Hot Hatches Review: Fiesta vs Polo vs 308 Turbo

Well, not exactly a proper review, but more of a test-drive impression. Which means they're real cars, not die-casts. I'm planning to buy a car in the next few months, and it's going to be a hatchback, 'cos I just love hot hatches. So I've test-driven a few, namely those 3 cars in the title, and I just want to share my opinion with you guys. No pictures though, but you can always use google image search. So let's get started.

The cars: Ford Fiesta Sport 1.6L Ti-VCT, Volkswagen Polo 1.2 TSI, and Peugeot 308 Turbo.


Brief comparison:

	Ford Fiesta Sport 1.6 Ti-VCT	VW Polo 1.2 TSI	Peugeot 308 Turbo 1.6
Horsepower	118hp	104hp	156hp
Torque	150Nm	175Nm	240Nm
0-100kmh	9.9s	9.7s	9.1s
Top Speed	193kmh	190kmh	212kmh
Fuel Consumption	5.9L/100km	5.3L/100km	7.6L/100km
OTR Price	RM 82,888	RM 109,593	RM 118,888

Let's start with one of the most important aspects that influences my decision when buying a car, which is the:

Looks:

In terms of looks, I'd say the Fiesta is the best looking hot hatch among the three. Its blend of sharp lines and smooth curves looks absolutely stunning and the car looks fast even when it's not moving. The aggressive design reminds you that this car is meant to be driven to its limits. This is the sort of car that will always get your head turned even though you've seen it a million times. The Polo, on the other hand, looks rather dull to be honest. Not unexpected from a German brand. You can imagine that the first thing that comes to designer's mind when he's designing the car is the word "precise", rather than "beautiful". Mind you, it's not at all ugly, but it just doesn't look very exciting. It's as interesting as a washing machine. The Peugeot is even worse. Honestly, I can't really tell which Peugeot is which. They all have the same headlights and the same idiotic grin on the front bumper. And the 308 in particular, looks a bit feminine.

So the Fiesta is currently leading the first round. Now let's look at their:

Performance:

Looking at the spec sheets, the Peugeot has the highest horsepower among the three at 156hp. The Fiesta and the Polo has 118hp and 104hp respectively. At this point you might think that the even though the Peugeot has the most horsepower, it is also the heaviest among the three, therefore in terms of horsepower-per-tonne ratio it would probably lose to the Fiesta or the Polo. But if you calculate the hp/tonne ratio of all three, the Peugeot would still have the highest hp/tonne at 109hp/tonne, while the Fiesta and the Polo has 102hp/tonne and 92/tonne respectively.

Anyway, those are just the specs. Even though the Polo has the lowest hp/tonne ratio, it actually feels a lot quicker than the other two, thanks to the 175Nm of torque available from 1550rpm. The Peugeot might have the quickest 0-100km/h time at 9.1s, but it doesn't feel as quick as the Polo, probably due to its bigger size. Accelerating in the Polo feels like riding a roller coaster. The average speed of a roller coaster is just about 130km/h. But when you're riding one, you'd probably swear that it feels a damn lot faster than that. The average speed of a Boeing 747 is 900km/h, but I'm pretty sure that you didn't scream as much in the Boeing. Being in the Peugeot doesn't exactly feel like that, but I'm sure you get what I'm trying to say here.

In a straight line, the Polo would be a joy to drive. The quick acceleration, the seamless gear changes, and the stability at high speeds would give you a lot of fun on an open highway. When starting from a standstill, the 1.2 TSI engine feels a bit lethargic, but once the turbo kicks in, you get this sudden surge of power which will put a huge smile on your face. Peugeot's 1.6 turbocharged engine is even more capable. Even though the 308 is a lot heavier than the Polo, the 240Nm of torque could launch the car forward with ease. Plus the turbo lag in the 308 is not as noticeable as the Polo's. The Fiesta, though sporting a 1.6L engine with an extra 14hp compared to the Polo, suffers in terms of torque. It's not slow or underpowered by any means, but compared to the other two cars with turbocharged engine, this one doesn't feel as lively. The good news is, the engine sounds brilliant!

Ride and Handling:

This is where the Fiesta really shines. The car feels planted through the corners. It's like driving the car on a magnetic road. The way the car sticks to the road and the amount of grip it has make you feel like you could do anything in the Fiesta. The steering feels light, but it's still precise and gives good feedback. The Peugeot and the Polo aren't too bad, but they still have a long way to go to catch up with Fiesta's handling. Peugeot's ride is a bit on the firm side, but it doesn't really help with the corners. It does, however, help transmit the surface of the road directly to your buttocks.

Comfort:

The Fiesta and the Polo are not as big as the Peugeot, but they're still comfortable enough to sit 4 adults nicely. The Peugeot on the other hand, feels as spacious as a proper sedan. Even with the front seats pushed halfway backwards, the rear passengers still have plenty of legroom. The Peugeot would be the most comfortable for a long journey, provided you're driving on smooth tarmac without potholes and speed bumps.

Interior:

The Polo might have the best interior build quality, but it's not really packed with other features, save for the basic ones. No Bluetooth, no USB connectivity, no cruise control, no sat nav. Even though the interior is a mixture of brushed metal, soft paddings, and genuine leather, there are still some cheap plastic bits here and there. The interior of the Fiesta looks great, though you're pretty much surrounded by cheap plastic. Kinda like silicone boobs; great to look at, not so to touch. The Peugeot's interior build quality is somewhere between the Polo and the Fiesta, though in terms of features it has the most among the three. Cruise control, sunroof, USB, Bluetooth connectivity, dual zone air-con, rear air-con, and chilled glove box, to name a few. I particularly like the dual zone air-con, which provides separate air-conditioning for the driver and the front passenger. My girlfriend always complains that it's too hot and wants to set the air-con to the max, while I always complain that it's too cold and want to turn down the air-con. The dual-zone air-con should solve the problem.

Conclusion:

Hot hatches are supposed to be cheap and fun to drive, and the Fiesta fulfills these criteria brilliantly. The Peugeot is a bit too bulky, while a hot hatch is supposed to be light and nimble. And the Polo is just too boring. If the title of the review was "Fast-but-dull Hatches Review", then the Polo would've bagged the award. Now you might think that I've chosen the Fiesta as the best among the three because it's the cheapest. Well let me tell you this, if I were to have all three cars in my garage right now and I'm supposed to take one out for a spin, I would always take the Fiesta.

Aqua King: Matchbox

I was on a very tight budget last week, but I just couldn't resist picking up this:

Aqua King from Matchbox City Action 2011

Bone Shaker: HW

Some 7-Elevens might not restock with the new waves that often, and some never restocked at all, but they might still have some hidden gems from the past, such as this Bone Shaker I found at a 7-Eleven in Sungai Petani:

Bone Shaker from Hot Wheels 2006 First Editions

'68 Olds 442: HW T-Hunt

Found this hanging in the front row of the pegs at Giant recently. Guess someone left it there on purpose.

'68 Olds 442 from Hot Wheels Treasure Hunts 2011

Mustang Funny Car: HW

The Jusco near my place recently restocked with the new wave of Hot Wheels. Here is one of the cars that came with it:

Mustang Funny Car from Hot Wheels Dragsterz 2011

At first glance, you might think that this would be the second colour variation of the first Mustang Funny Car of 2011, since they both have similar tampos.

But upon closer inspection, you will notice a lot of differences.

Compared to the blue Mustang Funny Car, this one has plastic headlights and grilles, plastic rear windows, and even the overall shape of the casting looks different. It's a bit wider than the blue one as well. The previous Mustang Funny Cars have a problem whereby the body could not close properly, leaving the front end slightly lifted from the chassis, but in this one the particular problem has been fixed..or so it seems. You see, what they actually did here was fix the front end permanently to the chassis. So now the body can't be opened anymore.

You can see here that some parts, which used to be die-cast metal, have been replaced with plastic, including the main chassis. Now this might seem like just another cost-cutting measure by Mattel.

But if you look properly at the bottom of the chassis, you can see that this is actually an entirely new casting. The previous Mustang Funny Cars are actually '04 Mustang Funny Cars, while this one is a '10 Ford Mustang Funny Car. You can also see that this car was copyrighted in 2010, while previous Mustang Funny Cars were copyrighted in 2003. Oh, by the way, in case you still haven't noticed, even the illustrations on the cards are different.

So basically the previous Mustang Funny Cars were based on the 4th generation Mustang, while this one is based on the 5th generation Mustang. Just google image "2004 Mustang Funny Car NHRA" and "2010 Mustang Funny Car NHRA" and you will see the difference.

'65 Mustang: HW

A couple of classic Mustang Convertibles from the members of HWCM. Thanks bro mushr00m and bro E81! :D

Mustang 1965 from Hot Wheels Star Spangled 2 2004 and '65 Mustang from 1999 Hot Wheels

Despite the slight differences in their names, they're actually the same casting, which is a 1965 Ford Mustang Convertible.

All American baby! Unlike the newer Hot Wheels, the tampo on this one, despite covering almost every inch of the car, is perfect! Now waiting for the Jalur Gemilang version.

I wouldn't mind having a real Mustang with this sort of tampo. Looks awesome!

Mustang Mach 1: HW Super Chromes

Enough rants, now let's get back to the main purpose of this blog, which is to spread more poisons!! As usual, bro mushr00m helped me with this one. Thanks bro! :)

Mustang Mach 1 from Hot Wheels Super Chromes

The shiniest Mustang I have ever had in my collection.

*Anyway, I bought a 2010 Ford Mustang GT and a Bone Shaker today. Rather than opening a new thread, I've decided to just add them to the previous threads. The updated threads can be found here:

• Bone Shaker
• 2010 Ford Mustang GT

Dear P1 Wimax..

Dear P1 Wimax,

           How are you? I'm sure you're doing well. I mean, you've been getting a lot of new subscribers lately, and these innocent people are paying you hundreds of their hard earned ringgits every month just so that you could buy the brand new BMW 7 Series I saw this afternoon, gleaming under the sunlight, parked right in front of your brand new Packet Hub headquarters in Petaling Jaya. Nice building by the way, I'm sure it must've cost you quite a lot of money. Not your money of course. Despite the enormous size of the building, the number of parking spaces allocated for your visitors can be counted with my fingers. But it's okay, I eventually managed to find a parking spot after making a few rounds.
         Anyway, the main reason I'm writing you this letter is because I miss you. To be precise, I miss the old you. Remember when we first met? You were very friendly and helpful, and you always tried your best to make me happy. You were very quick when it comes to signing up to one of your broadband packages, and you're just as quick when it comes to blocking my internet connection when you claimed that I still haven't paid the monthly fee even though I have clearly proven that I have paid my bills. But you didn't trust me. Just because you received the money a few days late, which by the way was the bank's fault, you put the blame on me instead. What happened to the trust you had in me? I told you that it was the bank's fault, and I even sent you the screenshot which clearly shows that I have paid the bills. But you didn't believe me. Rather than checking with the bank, you simply decided to suspend my internet account for 3 days. And I even had to pay the internet connection fee for those 3 days during which there was no internet connection. Now isn't that ironic? Anyway, I have already put those things behind me. I have decided to forgive you, and give you another chance. Another chance to make things right, so that I could call you a friend again.
          Clearly, you have decided to take advantage of the chance I had given. When we first met, I have precisely told you that I wanted to subscribe to the 1 year plan. The registration form clearly shows that I have indeed subscribed to the 1 year plan. But for some reason, you keyed in the wrong data, and the system shows that I have subscribed to the 2 year plan. I've called you, sent you e-mails, filled the feedback forms, and even told you in person that you've made a mistake, and you just keep on saying that you will forward the matter to the relevant department, but until now, not a single action has been taken. The system still shows that I have subscribed to the 2 year plan.
           So when I decided to terminate my subscription after using your service for 1 and a half years, you said that I needed to pay a termination fee of RM299 because I haven't reached the 2 year term as mentioned in the contract. I've explained to you countless times that it was your mistake, I even have the black and white proof (the registration form) that I have subscribed to the 1 year plan, but you just kept on saying "but the system shows you have subscribed to the 2 year plan". No matter what I say, you would just reply with "but the system shows you have subscribed to the 2 year plan". You're the one who keyed in the wrong data into the fucking system, and you're putting the blame on me? Because of this matter, I had to travel to various places this afternoon, stuck in the traffic jam under the hot blazing sun, just because of YOUR stupid mistake! Now tell me, is it wrong for me to be angry under these circumstances? Your terminal P1 branches couldn't even handle this case and I had to travel all the way to Petaling Jaya to your HQ just so that you could tell me that I need to pay you the modem fee of RM200 in lump sum even though we've agreed in the registration form that I could pay by installment. Where the hell am I supposed to find RM200 in that instant? What use is the registration form then if it's not a record of what we have agreed on upon registration? I don't mean to be rude, but how the fuck do you do business? And why do I have to settle this case at your HQ in PJ? Are the people working at the terminal branches too fucking retarded to understand the meaning of "I want to terminate my subscription"? What do you hire them for then? You'd be better off hiring zombies. They're just as brainless as your staffs, but they don't sleep, they're immortal, and you don't even have to pay them.
         Fine, if the money matters that much to you, I'll pay it. But trust me, this matter will be brought to the consumer association, and I'm going to spread the word to everyone regarding your fucking retarded service, so that less innocent people will fall into your trap like I did. I hope you go to hell.

Yours truly
Danny

Mustang Cobra: HW

Got a couple of Mustangs in a mint condition for a very good price.

Mustang Cobra from Hot Wheels Speed Blaster Series 2000 (blue) and 1999 Hot Wheels (gold)

I feel sorry for the owner who kept these 2 beauties in such a good condition for more than a decade...

...because all of his efforts have just gone to waste when the Mustangs are in my hands. Muahahaha!

Volkswagen Scirocco: Siku

I bet you guys are getting bored with the usual Hot Wheels, Matchbox and Tomica right? So today I present you, for the first time ever in Blog 23, a die-cast from Siku! Special thanks to bro SanLino! :)

Volkswagen Scirocco from Siku

Just so you know, 'siku' means 'elbow' in Malay.

This little pamphlet was included with the package. It was folded and neatly tucked beneath the car as you can see in the first picture.

Anyway, let's get going to the actual die-cast.

For a price slightly lower than a Hot Wheels Garage series, you get a thick and solid die-cast body, an even paint job, detailed tampos, painted grilles and foglights, rubber tires, opening doors, plastic headlights and taillights, detailed interior, and the list goes on. Worth it? Totally. And by the way, the size of the car is slightly larger than the usual 1:64 die-casts from other brands.

If you look close enough, you can actually make out the word "Scirocco" and "2.0 TSI" at the back of the car. Perfectly aligned, no smudges whatsoever.

The interior accurately resembles the interior of the real car. Meaning the shape of the steering wheel, the air-con ducts, the dashboard, and everything else is similar to the ones found in the real car.

Even the door panels are shaped like the ones in the real car. 

The performance specs of the car are embossed at the bottom of the chassis. From here you can make out that the Volkswagen Scirocco 2.0 TSI has 210 PS (155 KW) at 6000 U/min. Siku is a German brand by the way, and U/min stands for Umdrehungen pro Minute, which basically means revolutions per minute (RPM).

The 1984 ccm and 4 Zyl. refers to the engine. The Germans use ccm rather than cc, and the Zyl. stands for Zylinders, which, as you have guessed it, means cylinders. Top speed is 240 km/h.

If I were to rate this die-cast, it would easily get a 9/10. The 1 point that it didn't get is simply because it is not a Mustang.

Bone Shaker: HW

Thanks to the poisons from the guys at Hot Wheels Club Malaysia, now I'm starting to collect the Bone Shaker as well. I won't get too serious about it though, since I have to reserve my budget for more Mustangs.

Bone Shaker from Hot Wheels Hot Rods 2010

There's just something really cool about hot rods with a chromed skull in front of them. I can see why this casting is very popular among Hot Wheels collectors.

*Update: Found the blue one today.

Ford Mustang GT Concept: HW

I found this little gem at Mudah.my, thanks to zoomckng's info. :)

Ford Mustang GT Concept from Hot Wheels 2004 First Editions

Apart from the taillights and the glass roof, the production 2005 Ford Mustang GT looks very similar to the Mustang GT Concept.