What’s the best fun car? 17 ‘hot’ cars under $60k tested! 20 December 2016
Abbiamo radunato 17 tra le più belle "fun car" sotto i 60k dollari al Sydney Motorsport Park in occasione del recente evento MotorWorld e abbiamo messo voi, i nostri lettori, sui sedili di prova. E noi stessi abbiamo fatto un giro sul mega campo di prova. Insieme, abbiamo deciso cosa è sexy, cosa è divertente e cosa ha un eccezionale rapporto qualità-prezzo.
What's the best fun car? 17 'hot' cars under $60k tested! - Drive
Alfa Romeo Giulietta Veloce auto
Price: $41,990 plus on-roads
Powertrain: 1.75L turbocharged four cylinder, six-speed dual clutch, FWD
Outputs: 177kW (240cv) /340Nm
Laptime on test: 1:11.72
What we thought
Andrew: It’s sort of hot. The turbo boost is ‘old skool’ – it’s almost like a shot of nitrous oxide. It looks and sounds the part, and the ‘Benzina’ labeling in-cabin is suitably Italian. It does get a bit squirrely under hard braking. It was the first car I drove of the 17 and I was happy to get out of it.
Rob: It’s quite hot… and Italian enough too. The dual-clutch holds on to revs nicely before upshifting (when self shifting) and the paddle-shifters work nicely as well. There’s good fun factor: it pops, cackles and snarls just like an Alfa should. Yep, I’d buy one, maybe!
Emily: Even in Dynamic mode the Alfa is a bit of a letdown – it still allows traction control to cut in driving out of corners and once it does there’s not much punch form the engine. As much as I like to work driving a car there’s little reward from the work you put in. It just doesn’t put a smile on my dial. For that alone, it doesn’t offer much bang for your bucks.
Curt: The engine is a gem once it’s on the boil but the steering is aloof and it’s not terribly happy once you dig into it on a racetrack. While it’s not all that pricey, the amount of bang in return is merely adequate. It’s happier as a road car than a track car, that’s for sure.
Dave: It’s not bad. More sprightly and characterful than the BMW. Can’t turn traction control off. It’s quite soft and you do get understeer from the noisy Pirellis quite easily – better tyres might improve its lap times. The engine doesn’t really have enough oomph, particularly on the uphill climbs around the circuit, and the lack of decent steering adjustment is annoying. For a fun street car, though, it’s not too bad.
Ford Focus RS manual
Price: $50,990 plus on-roads
Powertrain: 2.3L turbocharged four cylinder, six-speed manual, AWD
Outputs: 257kW (350cv) /440Nm
Laptime on test: 1:06.76
What we thought
Curt: Just… wow! From the instant you weld yourself into those race-style buckets it promise a motorsport-like experience and boy does it deliver. It has a sharp, fizz and response that pales everything else here by a fair margin. It’s fantastically agile on corner entry, deftly agile in the mid-corner, and you can power it out of curves with drive and precision like no other hatchback I can name. It works those superb Michelin Cup 2s hard and you’d spend a bomb on tyres but, jeez, its capabilities are in another league. You cannot buy another road car that’s essentially a race car with rego plates for anything like its $51k-odd ask. Bargain!
Dave: Ten out of 10 for hotness. All the ‘hotness’ any of the other cars lack, is all crammed into the Focus RS. It’s an absolute blast to drive. The acceleration doesn’t actually throw you back into the seat hard – it doesn’t have that epic surge – but it takes the best elements of the 86, the Fiesta ST and Focus ST and combines it into one very, very good package. The grip is immense, it just responds exactly to what the driver wants and it’s very connected to its driver. It really challenges and encourages you to push and get the best out of it and its capabilities are huge. Its limits are a lot higher than anything else we have here today and, for the price – even with the optional wheel and tyre package – if you want ultimate bang for buck and outright performance, it’s hard to beat.
Andrew: The Focus RS is hotter than the sun. For track, at least, this thing would be right at the top of the fun charts. And it’s stupidly good value for the money.
Rob: Hot? It’s a volcano with molten lava spewing forth destroying all before it! It’s got so much grip and so much go. And even at $51k it’s excellent value. Rob your daughter’s piggy bank, put it all on black on the roulette wheel and repeat until you can afford one. It’s well worth it.
Emily: The acceleration is beautiful, it doles out the grunt and it handles corners like a dream. I honestly just didn’t want to get out of the thing. You do have to work a little through the corners and set the car up, which is my style, and the Focus RS rewards handsomely when you get a corner perfectly right. The price is getting right up there, though…
BMW 125i auto
Price: $48,900 plus on-roads
Powertrain: 2.0L turbocharged four cylinder, eight-speed automatic, RWD
Outputs: 165kW (225 cv) /310Nm
Laptime on test: 1:10.28
What we thought
Rob: It’s certainly sensitive to drive modes. You really need to engage Sport+ for it to wake up and find some punch from the engine but when you do it really transforms the driving experience. Thus set, it’s a really fun car: tight, engaging, noisy even. The value is questionable though – there are better hatches out there for less money.
Emily: This thing is hot, hot, hot! All smiles for this baby! It’s got nice throttle response and confident brakes and I just want to keep pushing it. I think it’s so much fun in the corners. It’s quite good bang for the bucks given that, for under $50k, you can have that much fun around a track but you also get the luxury badge and a nice on road experience. I’ll take two!
Curt: For what it is – a fairly lowly grade 1 Series – it’s punching above its weight. For a serious performance machine around the $50k mark, though, there are probably hotter offerings out there. What’s most impressive is that inherent driver’s DNA you hope a BMW rear-driver possesses. It is drive mode sensitive, but it’s pleasant in Comfort and amply sharp enough in its most sporting settings. Impressive chassis, playful balance, excellent seats and seating position, and superb steering are real quality highlights.
Dave: It’s not really hot. It’s a bit beige and soft. It’s not really exciting. It’s fun-ish, but didn’t leave me with much of an impression. For the money, it’s not much of a performance car.
Andrew: It’s definitely hot and it more fun than you initially might think. That turbocharged four, the eight-speed and rear drive is a perfect drivetrain combination. The brakes are strong, the M-Sport steering wheel is excellent, and the paddle-shift ZF auto does exactly what you want when you want it. As a value pitch, it’s a semi-premium hatch experience from a premium marque.
Verdict
Quickest? The Focus RS. Best buck-banger? You’d be hard pressed to go past the Fiesta ST. Biggest surprise? The Peugeot 308 GTI 270 dropped more jaws (wows) than any other.
http://www.caradvice.com.au/504949/...orworld-to-test-17-hot-cars-under-60k/photos/
Abbiamo radunato 17 tra le più belle "fun car" sotto i 60k dollari al Sydney Motorsport Park in occasione del recente evento MotorWorld e abbiamo messo voi, i nostri lettori, sui sedili di prova. E noi stessi abbiamo fatto un giro sul mega campo di prova. Insieme, abbiamo deciso cosa è sexy, cosa è divertente e cosa ha un eccezionale rapporto qualità-prezzo.
What's the best fun car? 17 'hot' cars under $60k tested! - Drive
Alfa Romeo Giulietta Veloce auto
Price: $41,990 plus on-roads
Powertrain: 1.75L turbocharged four cylinder, six-speed dual clutch, FWD
Outputs: 177kW (240cv) /340Nm
Laptime on test: 1:11.72
What we thought
Andrew: It’s sort of hot. The turbo boost is ‘old skool’ – it’s almost like a shot of nitrous oxide. It looks and sounds the part, and the ‘Benzina’ labeling in-cabin is suitably Italian. It does get a bit squirrely under hard braking. It was the first car I drove of the 17 and I was happy to get out of it.
Rob: It’s quite hot… and Italian enough too. The dual-clutch holds on to revs nicely before upshifting (when self shifting) and the paddle-shifters work nicely as well. There’s good fun factor: it pops, cackles and snarls just like an Alfa should. Yep, I’d buy one, maybe!
Emily: Even in Dynamic mode the Alfa is a bit of a letdown – it still allows traction control to cut in driving out of corners and once it does there’s not much punch form the engine. As much as I like to work driving a car there’s little reward from the work you put in. It just doesn’t put a smile on my dial. For that alone, it doesn’t offer much bang for your bucks.
Curt: The engine is a gem once it’s on the boil but the steering is aloof and it’s not terribly happy once you dig into it on a racetrack. While it’s not all that pricey, the amount of bang in return is merely adequate. It’s happier as a road car than a track car, that’s for sure.
Dave: It’s not bad. More sprightly and characterful than the BMW. Can’t turn traction control off. It’s quite soft and you do get understeer from the noisy Pirellis quite easily – better tyres might improve its lap times. The engine doesn’t really have enough oomph, particularly on the uphill climbs around the circuit, and the lack of decent steering adjustment is annoying. For a fun street car, though, it’s not too bad.
Ford Focus RS manual
Price: $50,990 plus on-roads
Powertrain: 2.3L turbocharged four cylinder, six-speed manual, AWD
Outputs: 257kW (350cv) /440Nm
Laptime on test: 1:06.76
What we thought
Curt: Just… wow! From the instant you weld yourself into those race-style buckets it promise a motorsport-like experience and boy does it deliver. It has a sharp, fizz and response that pales everything else here by a fair margin. It’s fantastically agile on corner entry, deftly agile in the mid-corner, and you can power it out of curves with drive and precision like no other hatchback I can name. It works those superb Michelin Cup 2s hard and you’d spend a bomb on tyres but, jeez, its capabilities are in another league. You cannot buy another road car that’s essentially a race car with rego plates for anything like its $51k-odd ask. Bargain!
Dave: Ten out of 10 for hotness. All the ‘hotness’ any of the other cars lack, is all crammed into the Focus RS. It’s an absolute blast to drive. The acceleration doesn’t actually throw you back into the seat hard – it doesn’t have that epic surge – but it takes the best elements of the 86, the Fiesta ST and Focus ST and combines it into one very, very good package. The grip is immense, it just responds exactly to what the driver wants and it’s very connected to its driver. It really challenges and encourages you to push and get the best out of it and its capabilities are huge. Its limits are a lot higher than anything else we have here today and, for the price – even with the optional wheel and tyre package – if you want ultimate bang for buck and outright performance, it’s hard to beat.
Andrew: The Focus RS is hotter than the sun. For track, at least, this thing would be right at the top of the fun charts. And it’s stupidly good value for the money.
Rob: Hot? It’s a volcano with molten lava spewing forth destroying all before it! It’s got so much grip and so much go. And even at $51k it’s excellent value. Rob your daughter’s piggy bank, put it all on black on the roulette wheel and repeat until you can afford one. It’s well worth it.
Emily: The acceleration is beautiful, it doles out the grunt and it handles corners like a dream. I honestly just didn’t want to get out of the thing. You do have to work a little through the corners and set the car up, which is my style, and the Focus RS rewards handsomely when you get a corner perfectly right. The price is getting right up there, though…
BMW 125i auto
Price: $48,900 plus on-roads
Powertrain: 2.0L turbocharged four cylinder, eight-speed automatic, RWD
Outputs: 165kW (225 cv) /310Nm
Laptime on test: 1:10.28
What we thought
Rob: It’s certainly sensitive to drive modes. You really need to engage Sport+ for it to wake up and find some punch from the engine but when you do it really transforms the driving experience. Thus set, it’s a really fun car: tight, engaging, noisy even. The value is questionable though – there are better hatches out there for less money.
Emily: This thing is hot, hot, hot! All smiles for this baby! It’s got nice throttle response and confident brakes and I just want to keep pushing it. I think it’s so much fun in the corners. It’s quite good bang for the bucks given that, for under $50k, you can have that much fun around a track but you also get the luxury badge and a nice on road experience. I’ll take two!
Curt: For what it is – a fairly lowly grade 1 Series – it’s punching above its weight. For a serious performance machine around the $50k mark, though, there are probably hotter offerings out there. What’s most impressive is that inherent driver’s DNA you hope a BMW rear-driver possesses. It is drive mode sensitive, but it’s pleasant in Comfort and amply sharp enough in its most sporting settings. Impressive chassis, playful balance, excellent seats and seating position, and superb steering are real quality highlights.
Dave: It’s not really hot. It’s a bit beige and soft. It’s not really exciting. It’s fun-ish, but didn’t leave me with much of an impression. For the money, it’s not much of a performance car.
Andrew: It’s definitely hot and it more fun than you initially might think. That turbocharged four, the eight-speed and rear drive is a perfect drivetrain combination. The brakes are strong, the M-Sport steering wheel is excellent, and the paddle-shift ZF auto does exactly what you want when you want it. As a value pitch, it’s a semi-premium hatch experience from a premium marque.
Verdict
Quickest? The Focus RS. Best buck-banger? You’d be hard pressed to go past the Fiesta ST. Biggest surprise? The Peugeot 308 GTI 270 dropped more jaws (wows) than any other.
http://www.caradvice.com.au/504949/...orworld-to-test-17-hot-cars-under-60k/photos/
