Five Things: Fun cars at a reasonable price

Monday, 14 September 2020

It jumps, it skids, it cocks a rear wheel: see the Ford Fiesta ST loose on the track.

Sometimes, an excess of power isn't the only key to a fun car. We break down five of the most fun-to-drive cars at five attainable prices.

Under $30k: Suzuki Swift Sport

$29,990 gets you a properly sharp little hatchback, complete with a manual transmission.

The Swift Sport edges under the $30k mark in manual guise (the one to get, in my opinion) by ten whole dollars and it is superb. Read above to see how superb it is with a six-speed automatic and then add some points for the manual. Okay, I’m a bit of a three-pedal apologist but I’ll balance it out by admitting the six-speed auto is a great choice too. Unfortunately it adds a thousand to the going price which means it doesn’t qualify in this price point.

The Fiesta feels utterly alive and brilliantly angry in its approach to life, with a fantastically aggressive three-cylinder snarl and suitably pugnacious power delivery.

Under $40k: Ford Fiesta ST

The 595 Competizione has the purposeful stance of a muscle car, albeit in about half scale.

There is a strong case to be made for the VW Polo GTI but the inline-three-plus-manual (sorry) combination is too good to pass up. Plus, the Fiesta ST is cheaper by a few grand. It doesn’t make as much torque (290Nm vs 320Nm) but the two are equal on power. I personally prefer the looks of the Blue Oval too. The triple is an intoxicating engine configuration, offering a burble unlike any other on the market and the Fiesta chassis just begs to be tossed around.

With the 228kW Honda Civic Type R you're going to have trouble with both the taste police and real police.

Under $50k: Abarth 595 Competizione

It’s not a real Mustang, you say? Try and beat it around a track.

If we ignore reason and needs for practicality, one of the most fun cars you can drive for less than fifty stacks is the Abarth 595 Competizione. It’s uncomfortable, the automatic transmission sucks and if you hold your index finger and thumb a millimetre apart you’ve got more storage room than the Abarth but oh boy, that engine is something else. It’s 132kW/250Nm turbo four-cylinder that sounds like it belongs in a DTM racer and goes like it too. Just don’t try and take a date out in it.

Under $60k: Honda Civic Type R

In the same way you need to ignore any need for practicality with the Abarth, you need to have skin thicker than an armadillo to drive the Civic Type R in public. In its defence, it doesn’t look as polarising as it once did, thanks to the likes of Audi and Mercedes bringing out more edgy and venty designs but it’s still a bit of an Autobot. But those laughing will shut up once you get out of the city and leave them in the dust. Three years on and this is still one of the sharpest hot hatches around, and it arguably has the best manual transmission on the market.

Under $70k: Ford Mustang Ecoboost

Ah, the Ecoboost Mustang. Long maligned for not being a “real Mustang” but consistently keeping pace around the racetrack, Ford’s 2.3-litre turbocharged four-pot received an update this year to raise outputs to 236kW/448Nm and it’s worth your attention. A lighter engine means less weight over the front, which means better handling and despite the green creds in the name and CO2 deposits, the new Ecoboost engine goes hard enough to give V8 owners sweaty feet. All we really ask for is a bigger blow-off valve and massive ‘80s-style ‘TURBO’ graphics along the sides.