Intro
RM70,000 would get you capable cars like the new Proton Persona, a top spec Perodua Myvi, or even an entry level Toyota Vios. But did you know you can now get a 200bhp hot hatch for about the same price?
The Volkswagen Polo GTi, Peugeot 208 GTi and the Ford Fiesta ST may cost between RM50,000 to RM80,000 in the second hand market, depending on spec and condition. But how risky is it to buy a pre-loved performance hatch? These are the last of the entry level performance hatches from Europe, and with no successor from any of the brands, it could be a while before we see anything similar in the Malaysian market.
These cars are almost 5-6 years old now. But is it worth getting one in 2019? We check out these 3 high mileage performance cars with the help of MyTukar, your trusted and transparent online car selling platform. We check and see if they come with the right type of tech, maintenance, and performance by handing them over to Malaysian Rally Legend, Karamjit Singh, in this episode of Route Hunters.
Exterior
There’s no mistaking that even after 5-odd years these car’s look lovely and striking. It may not be immediately apparent but even your mother would be able to tell that there’s something different with the way these cars look like when compared to their base variants.
The Polo looks like a shrunken Golf GTi with those 5 spoke rims, twin tailpipes, red accent on the front grill and that GTi insignia plastered on the front, side and rear of the car. Also there’s a very large retractable panoramic roof to distinguish it against the lesser Polo’s
The Peugeot 208 GTi though looks a little more aggressive when compared with the Polo GTi, with a spoiler, twin tailpipes, a spoiler and the GTi badge to set it apart from the VTi 3 door. From the side things really look different with its twin colored 17 inch rims and the additional side skirts and wheel arches. Even the front sports a different headlamp design and a red accent on the grill.
But the Fiesta ST takes the crown for having the most aggressive looks here. Only the ST’s come in 3 door format, so you cant mistake it for anything else. It has the most aggressive front bumper, lovely 17 inch rims and has some striking side skirts. The rear end is finished with a more aggressive bumper and, you guessed it, twin tail pipes.
Which exterior design appeals to you the most? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
Interior
On the inside, the performance models get subtle lifts from their lesser variants. All 3 cars come with leather wrapped sports steering wheels with the variant brandings on them. Both the GTi’s get flat bottomed steering wheels, while the ST gets a more conventional looking one.
The Polo GTi gets the signature tartan seat trims which are synonymous with GTi variants from Volkswagen, right from the very beginning. You also get spots pedals and the side skid plates are labelled with the words GTi. The gear knob comes with leather with the words DSG embossed into it. Its the only car to come with an opening panoramic roof and also the only car here with 4 doors, making it the most practical car of the bunch. The car comes with the Volkswagen RCD310 CD/MP3 player headunit with USB/iPod connectivity, with steering wheel control.
The Peugeot 208 GTi, just like the Polo GTi, sports a seat trim that pays homage to its predecessors. The sports pedals here are well spaced, making heel and toe easy. It only comes with a manual 6 speed gearbox and the chunky gear lever feels nice to use. Be mindful of it though on hot days. Its the only car here with a 7 inch touchscreen and has Bluetooth and navigation, but there’s no CD player. The panoramic roof here is also as big as the Polo’s but this time its a fixed design.
Compared to the rather luxurious interiors of the Polo GTi and 208 GTi, the interior of the Ford Fiesta ST may seem a little juvenile. It has a more edgy design with little to no amount of leather used. However it does redeem itself with the ST graphics on the steering, the skid plates on the doors, and those gorgeous Recaro buckets. Hands down its the best seat among the 3 cars here. Its comfortable, very supportive and its gorgeous to look at. The gear knob may not look too different from the 208 GTi but it feels a lot tighter and the throws are shorter. The Ford’s SYNC headunit features voice command. Just like the Peugeot you cant play your CD’s in this car but there’s Bluetooth connectivity and Aux connection for your iPod and USB drives.
Engine
All 3 cars come with direct injected, force induction 4 cylinder engines with a displacement of 1.6 and less. The Polo GTi has the most complicated engine here, its 1.4 liter engine is both turbocharged and supercharged to produce 177bhp and 250Nm of torque, which is sent to the front wheels via a 7 speed double clutch gearbox. The engine itself sounds good with whine of the supercharger and the whistle of the turbocharger. The gearbox is very smooth and it was impossible for the other cars to match the Polo’s shift times, which did give it an advantage on the circuit. We will come to that later. Its good to send this car to a claimed 0-100kph in 6.9 seconds and a top speed of 230kph. The claimed consumption figure of the Polo GTi was 5.9 liters / 100km when new, with real world figures sitting in the region of about 7.4 liters/100km to 8.0 liters/100km. That means the average theoretical fuel range for RM50 of Ron 95 fuel would be about 312km.
The Peugeot 208 GTi has the highest output here, 200bhp and 275nm to be exact, from a 1.6 liter engine. The THP200 engine is turbocharged with a boost pressure of 1.2 bar and after 139,000km, its still consistent. The GTi comes with only a manual 6 speed gearbox, which is pretty robust and has a light clutch feel. The exhaust gives a discreet rumble which also gets louder over time, and you can hear the diverter valve each time you lift off the throttle. The 208 GTi gets to 100kph supposedly faster than the Polo GTi, at 6.8 seconds and hit a top speed of 230kph. Its claimed consumption is 5.9l/100km, with real world figures sitting in the region of 7.9l/100km – 8.5l/100km. Which means RM50 of Ron 95 will get you to 293km
The Fiesta ST is the meanest sounding car here with a throaty rasp coming from the 1.6 liter ecoboost engine. Its also a lot more rev-happy compared to the Polo and the Peugeot, putting out 182bhp and 240Nm of torque, with an overboost function. All the cars still feel very fresh after nearly 6 digits of mileage on the clock. The clutch is alot more heavier in the Fiesta and the gearshift feels a lot more better compared to the Peugeot 208 GTi. The exhaust note is also a lot more racier than the other two with a more distinctive note. Once again the on paper performance is at a dead heat with the 0-100kph time at 6.9 seconds and the top speed at 224kph. Consumption is also claimed at 5.9 liters / 100km with real world consumption at 8.2-8.9l/100km. That means RM50 on Ron 95 will last yo to 281km.
Prelude to part 2
So far we can see that these cars boast performance figures way off the Toyota Vios or the Perodua Myvi, and offer some pretty cool interior equipment. Based on the real world consumption figures, they are not too thirsty on fuel either.
But how much will it cost to run a pre-loved hot hatch like these 3? We give you a full breakdown from common issues to running costs of these hot hatches, together with a track shootout to see which one is the fastest, in the next Episode of Route Hunters.
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