rather dated as well as slightly odd.

And, despite its age, the Compact’sprice remains high; at £19,005 it’s thesecond most expensive here andarguably the most poorly equipped.

Styling ● ● ●


Handling ● ● ● ● ●

Interior ● ● ● ●

Value for money ● ●

O U T O F F I V E

T E S T N O T E S

The best fun for messing about in,

sorry, evaluating on the track Ang

Wide boy

spoiler

and fogs.

Suits me,

Sir!

Frog

Needs

more

grunt Zac

Mean five

spokers

Frog

Traction control keeps it all safe

and sensible in the wet Angus

Turn the traction control off for

rear-wheel spinning fun aplenty Zac


C I T R O E N X S A R A V T S

They say coupe, we say hatchback, They say potato, we say ‘actually, that’s just what

the Xsara looks like from some angles. A great big lumpy spud with over-fussy wheels’

Citroen actually calltheir Xsara a coupe,not a hatchback, so itshould be at some-

thing of an advantage against thehatches in the styling stakes. But itisn’t. Even in top-level VTS trim theXsara is neither exciting or elegant-looking. From the front it looks blandand anonymous while at the rear it’s fatand ungainly; even the five-spoke alloywheels look dull and disappointing.

Life doesn’t get much more excitinginside, though the carbon-effect sur-round on the dashboard is neat andthere is at least plenty of room. Thedriving position is good, but the seatsare very soft and could do with moreside support and the rear three-quarter

visibility is poor thanks to that thick C-pillar. But enough moaning – for whileit may not be fantastic to look at, theXsara is a cracker to drive.

Under the bonnet sits the same 16-valve four-cylinder engine as Peugeotuses in the 306 GTI-6 and on paperthat means 167bhp at 6,500rpm. Onthe road, however, the VTS can berevved right up to 7,500rpm before thelimiter cuts in. It feels fast – it’s one ofthe quickest to 60mph – yet it feelsquite long-legged on a longish trip too.The five-speed gearbox feels notchyeven when fully warmed up, though,although it’s much more noticeable atlow round-town speeds.

The braking system feels sharp – butnot as sharp as the steering. Citroen

has taken every millimetre of free playand sloppiness outside and shot it. Assoon as the steering wheel is turned,even slightly, the front of the carresponds instantly and eagerly.

Few cars here feel as sharp as theXsara, but it does demand a bit ofrespect. Lift off the accelerator sudden-ly in a tight corner and the rear endcan feel light and twitchy. It doesn’tsnap suddenly out of line like its ZXpredecessor, but it could catch theunwary out on a wet roundabout.

At £17,545 the Xsara is fairly pricedconsidering the decent amount ofequipment that comes with it; driver,passenger and side airbags are all fittedas standard, as is a six-disc CD playerand air-conditioning.

Styling ● ●



Interior ● ● ●


O U T O F F I V E

T E S T N O T E S

After the Peugeot the Citroen is the

best handling car here Zac

ontest

Not the biggest boot here. Despite

‘coupe’ tag, at least it’s a hatch Frog

Fussy

wheels

match the

awful

exterior –

foul Zac

Stereo controls are a bit love or

hate. They ruin the look of the

wheel which is too bulky Angus

Nice pointy steering, horrible plain

interior and cramped pedal box. Not

classy, not nice. Just dull Frog


F I A T B R A V O H G T

Whether you think the Bravo HGT is unusual and daring or squinty and horrid, you should

drive one. It’s more fun than it looks – the fact it’s the hot version is cunningly hidden

It seems to be Italianpolicy to make surethat all car enginesmake the right noises

– the Fiat, like the Alfa, sounds great.The Bravo HGT engine has one morecylinder than any of its rivals and thehaunting, warbling note the five-cylinder unit produces is the bestsound to come from a hot hatch sinceVolkswagen killed off the Golf VR6.

To some extent, though, it’s a case ofmore mouth than trousers for with147bhp the Bravo never feels tremen-dously rapid. The good news is thatfrom early next year it gets a powerhike up to 154bhp, but we’ve had totest the older version here. Still, it’s nottoo much of a hardship, for when the

engine is right on song it sounds like aproper little rally car. The pistol gripgear lever feels good, but the changeisn’t all that brilliant and several timesour car refused to go into third gearwhen changing down from fourth,although the example we were testinghad done very few miles and the shiftmight well improve over time.

The HGT’s handling is not razorsharp, nor is the steering terribly fast,but it is quite involving and the driveralways feels in touch with what is goingon. There is a noticeable amount ofbody roll, but it’s kept reasonably wellin check by the dampers and overallthe Bravo feels better balanced andmore convincing than the Alfa.

There’s not a massive amount of

front legroom in the Fiat and the seatscould do with more side support. Talldrivers might have a problem getting adecent driving position, for even withthe seat set low and the steering wheelhigh, it can still feel cramped.However, the inside is well designedalthough it doesn’t feel especially sport-ing, or different from a normal Bravo,but at least the high-mounted stereo isin welcome contrast to the Alfa’s.

With a £15,818 price tag the Bravo isfar from expensive, although its equip-ment list isn’t exactly the best in thegroup. Overall, the Bravo is a good-looking and distinctive car. TheHGT’s problem is that like the Golf, itdoesn’t look that different from therest of the Bravo range.






O U T O F F I V E

T E S T N O T E S

The Fiat’s driving position is poor,

but not as bad as the Alfa’s Zac

Sexy but

fiddly

stereo

Frog

Nice

leather-

bound

gearstick

but the

change is

poor Zac

Wheels

are a bit

dull Ang

Seats need more side support Ang

The elk test went well enough…

…but not all the time Frog


H O N D A C I V I C V T i

You don’t actually have to be wearing a tweed trilby to drive a Civic, but you wouldn’t

think so judging from the usual owners. This is not an ideal image for a sporty hatchback

If all 12 cars werepicked out of a line-up on merit of stylingalone, the Honda

Civic would not exactly be one of thefirst ones called forward. Like a fat kidat school rugby selections, it would beleft standing on the sidelines. Like theBravo, the ‘hot’ Civic looks too muchlike an ordinary Civic. But at least anordinary-looking Bravo is an interest-ing car, whereas an ordinary-lookingCivic is very, very ordinary indeed.

A quick peek at the Honda’s interiorwouldn’t win many fans over either.For although the Civic has comfortableand supportive seats, they are, like thesides of the doors, swathed in horriblevelour trim, reminiscent of recycled

carpets. Add to that a mundane dash, ahopelessly fiddly stereo and a mere 1.6badge on the tail and you’re temptedto just walk away – except that to do sowould be making a big mistake.

For a start, the Civic has the secondmost powerful engine here and themost sophisticated suspension. Hondauses its VTEC variable-valve technolo-gy to squeeze 157bhp out of the1,595cc engine, along with 153lb ft oftorque. That gives the Civic the quick-est 0-60mph time, just 7.7secs. On topof that the engine sounds the business;the VTEC system cuts in at around5,500rpm and howls superbly up to8,000rpm. It’s all jolly good fun whenyou are in the mood, though some-times it gets a little tiresome and the

Honda does need a lot of revs to keepit moving. The Civic has just about thebest gearbox in the group with a quick,precise shift that gives a perfect changeevery time.

Under its skin the Honda boastsdouble wishbones and coil springs allround; if only the power-assisted steer-ing weren’t so light, though. It’s theonly weak point in the Civic’s driving,for the chassis is well balanced and agentle lift of the accelerator kills under-steer in tight corners and allows the tailto drift out by just the right amount.

At £16,895 the Honda is good valuewhen performance and equipment aretaken into consideration, but not whenyou count interior space – it’s one ofthe most cramped cars here.

Styling ● ●



Interior ● ●


O U T O F F I V E

T E S T N O T E S

Honda’s engine howls when you rev

it hard; not much torque though, so

not the choice for the lazy driver Zac

This is

the only

car that

matches

my lovely

fleece

Ang

Hmmm, nice nursing home tiger

stripe door trim Frog

These are

my

favourite

wheels

Frog

The handling is fairly good, but it

doesn’t quite live up to that

screaming engine Ang

ontest

70 December 1998Top Gear

N I S S A N A L M E R A G T i

gerund. After that, however, it all turns into rubbish. But although it’s rubbish, it’s not

quite as inaccurate, hopefully, as the original version of this dummy copy which, it

Well, at least Nissanhas tried to make theAlmera GTi lookinteresting. Let’s face

it, though, the Almera is never going tohave its own exhibition at the DesignMuseum; the basic shape is dull andbland and a complicated front spoilerwith all sorts of air splitters and intakesdoesn’t really save it. The wire meshgrille and the alloy wheels look good,though, and the Almera does at leasthave a low, ground-hugging stance.

There has been a small attempt madeto give the car a sporting feel inside,but it takes more than a few white dialswith red needles to carry it off convinc-ingly. Overall the Almera’s interiorfeels old-fashioned and very plasticky.

The steering wheel looks nasty with afussy stereo control stalk attached tothe column and the door bins are hor-ribly flimsy. The driving position ispretty good and that tall gear lever isvery easy to reach.

On the road the Almera producesnoticeably more tyre noise than any ofthe others. While it initially feels firmand sporting, it doesn’t cope with fastbumpy roads terribly well. Bumps andcrests which don’t phase the Audi orthe Peugeot, for example, are felt muchmore in the Almera. Its steering is alsovery light and although it feels betterthe more you get used to it, it coulddefinitely benefit from more weight.

Most of the time the Almera’s han-dling is nimble and precise, but when

we really threw it around at the track,it was the most prone to lifting aninside rear wheel and hopping acrossthe road. With just 141bhp it’s one ofthe least powerful cars here and itdoesn’t have bags of torque either.Fortunately the engine is keen to revand a fairly slick-changing gear-boxhelps to get the best from it. The brakepedal feels light and the brakes them-selves don’t feel as powerful as theAudi’s for example.

A removable single-disc CD-playerand air conditioning are standard onthe £16,390 Almera and according tocost experts Emmox, it will prove theleast expensive to run. But safety isn’tso well catered for, as at the momentNissan only provides driver airbags.

Styling ● ●

Performance ● ● ●


Interior ● ●


O U T O F F I V E

T E S T N O T E S

I like the styling a lot but no one

else agreed with me at all Frog

Long stick, horrid rubber gaiter Frog

Horrible

fiddly

stereo

controls

Ang

Wheels of

more

interest

than the

rest of the

car Zac

Doorbins

are cheap

and

flimsy

Frog

Not as stable as A3 over bumps Zac


P E U G E O T 3 0 6 G T i - 6

The Peugeot 306 GTI-6 is pretty much state-of-the-art as far as handling goes, but you

pay for that in its high running costs and price. However, you do get an extra gear free

First there was theoriginal VolkswagenGolf GTI and thenthere was the Peugeot

205 GTi. They were light, they werefast and they had a heart-fluttering rawedginess to them. If any car here is atrue spiritual successor then it’s thisone, the Peugeot 306 GTI-6.

It shares the same 167bhp four-cylin-der engine as the Citroen, making it,equally, the most powerful car here.Unlike the Xsara, though, and all theothers, the 306 has a six-speed manualgearbox. But it is, and this probablycan’t be emphasised enough, a nastyhorrible notchy gearbox on short townjourneys. Even out on the open roadthe shift never completely loses all its

notchiness, but it feels so good acceler-ating up through the gears that it canbe forgiven. With a guttural, boomyengine the 306 feels raw and fast andalthough the brakes are fine, it’s proba-bly the one you’d lose your drivinglicence the easiest in.

Other Peugeots we’ve driven have feltquite tail-happy and twitchy but thisone felt beautifully balanced and onthe track it would drift its tail out justthe right amount.

We kept pushing it through our wetslalom test faster and faster and whilethe other cars eventually spun orundersteered off, it was always possibleto recover the Peugeot, even when ithad gone completely sideways. At moresensible speeds and angles on Her

Majesty’s highway, the Peugeot stillfeels more involving than any of theothers, thanks to its superb steering.

There’s lots of room in the front ofthe cabin and the grey carbon fibrestrips in the dash and small steeringwheel with the silver lion badge in themiddle look good. A full complementof airbags – including side – come asstandard as does air-con and a six-discCD player. But the Peugeot has noneof the ‘big car feel’ that the Golf andAudi muster so well and its interiortrim and doors feel light and a touchflimsy by comparison. It’s a handsome-looking car, but at £18,670 the price iscreeping up into Audi territory and at47.79 pence per mile it will prove themost costly to run by a fair measure.

ontest






O U T O F F I V E

T E S T N O T E S

Wheels

the best

detail

Zac

Good

support

from

‘sports’

front

seats Ang

Driving position is low, sporty and,

like me, it means business Frog

6 speeds:

nice Frog

Steers via wheel or throttle Zac


R O V E R 2 0 0 B R M L E

You will notice that the Rover BRM’s numberplate is a tribute to those other slightly

dumpy British institutions, the Wombles. We expect an Uncle Bulgaria special edition

We spent a day withthe Rover BRM lastmonth and cameaway unconvinced by

the styling. Now, having lived with itfor a week, we’ve still failed to see thelight. The problem is not the overallshape of the car, but those nasty added-on BRM bits – an orange air-intakeand silver mirrors on British racinggreen paintwork just don’t do it for us.The overall shape, though, is good, asare details like the front grille, slantedheadlamps, fog lights and alloy wheels.

The interior gets ten out of ten foruse of the colour red and an equallyimpressive score for attempting to keepthe Allen bolt industry in business, itdoes not, however, score quite so many

marks for taste. The red PVC seatshave quilted leather centres and areperfectly comfortable to sit in, but theycould benefit from more side supportand the interior feels cramped, espe-cially the rear, which offers less spacethan any of the others.

On paper, Rover’s four-cylinderVVC K-series engine doesn’t seem tobe much to get excited about. With143bhp it is the fourth least powerfulhere and with just 128lb ft it producesthe least amount of torque. But that’snot taking into account the VVC bit,or Variable Valve Control to give it itsfull title. This system makes sure thatthe engine has a good spread of powerright through the rev range and itworks well, for it’s strong and punchy

through the gears, though fifth gearacceleration isn’t exactly awesome.

The engine makes a decent noise andyou don’t tire of listening to it, nor doyou tire of changing gears, for althoughit is not a particularly short throw, theRover’s gearshift feels slick and precise.The brake pedal feels good too, lesswooden and involving than other200’s. Like the Nissan, the BRM’ssteering feels very light and not veryinvolving, which is a shame because thechassis, although not in the 306/A3league, is actually quite well sorted.

At £18,000 the BRM is pricey in thiscompany, although the price doesinclude a close-ratio gearbox and aTorsen differential, which are not fitted to the standard £16,725Vi.

Styling ● ●



Interior ● ●


O U T O F F I V E

T E S T N O T E S

The BRM’s brakes are good and

the revised pedal feels better

than in the normal 200 Vi Frog

Tart’s boudoir meets the set of

Blake’s Seven Zac

Worth

every

penny.

Not. Ang

At least

wheels

look good

Zac

Mesh grille is OK but what’s the

orange lippy all about? Frog

Do I look

fatter in

here than

I did in

the back

of the

Honda

Civic?

Dear me, I

think I do

Ang


S E A T I B I Z A C U P R A S P O R T

Now that’s what I call proper hooligan hot hatch behaviour; the SEAT tricycles like a

good ’un, much as the original Golfs used to. Pointless, silly, infantile… and brilliant fun

If you want to getyourself noticed, getyourself a lime greenSEAT Ibiza Cupra

Sport 16v. This car’s ‘what’s it got todo with you, copper?’ paint schemecertainly turns a few heads – the onlything is they’re often wearing peakedcaps. It does at least look like a properhot hatch, though and the whitewheels give it the full rally-spec look.

There is something raw and slightlyold-fashioned about the SEAT’s image,reminiscent of the way hot hatchesused to be before they started going abit PC, and that’s pretty much how itfeels to drive. The Ibiza’s four-cylinder16-valve produces a healthy 150bhpand is the same unit Volkswagen used

to fit to the old Golf GTI. It’s loud, it’sproud and it’s rapid. It doesn’t takemuch provocation to get the Ibiza’sfront tyres to spin and it’s also prone toa bit of old-fashioned torque steer.

Making good progress in the SEAT issadly hampered by a lousy gearbox;there’s a nasty springy feel to it and thechange just can’t be rushed. The brakesdo a good job of stopping the car butthe pedal doesn’t feel too reassuring.

While it grips well, there is not muchsuppleness or subtlety to the Cupra’schassis. It’s very firmly set up with aharsh ride and tends to crash overbumps rather than make any attemptto absorb them. The steering is reason-ably precise and quick, but not veryinformative. The Ibiza feels tidy and

neutral on the road, but when pushedto the limit at the track it can bite.There’s a massive amount of grip fromthe low-profile tyres initially, but whenthey do eventually let go, they do sowith very little warning. Lift off theaccelerator quickly in the middle of atight, fast corner and… whoops!

Just as the Ibiza’s driving feels like itbelongs to another era, so too does itscabin. It’s small and feels a class downfrom the Audi and VW. Some of theswitchgear is fiddly, particularly therear wash-wipe. The seats are very hardbut don’t give enough side support.

But though it’s less well-equippedthan most of the other cars here, theIbiza is at least very competitivelypriced at just £14,995.

ontest




Interior ● ●


O U T O F F I V E

T E S T N O T E S

Nick me, nick me, nick me. SEAT’s

paint scheme has same effect as

Escort Cosworth rear spoiler Ang

Shelf on

left side

not really

much use

at all Zac

Cool rally

style

wheel Zac

My dog really liked the SEAT’s seats

But then what does he know? Ang

Available

in range

of putrid

colours

Frog

Sophisticated, elegant, grown-up

and mature. Me, not the car Zac

14 April 1993 Top Gear

V A U X H A L L A S T R A S R i

Hints of squashed Vectra in the Astra’s styling hide the fact that it’s not a bad car at all,

with greatly improved handling over previous versions, and a groovy, if optional, wing

This, the Astra SRi,is the hottest hatchthat Vauxhall pro-duce at the moment,

although there is likely to be a morepowerful GSi in the future.

However, while the SRi’s 134bhpengine may be the least powerful here,the car’s price reflects that and it’s fair-ly set at £15,475. That doesn’t includea passenger airbag or air conditioningthough, and it’s well worth spendinganother £750 on the optional body kitwhich includes a front skirt spoiler, arear skirt spoiler and sill extensions.True, it may not transform the Astrainto a thing of fantastic beauty, but itdoes at least beef the styling up a bit.

Inside, the Astra is the roomiest of

all, but it doesn’t have the quality feelof the Golf or the Audi. The designerhas tried the old trick of putting insome white dials to give the interior abit of a sporting feel, and they’ve putsilver inserts around the centre binna-cle, which look good. The sports seatsare just about the best of the 12, too.

Considering it’s down on power, theAstra doesn’t feel slow on the road.The engine needs working to get thebest from it, and while it sounds goodlow down, it does start to get harsh uptowards the 6,500rpm red line.

The gearchange feels slightly odd,however. From the central, neutralposition first, third and fifth are a shortthrow away, but second and fourth feeltoo far back and the awkward position-

ing rather takes the natural rhythm outof changing gear. While the brake ped-al has a heavy, wooden feel to it, thebrakes are strong and reassuring.

Compared with previous, supposedly‘hot’ Astras, the SRi’s handling is a rev-elation. Admittedly Vauxhall has gonefor an overall feeling of safety, ratherthan one of raw-edged entertainment,but the dreaded understeer whichplagued the previous model is gone.The car will still ultimately run its nosewide in a tight corner, but before thatpoint there’s a lot of grip and a cleanneutral balance to the handling.

The steering may not be in thePeugeot/Citroen league, but there’sstill enough communication to makethe Astra feel fun and involving.

Styling ● ● ●





O U T O F F I V E

T E S T N O T E S

Astra isn’t as sharp as 306 or A3,

but still decent fun on the road Ang

White instruments and shapely

seats give it a sporty feel Zac

Why do I

only get

to write

about

wheels?

Zac

Good

access to

roomy

rear

seats Ang

Tack-on

leery Frog

Snapple

pockets

Frog


V O L K S W A G E N G O L F G T I

Ah, the Golf, The car that started it all, but now in more grown-up, rounded, heftier MkIV

style. Say what you like about the styling (that back end is a bit wafty) but it goes well

If you’re a fan of theway the new Golflooks, then you’ll likethe GTI’s styling –

however you’ll have to be a bit of anenthusiast to spot the difference, forapart from some pretty subtle badgingand different wheels, this really couldbe any Golf from the range. Drippingwith go-faster appendages it most certainly is not. However it is an unde-niably handsome and solid looking car,if not overtly sporting.

Underneath the skin the Golf is basi-cally identical to the Audi A3, sharingthe same platform and the same150bhp turbocharged engine. TheAudi is marginally the longer of thetwo – by just 3mm – but the Golf is

taller, by 12mm and weighs 97kg more– the equivalent of one fat passenger.

Our performance figures show theAudi to be marginally quicker, but onthe road you really couldn’t tell the dif-ference between the two. The powerdelivery from the Golf’s engine is everybit as smooth and rapid as the Audi’s,so it’s fun when accelerating hard andappropriately relaxing when cruisingon the motorway. The gearbox suffersfrom the same, slightly annoying vagueimprecise feeling, too.

Both cars share the same suspensionwith MacPherson struts at the frontand a torsion beam axle at the rear.The difference in roadholding is notmassive, but it is noticeable. The Golfhas a slightly softer set-up than the

Audi. When its turned into a cornerthere’s a bit more body roll and theGolf doesn’t feel quite as sharp as theA3 when it is asked to change directionsuddenly. Similarly, the Golf’s steeringfeels a smidgen less sharp than theAudi’s although the difference heremay well just be in the tyres. Overall,though, the Golf’s handling is stillexcellent and its softer set-up gives it aslightly better ride than the A3.

Like the Audi, the Golf has a superbinterior and an excellent driving posi-tion. Spec for spec there’s not a greatdeal of difference between the two cars,but there is quite a sizeable differencewhen it comes to writing out thecheque – at £17,570 the Golf is thecheaper of the two by £1,950.




Interior ● ● ● ● ●

Value for money ● ● ● ● ●

O U T O F F I V E

T E S T N O T E S

The Golf’s very very good, no

question, but it just doesn’t feel

quite as sharp as the Audi A3 Ang

Need

these in a

GTI? Nah

Zac

Great

purple

dash light

Frog

I could fit my whole anorak

collection in here I could Frog

I quit

Zac

Art department, please refrain from

using out of focus shots. It’s not big

and it’s not clever Zac, Ang & Frog

ontest


D I R T Y D O Z E N O R . . .

Alfa 145 Cloverleaf Audi A3 1.8T Sport BMW 318ti Sport Citroen Xsara VTS Fiat Bravo HGT Honda Civic VTi

Performance

0-30mph (secs) 2.6 3.0 3.1 2.8 2.9 3.0

0-40mph (secs) 3.9 4.3 4.9 4.4 4.4 4.3

0-50mph (secs) 5.7 6.0 6.8 7.1 6.2 5.8

0-60mph (secs) 7.8 7.8 9.6 7.9 8.3 7.7

0-70mph (secs) 10.3 10.6 12.8 10.7 11.2 10.6

0-80mph (secs) 13.3 13.6 16.5 13.2 14.4 13.3

0-90mph (secs) 17.8 17.5 22.0 17.9 18.8 17.7

0-100mph (secs) 25.0 22.6 28.1 22.8 24.2 22.4

Max speed, mph (claimed) 131 135 130 137 130 129

30-50mph in 3rd 5.2 4.7 6.1 5.2 5.5 4.0

30-50mph in 4th 7.3 6.9 9.3 7.5 7.5 6.6

50-70mph in 5th 10.5 9.0 12.5 10.8 10.9 11.8

30-70mph thru' gears 7.7 7.7 9.7 7.9 8.3 7.6

Braking 70-0mph (m/ft) 46.7 48.0 54.5 51.6 51.7 52.7

Costs

On the road price £16,742 £19,520 £19,005 £17,545 £15,818 £16,895

Emmox p.p.mile 44.27 42.30 41.38 44.82 43.56 42.74

Test/euromix mpg 22.3/32.5 25.2/36.7 25.4/35.8 27.3/30.1 27.8/28.8 27.0/33.6

Insurance group 14 16 13 16 14 15

Service interval 24k 20k 13.5k (approx) 12.5k 9k 6k

Warranty 3yrs/unltd + recov 3yrs/60k + recov 3yrs/60k + recov 1yr/unltd + recov 1yr/unltd + recov 2yrs/unltd + recov

Equipment

Airbag driver/pass/side yes/£351/no yes/yes/yes yes/£480/£275 yes/yes/yes yes/£275/no yes/yes/no

Alarm/immobiliser yes/yes yes/yes £535/yes yes/yes yes/yes £286/yes

Alloy wheels yes yes yes yes yes yes

Abs/Elect Brake Distn yes/no yes/yes yes/no yes/no yes/no yes/no

Traction ctrl/pwr strng no/yes yes/yes yes/yes no/yes no/yes no/yes

Central locking/remote yes/yes yes/yes yes/with alarm yes/yes yes/yes yes/yes

Radio cassette/CD yes/yes (10-disc) yes/£403 (6-disc) yes/£350 (6-disc) yes/yes (6-disc) yes/compatible yes/£352 (6-disc)

Sunroof/Air-con £500(elec)/£1,005) yes(elec)/£1,107 £810(elec)/£1,075 £360 (elec)/yes yes (elec)/£859 yes (man)/yes

Technical

Engine 4-cyl in-line 4-cyl in-line 4-cyl in-line 4-cyl in line 5-cyl in-line 4-cyl in line

dohc 16v dohc 20v turbo dohc 16v dohc 16v dohc 20v dohc 16v

Capacity (cc) 1,970 1,781 1,895 1,998 1,998 1,595

Max power (bhp @ rpm) 155 @ 6,400 150 @ 5,700 140 @ 6,000 167 @ 6,500 147 @ 6,100 157 @ 7,600

Max torque (lb ft @ rpm) 140 @ 3,500 155 @ 4,600 133 @ 4,300 142 @ 5,500 137 @ 4,500 153 @ 7,000

Transmission 5-spd man fwd 5-spd man fwd 5-spd man rwd 5-spd man fwd 5-spd man fwd 5-spd man fwd

Front brakes vent disc + abs vent disc + abs vent disc + abs vent disc + abs vent disc + abs vent disc + abs

Rear brakes disc + abs disc + abs disc + abs disc +abs disc + abs disc + abs

Front suspension MacP strut MacP strut MacP strut MacP stut MacP strut dble wishbones

Rear suspension trailing arms torsion beam axle semi-trailing trailing arms trailing arms dble wishbones

Wheels 6J x 15 alloy 6.5J x 16 alloy 7J x 16 6J x 15 alloy 6J x 15 alloy 5.5J x 15 alloy

Tyres 195/55 VR 15 205/55 R16 225/50 R16 195/55 R15 195/55 R15 195/55 R15

Dimensions L/W (mm) 4,093/1,712 4,152/1,735 4,210/1,698 4,167/1698 4,030/1,760 4,190/1,695

Audi A3 1.8T Sport A

cool badge, gorgeous

looks, great handling and

a strong engine – the A3

is the one we’d have if money was no object.

Its feeling of overall quality is its strongest

point It’s just slightly better to drive than the

Golf but overall it isn’t quite as comfortable.

Peugeot 306 GTI-6Plenty of performance

and a six-speed gear-

box, but it’s steering and

handling that really make the 306 shine. Yet it

lacks the solid high-quality feeling of the A3

and Golf and its high price, average interior,

and poor gearchange keep it off the top slot.

Vauxhall Astra SRi The

Astra feels like a slightly

downmarket Golf or Audi.

It is a good all-rounder

but doesn’t quite have their quality feel. Its

handling is precise and it’s fun to lash along

in but it would be easy to live with on a day-

to-day basis and at £15,475 it’s affordable.

Volkswagen Golf GTISolid, handsome styling

and a fabulous interior

make the Golf desirable,

as does a refined and fast engine. It doesn’t

look as good as the Audi, nor is it quite as

much fun, but as it’s almost £2,000 cheaper

that’s enough to give it a narrow victory here.

Before we reach our conclusions, it’s worth

spelling out exactly what a hot hatch should

be. It’s got to be good-looking. Ideally it

should also be recognisably different from the

rest of the range, although these days this is

becoming less and less the case. As well as

looking special from the outside, a hot hatch

should feel special when you sit in it. Good

sports seats and a decent driving position are

essential as well. Then there’s the driving. It

has got to feel fast, sound sporting and have

a decent gearbox and brakes. Handling is

obviously crucial. There should be plenty of

grip and a nice clean, neutral feel to the

chassis and the car should feel al ive,

responsive and involving. Finally it’s worth

remembering that the hot hatch was originally

created to provide practical, affordable fun. It

shouldn’t demand sacrifices from its driver. It

shouldn’t be cramped, have a harsh ride or an

engine that needs revving continuously. And it

should be well-priced. In reality it would be

easier to find a pint of Guinness that can

never be emptied than to find a car that

meets all of the above criteria. None of the

fol lowing cars is perfect, but some

are definitely more perfect than others.

O U R V E R D I C T

FIRST

SECOND

THIRD

FOURTH


. . . G L O R I O U S T W E L V E ?

Nissan Almera GTi Peugeot 306 GTI-6 Rover 200 BRM LE Seat Ibiza Cupra 16v Vauxhall Astra SRi VW Golf GTi

2.9 3.2 3.3 3.1 3.0 3.1

4.4 4.4 4.2 4.6 4.6 4.5

6.2 6.2 6.0 6.3 6.1 6.0

8.2 8.1 8.1 8.5 8.3 8.0

11.1 11.2 10.7 11.5 11.0 11.1

14.2 13.8 13.2 14.5 14.4 14.0

18.4 17.5 17.2 18.1 18.6 18.2

24.3 21.9 22.0 24.1 24.0 23.9

131 135 127 134 130 134

5.4 5.0 5.0 4.9 5.1 5.0

7.9 7.4 7.4 7.6 7.7 7.2

12.3 8.7 11.8 11.3 10.5 9.3

8.2 8.1 7.9 8.4 8.0 8.0

54.5 50.4 54.5 49.7 52.8 51.2

£16,390 £18,670 £18,000 £14,995 £15,475 £17,570

38.72 47.79 42.01 40.61 40.88 40.20

26.6/34.9 23.4/32.2 28.7/38.0 25.1/33.6 28.0/32.8 23.8/34.0

14 15 14 14 11 14

18k 20k 12k 10k 10k 20k

3yrs/60k + 1 yr recov 1yr/unltd+recov 1yr/unltd + recov 3yrs/unltd + recov 1yr/unltd + recov 3yrs/unltd + recov

yes/no/no yes/yes/yes yes/£350/no yes/yes/no yes/£395(both) yes/yes/yes

yes/yes yes/yes yes/yes yes/yes yes/yes yes/yes

yes yes yes yes yes yes

yes/no yes/no yes/no yes/no yes/no yes/yes

no/yes no/yes no/yes yes/yes yes/yes yes/yes

yes/yes yes/yes yes/yes yes/yes yes/yes yes/yes

yes/yes (1 disc) yes/yes (6-disc) yes/ £500 (6-disc) yes/£399 (6-disc) radio-CD yes/£395 (6-disc)

yes (elec)/yes £320 (elec)/yes yes (elec)/£700 no/no yes (manual)/£650 yes (elec)/£795

4-cyl, in-line 4-cyl, in-line 4-cyl, in-line 4-cyl, in-line 4-cyl, in-line 4cyl, in-line

dohc 16v dohc 16v dohc 16v dohc 16v dohc 16v dohc 20v

1,998 1,998 1,796 1,984 1,995 1,781

141 @ 6,400 167 @ 6,500 143 @ 6,750 150 @ 6,000 134 @ 5,600 150 @ 5,700

131 @ 4,800 142 @ 5,500 128 @ 4,000 133 @4,600 139 @ 3,400 155 @ 4,600

5-spd man fwd 6-speed man fwd 5-spd man fwd 5-spd man fwd 5-spd man fwd 5-speed man fwd

vent disc + abs vent disc + abs vent disc + abs vent disc + abs vent disc + abs vent disc + abs

disc + abs disc + abs disc + abs disc + abs disc + abs disc + abs

MacP strut MacP strut MacP strut MacP strut MacP strut MacP strut

multi-link trailing arm H-frame + coils trailing arm torsion beam torsion beam

6J x 15 alloy 6J x 15 alloy 6.5J x 16 alloy 6.5J x 16 alloy 6J x 15 alloy 6.5J x 15

195/55 R15 195/55 R 15 205/45 R16 195/45 R16 205/50 R16 205/55 R16

4,120/1,690 4,344/1,680 3,970/1,690 3,853/1,640 4,110/1,967 4,149/1,735

Alfa 145 Cloverleaf If

you want something truly

different, then this has got

to be the one. Wild styling

and a great engine will be enough for some

people, but sadly the ride and handling dis-

appoint and prevent the 145 going higher.

BMW 318ti Sport The

Compact is the only rear-

wheel drive car here and

although it doesn’t have

quite enough power, it is still an excellent

driving machine. The interior is impressive but

the high price and the arguable looks are

what stop the 318 from finishing higher here.

Citroen Xsara VTS Value

styling above all else and

the Xsara comes much

lower. But despite its

awkward looks, its ultra-precise steering and

strong gutsy engine make it one of the best to

drive. It’s fast, has agility and plenty of feed-

back – if only it looked better inside and out.

Fiat Bravo HGT Another

good all-rounder, but with

the bonus of a fantastic-

sounding five-cylinder

engine, and there’s the promise of more

horsepower if you wait a few months. It’s

well-balanced and well-priced at £15,818.

Honda Civic VTi The

Civic has a fantastic

engine and gearbox and a

decent chassis too. It’s

also got brilliant engineering and excellent

performance – shame it’s all buried under

such an average-looking body and interior.

Nissan Almera GTi An

over-the-top front spoiler

doesn’t alter the fact that

Almera is desperately dull

looking with a horrible interior. For that reason

we just can’t recommend it even though the

handling and performance are reasonable ■■

Rover 200 BRM LELeave the ridiculous-look-

ing BRM for others. It

drives well, but the stan-

dard Rover 200Vi is quicker and looks better.

At £16,735 the standard car is a much better

bet than the £18,000 limited edition BRM.

SEAT Ibiza Cupra SportLeery looks, a no-non-

sense 150bhp two-litre

engine and a £14,995

price make the Cupra seriously affordable

firepower. But the price for all that fast fun

is a small interior and a lack of refinement.

ontestFIFTH

SIXTH

SEVENTH

EIGHTH

NINTH

TENTH

ELEVENTH

TWELTH

12 hot hatches - alfa romeo · pdf fileofferings from new alfa –156 and 166 – the...

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