My minivan wasn’t dead last, I have that to be grateful for.
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more like “honda”
Wait what?!? My lawn mower is top 12?!? 
cheerfull to the top
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If you built a lawnmower it would still lap the Nur a full minute faster than a Golf GTI
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its not about how good the car is. its about time
Komodo Strava: @koolkei: 4:53.23
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Maesima must be fuming, looks like Komodo got the clean end of the stick in this deal! The Strava, by virtue of enhanced aero, 131Kw, balanced chassis tuning and quality tyres has managed to reach nearly the top ten!
Costing only $13,130, the Strava would be an out-n-out bargain except for one fundamental flaw; it’s only a two seater. I cannot stress this enough, hot hatches have 4 seats, hairdresser’s cars have 2 seats!!! But one thing is very clear; if you want one of these cars, buy the Komodo version!
Verdict: The perfect hot hatch for your hairdresser friend!
Kramer K1 S: @abg7: 4:52.36
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Sitting just outside the top ten is the Kramer K1 S. Priced at $16,250, the Kramer manages to be both an excellent hot hatch, packing 129Kw from 1.8L, and a decent commuter with a negligible thirst (8.15l/100Km of 91RON), neutral chassis dynamics and lots of safety gear. It’s a shame then that you’d lose it in the carpark at the supermarket.
I’ve heard of hiding your light under a bushel but the Kramer takes it to ridiculous extremes, plus a dark shade of blue just makes the shape all the more forgettable. This car is begging for, and worthy of, a bodykit, flares and some vents, damnit!!! If you need inspiration, just look at Bogliq’s racing cars, halve the vents, shrink the wings and you’ll have enough styling cues for a brace of performance Kramers!
Verdict: You’ll drive the K1 S just so you don’t fall asleep looking at it!
Armada Fore Superlite: @strop: 4:51.68
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Here we are at the top ten, here there be dragons etc. Number 10 is occupied by the Armada Fore Superlite, which is, as far as we can tell, a homologation version of a racecar for a race series no-one’s started yet! This car has been stripped down to it’s bones and had only the bare minimum replaced to ensure that the car is both legal and superlight.
What does that mean for the driver? A basic interior means thin seats, no console, bare metal where trims once where and 4 lightweight pads in the rear instead of a full bench base and upright. Oh boy is it loud in here, luckily then the lads at Armada didn’t waste time with anything but the basic stereo then!
The engine isn’t spared either with 101Kw being produced from a 1.4L four cylinder and suspension that is tuned to go everywhere, FAST! The Fore also only uses 6.6L per 100Km and it uses 91RON so the owner of a Superlight doesn’t need a heavy wallet! How much does one cost? $12,480 and you can have one of these bad boys for your own…
This thing is insane, every nerve is alive with information and every drive is an intensity of emotion not seen since the last time Leonardo DeCaprio died on-screen! You get out of this car exhausted, yet you want to go again because it’s that good!
Bad points? Looks kinda bland and you’ll want to go on a diet to live up to your cars expectations. Saminda would be wise to build a car like this, just to inject some raw joy back into their range!
Verdict: 100% refined driving pleasure, use responsibly!
RW Designs HSi4: @Speedemon: 4:51.66
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RW Designs comes in at No. 9 with their HSi4. I hate this car, not because it’s bad, but because it’s a turbo car. A similar approach as what was taken at Armada has resulted in a very similar overall result. The HSi4 is extremely well setup and it too has been stripped for lightness (although not to the same extent as the Fore) yet the turbo engine robs the HSi4 of the extreme edge the Fore’s powerplant provided and dulls the driving experience. At $14,690 you could buy the Fore and a year of Chiropractor visits…
Truth is, I’m mad because all the HSi4 owner needs to do is up the boost and they’ll go faster. The Fore won’t without a major re-work of it’s engine. The HSi4 is a great car for speed freaks and a not-so-good one for commuters and will make any enthusiast proud; once something’s done about those looks, hahaha!
Verdict: Buy a HSi4 and get a free trip to the USA to pre-purchase the new Fisker Karma…
Smooth Tornado S: @AirJordan: 4:51.44
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Placing at 8th on the list is the Smooth Tornado S. Who’d have thought a 1.2L Turbo four crossover with 88Kw would beat so many hot hatches down the mountain? Well, it did and it’s a testament to the engineers over at Smooth that the Tornado lives up to it’s name.
The interior of the Tornado is a great place to be, all sporty and stylish, although the stereo is a bit low-rent, and there are seats for four adults. The styling is really nice and I can see many units sold on looks alone. The Tornado uses fuel at an amazing 6L per 100Km and it uses the 91RON variety which is really handy. What isn’t handy is the price, with the Tornado S costing $17,160 which is a lot for such a small car.
But it is real world fast and that’s enough for us at Mountain Pass, we love the Tornado S and if you buy one, you will too…
Verdict: A crossover that doesn’t leave us cross-eyed, buy one and you’ll be glad you did!
Zavir Cittadino Sportivo: @szafirowy01: 4:51.21
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At lucky no. 7 on our list is the Zavir Cittadino Sportivo, which probably hails from the same part of the world as the Brivio, the Sportivo is a badass hot hatch which manages to overpower the ultralights without resorting to stripping everything out of the car. This is achieved by using a 130Kw, 1.7L 4 cylinder, to power the beast; which is achieved on 95RON fuel. The sportivo does kinda cheat by installing a crappy stereo but the interior is nice and comfy, rather than bare-bones.
Looks classy, although less exotic than the Brivio, but a bit conservative for our tastes. A new Sportivo will set you back $15,600, which is a good deal on the face of it, but resale might bite due to a lack of dealers around the country.
Verdict: Nice Euro with a real spring in it’s step, worth every penny!
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you sure they wouldn’t also have to adjust the fuel mix and chamge the exhaust manifold and…
Looks like I turned up to this contest with a stripped out Boy racer, oops. Should I have used standard interior? But then, that isn’t the Armada way!
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I seem to recall differently.
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In defense of the K1’s styling, I deliberately made it look very understated so as not to draw unwanted attention from local law enforcement, ensuring that whoever is driving it will be more likely to have a blast behind the wheel… That’s basically the whole point of a Q-car, which looks unassuming but is actually a serious performance car underneath its subdued exterior.
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The Ceres has standard interior because it’s designed to be a budget competitor to the likes of BMW. Armada tend to pitch cheaper but also with less fancy interior as a whole, so you could say Ceres eschewed premium interior. No Armada car uses premium interior, and for sportier, they tend to take Weight out, hence basic interior.
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my car apparently faster than most of entry, isn’t even impressive in airfield test track
Pragata Puspa S: @Denta: 4:50.39
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No. 6 sees the Pragata Puspa S stand up and take a bow… Dis-regarding the whole " I wanted a hot hatch and was given a WRX" vibe I’m feeling right now, the Puspa is one mean machine. Having somehow solved the “pedestrian gouged to death” dilemma with pop-up headlights, the Puspa carves a swathe through it’s FWD competion. Yup, the Puspa is packing AWD and a turbocharged 1.7L four cylinder engine making 175Kw which makes it a rocket in a straight line. Unfortunately the pop-up headlights don’t really gel well with the rest of the design so the Puspa ends up looking slightly awkward, kinda like a body-builder in a tuxedo…
The Puspa S, in our opinion, represents poor buying for what it is and at $19,890, costs a lot of cash to gain a second over the $16k Cittadino. Is the Puspa S an excellent car? Yes, yes it is. Is the Puspa S a better hot hatch? No, no it’s not, other Barry…
Verdict: Fine rally-car replica, terrible hot hatch!
Scarab Flare RS: @gridghost: 4:49.63
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No. 5 is ALIVEEEE!!! Couldn’t help myself! At No. 5 is where the Scarab Flare RS resides. Making 113Kw from 1.6L of four cylinder, this AWD, turbocharged beast is a real livewire. The suspension has been tuned to attempt to erase all understeer and it has pretty much nailed it, with actual sports buckets keeping the driver in their place. This car doesn’t drink too much at 9.7L per 100Km and it prefers 91RON yet the stereo is nice and there’s room for 4 adults.
The Flare RS looks really good as well so what’s the catch? Simple. The car costs $18,980 and trying to get an AWD turbo-car insured is a nightmare. If you’re rich then you won’t mind but for a first car? Not on your life!
Verdict: As always, insurance turns up and spoils the party, yup it’s THAT good!
Mott Works Gemini: @rcracer11m: 4:49.55
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At 4th place is the Gemini by Mott Works, a rather peculiar looking entrant that has redefined what to expect from a NA FWD car. This car’s first trick is achieving 5.9L per 100km on 91RON whilst producing 119Kw! The Gemini also has a well sorted chassis and a nice interior with only a cheap stereo to ruin the view. The Gemini costs $16510 which is good value but beware the resale monster!
The only real downside of the car is it’s visuals. It looks frumpy and heavy boned, even though it isn’t, and it just doesn’t look anything like what it’s performance suggests. But it’s hardcore enough that we at Mountain Pass can say; close your eyes and just feel the power!
Verdict: The first car when the ownership experience is enhanced by visual impairment!
Licorne Aubagne: @Darkshine5: 4:48.36
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3rd place goes to… Licorne’s Aubagne!!! When we asked for hot hatches to test, some bright spark said “the Aubagne has a liftback so that’s close enough”. Well we’re glad they did because this car is crazy! When you think FWD coupe you instantly think of manky, cheap Bogliq’s but Licorne has built a proper weapon. Packing a 163Kw, 3.8L V6, the Licorne literally tears up the pavement wherever it goes. The suspension is super sharp and it’s good on fuel as well, using only 9L per 100Km (91RON too!).
So the only catch is the price, at $19890 this car was right on the top of the budget and Licorne’s design language can best be described as “colourful”. Still, this car is epic and worth every cent of it’s hefty asking price.
Verdict: Buy one, you only live once!
HH96: @Zabhawkin: 4:44.91
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The pentultimate entrant in this list is also one of the more controversial entrants. Why? Because it’s hideous! We have taken the photo at the best angle, which hides the travesties of this cars proportions but it’s so ugly it hurts…
It’s also very fast on the downhill, which annoys us no end as we have to put this car on our cover… Where kids, children, could see it and hurt their eyes! Will someone just think of the CHILDREN!!! Ahem. Looks aside, this car packs a 167Kw, 2.4L V6, and uses lots of fuel, 12.2L per 100Km to be exact, although to be fair it runs on 91RON.
It handles alright, I guess, with a neutral stance and the interior is a nice place to be as you can’t see the outside from the cabin but since it costs $18,720 you can’t afford one so move along, nothing to see here folks!
Verdict: Love it or hate it, this car certainly can haul ass down a mountain pass!!
Hamster 250: @Ornate: 4:44.85
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And so this is Christmas, and what have you done… Ooops, wrong list!
Number One!!!
The winner of our mega test today is the Hamster 250!!! This car also looks like it escaped from the 80’s but it is only matched by the Renolt 5 for boundary breaking… The 250 comes fitted with, behind the rear seats, a 3.2L, V6 which produces a gobsmacking 188Kw! Power is sent to all the wheels and the car is capable of 9L per 100Km while drinking 91RON fuel.
Driving impressions? Spooky is the word I’d use. Doesn’t matter if it’s alloy or iron, 3.2L V6’s are heavy and that’s a lot of weight to be placing to the rear of such a short-wheelbase car. This car is probably capable of going faster but the test driver had too many near misses to go all out on the timed lap. A real handful, the Hamster 250 is not a car for novices!
BTW, the Hamster costs $14,820 which is too much car for your money, in our opinion here at Mountain Pass. Only buy one if you REALLY know what you’re doing!
Verdict: Leave this Hamster to the professionals, buy a Cittadino instead!
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We all know Life is not a Malfunction. (Yes, I got the Short Circuit reference.)
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CSR29: Phase II: The family’s picks
Ok, there are three people who have a say in this decision; my Mum, my Dad and me.
My Mum chose the Znopresk Zap SuperS because she likes the Znopresk brand, the price is good and the car is reliable and cheap to own.
My Dad, on the other hand, recalled the fun cars of his youth and selected the Armada Fore Superlight because it was one of the cheapest cars on the test, it has nothing that can break and it’s lots of fun to drive.
My choice was the Renolt 5, because it’s different, sounds awesome and is cheap on fuel.
At the end of the first round, my choice was dropped because the Renolt has hardly any dealer support, could be hard to find parts for and could be costly to insure… I was bummed but I accepted their wisdom in these matters.
But which car to choose? The Super S was comfy, reliable and easy to look after. The Armada Superlite was frantic, simple and excellent value for money…
My Choice???
The Znopresk Zap Super S: I need to learn how to drive well and the Zap will keep me from killing myself as I learn. There are plenty of Znopresk dealers here in Aus and I can get plenty of genuine and aftermarket parts for my Super S. In short, the best beginners hot hatch is made by the wizards at Znopresk! @NormanVauxhall
Yes, I bought one in Yellow, I don’t want people to think I drive a Bogliq! 
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FOREVER BRIDESMAID AGAIN maaaan and I thought I was totally on the money this time, so close.
your dad is cool but. Let’s have a beer sometime.
But even more remarkably, Norman won, and you said you couldn’t win huh!?
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Damn good writing, thanks so much for these HOL! 
Is there one more?
That’s enough for me! 
Well done Norman 
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And obviously congrats to So close and yet so far well done HOL. I stand by the Aubagne as a proper crazy european high end hot hatch ( or thats what i was going for )
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17th and praise. i’ll take it!!!
Damn… I won…
I really didn’t expect to be under the 5:00 minute mark. It turned out decently fast at the end.
Thanks to @HighOctaneLove for hosting this round and for choosing the best money can buy!
After all…
##Znopresk, we’ll provide you the best!
Give me some hours to figure out if I can host the next CSR.
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