Hot Hatch Power to Weight Ratios

I find some of the quoted 0-60 times hard to believe and find power to weight ratio figures more useful when comparing performance cars so here are some figures for a number of hot/warm hatchbacks new and old:

BHP per tonne (1000kg)

Abarth 500 - 130
Abarth 500 Essesse - 155
Abarth Punto Evo - 137
Abarth Punto Evo SuperSport - 150
Alfa Romeo 145 Cloverleaf - 125
Alfa Romeo 147 GTA - 181
Alfa Romeo Mito Cloverleaf - 146
Alfa Romeo Giulietta Cloverleaf - 175
Audi A1 1.4TFSI Black Edition - 153
Audi S3 Quattro (06-) - 179
Citroen C2 VTS - 115
Citroen DS3 DSport - 133
Cirtoen Saxo VTS - 128
Daihatsu Sirion Rally II - 126
Daihatsu YRV Turbo - 137
Ford Fiesta ST (05-08) - 129
Ford Focus ST (06-10) - 159
Honda Civic Type R (01-05) - 164
Mazda 3 MPS (09-) - 175
MG ZR 160 VVC (04-05) - 144
Mini Cooper S (08-) - 159
Mini JCW GP (12-13) - 185
Mitsubishi Colt CZT (05-08) - 137
Nissan Almera GTi - 113
Peugeot 106 GTi - 126
Peugeot 206 GTi (180hp) - 160 
Peugeot 207 GTi - 130
Peugeot 306 GTi-6 - 137
Peugeot 306 Rallye - 144
Proton Satria GTi - 118
Renault Clio 182 - 165
Renault Megane Renaultsport 225 (06-09) - 167
Renault Twingo Renaultsport (08-) - 125
Rover BRM LE - 134
Seat Ibiza Cupra 20VT (06-07) - 150
Seat Ibiza Cupra R (01-02) - 161
Seat Leon Cupra R (10-12) - 180
Skoda Fabia vRS (10-) - 142
Smart ForFour Brabus -  160
Subaru Impreza STi Type UK (08-) - 196
Suzuki Ignis Sport - 113
Suzuki Swift Sport (12-) - 128
Suzuki Swif Sport (06-11) - 111
Toyota Corolla T-Sport Compressor - 158
Vauxhall Astra VXR (05-10)- 170
Volkswagen Golf GTI (09-12) - 157
Volkswagen Golf R32 (05-08) - 163
Volvo C30 T5 - 156

Subaru BRZ

When I first saw the specs for this car I felt a bit underwhelmed by the power figure of 197 bhp.  I still think the looks deserve more power it is outpaced by most hot hatches, not what you expect from a Subaru sports car.  That said I do get the high revving N/A engine linked with brilliant handling.  I recently drove a Smart ForFour Brabus 1.5 turbo followed by a Clio 172 I found the frantic 2.0 litre normally aspirated engine in the Clio much more involving, I wanted to push it and take it to the red line.  I felt reluctant to rev the turbo engine hard, it just didn't feel up to it, flimsy in some way.   

So despite the lack of power I'm still intrigued by the BRZ, having now seen one in the flesh I'm beginning to think the power isn't all that important.
 

40mpg plus, 0-60 in less than 8 seconds, 2000 pound budget.

I posed this question on the Pistonheads gassing station.  Here is a summary of the suggestions plus a couple of my own.  The criteria is a bit strict and so not all the cars below fit every aspect (in fact few do) but generally I wanted a cheap fun car with a bit of performance that also return good miles per gallon.

1. Suzuki Ignis sport

40 mpg and 0-60 8.9s these can easily be found for less than 2K and having tried one out I think the 0-60 is a bit conservative.  Very hard ride but I found it very enjoyable to chuck round the corners.  The 1.5 vvt engine is very responsive and encourages you to rev it hard.

2. Renault Clio Renaultsport 172

The 182 is probably just out of budget but from the short drive I had in one of these the 172 offers more than enough power.  I don't think there is another hot hatch available below 4k nevermind 2k that can get near it for straight line speed.  35mpg, 0-60 7.2s (felt faster to me) so it doesn't quite meet the mpg requirements but definitely worth a look.

3. Toyota MR2 MK3

0-60 7.9 and 38 mpg, convertible, rear wheel drive and lightweight, I have never driven one but sounds like fun to me if you can deal with being branded a hairdresser.

4. Daihatsu Sirion Rally II

This is what I eventually went for and had in mind before I posted the question.  I didn't think I would be able to find one and hoped something more common could meet my requirements.  It turned out there were many cars I hadn't considered but in the end none were available so cheap with reasonable miles, and for me the fact its a pretty rare car played a big part.  See post below for more details.

to be continued...

Daihatsu Sirion Rally II and IV

What else can give 0-60 in 8-9 seconds, 45mpg and cost less than 2k?  I can't think of much, even recent warm hatches such as the Swift Sport and Twingo 133 Renaultsport struggle to match the pace and mpg.

OK the looks aren’t to everyone’s taste but the alloys and chrome effect trim help it stand out from the standard model.  And the performance from a normally aspirated 1.3 is quite astonishing.

Daihatsu Cuore Avanzato TR-XX R4

The Avanzato offers a driving experience like no other car I have driven, I still rue the day I sold mine, here is some specs:


















Spec

Make: Daihatsu
Model: Cuore/Mira Avanzato TRxx R4
Displacement: 659cc Turbo + Intercooler
Chassis type: L512s
No. of Doors: 3
Fuel Type: Petrol
Transmission: 5 Speed Manual
Drive System: Interchangeable 2/4WD
Stock Power: 64BHP
Stock Torque: 100Nm
0-60 MPH: 8.5 Seconds
Top Speed: 101 MPH
Kerb Weight: 768KG
Fuel Tank Capacity: 30 litres
Average MPG: 50MPG Combined
Wheel size: 5j x 110PCD
Standard Tyre Size: 155/65R 13

Top 10 Fun Cars For Under 1K

I saw an article on the parkers website listing 10 hidden gems for under 1k and thought I could come up with some better suggestions (especially better than the vauxhall omega!) so here it is in no particular order:

10.  Honda Prelude vti
9.  Honda CRX vti
8.  Rover 200 BRM

7.  Citroen Saxo VTS / Peugeot 106 GTi
6.  Proton Persona Coupe
5.  Proton Satria GTi

4.  Ford Probe 24v

3.  Toyota MR2 Mk1
2.  Fiat Coupe 20v Turbo

1.  Alfa Romeo 145 Cloverleaf