What_Car_UK_-_August_2020

CAR

OF THE

YEAR

2020

Hot hatch

Hot hatches

LESS THAN £23,000

Abarth 595

Our pick 1. 4 T-Jet 145

List price £17, 010 Target Price £17, 010

MPG 39.2 CO 2 162g/km

For Exquisite design details; straight-line

performance; nimble on twisty roads.

Against Rivals are more involving to drive;

odd driving position; expensive to buy.

WHATCAR?SAYS

Volkswagen Up GTI

Our pick 1.0 TSI 115 5dr

List price £16,535 Target Price £15,947

MPG 53.3 CO 2 121g/km

For Gutsy little engine; grippy and

surefooted; super value.

Against Rivals are more involving to drive;

weak infotainment; poor safety rating.

WHAT CAR?SAYS

Ford Fiesta ST

Our pick ST-2 Performance Pack 3dr

List price £22,715 Target Price £21,278

MPG 40.4 CO 2 158g/km

For Strong, characterful engine, engaging

handling, fun at all speeds.

Against It’s easily upset by bumps and the

interior feels a bit low-rent.

WHAT CAR? SAYS

BEST

BUY

£23,000-£28,000

Volkswagen Polo GTI

Our pick 2.0 TSI +

List price £24,865 Target Price £23,565

MPG 39.8 CO 2 160 g/km

For Comfortable in everyday use, with lots of

grip; quicker than the Fiesta ST.

Against Not as agile as its rivals; relatively

unexciting to drive; auto gearbox only.

WHATCAR?SAYS

Ford Fiesta ST

Our pick Performance Edition 3dr

List price £26,815 Target Price £ 2 5 ,112

MPG 40.4 CO 2 158g/km

For A better ride quality than other Fiesta STs

and the same magical handling.

Against The interior isn’t as classy as the

Polo’s and the steering is low on feedback.

WHAT CAR?SAYS

Hyundai i30 N

Our pick 2.0 T-GDi 250

List price £25,9 95 Target Price £25,9 95

MPG 34.9 CO 2 185g/km

For Responsive engine, great exhaust note,

awesome B-road ability and decent kit.

Against Steering feel could be better and

real-world economy disappoints.

WHAT CAR? SAYS

BEST

BUY

MORE THAN £28,000

Renault Mégane RS

Our pick 280 Cup

List price £ 3 0 ,18 0 Target Price £ 2 7,18 9

MPG 35.8 CO 2 178 g/k m

For Incredible agility; sweet-sounding

engine; cheaper to buy than the Type R.

Against So-so performance; rm ride;

you will want to add a few options.

WHAT CAR? SAYS

Mercedes-AMGA45

Ourpick2.0S 4Matic+

Listprice£50,595TargetPrice£ 49,236

MPG32.8CO 2 194g/km

ForOff-the-scalesavageperformance

andimmensegrip.

AgainstLacksthehandlingdelicacyof

somerivals,andit’ssuper-expensive.

WHATCAR?SAYS

BEST

BUY

NORIVALSHAVEdestroyedallcomerslikethe

CivicTypeR.Believeitornot,thefactthatthe

TypeRcancornerfasterthansomesupercars

andfeelslikearoad-legaltouringcarracer

aren’ttheonlyreasonswhyitwins.Itwins

overallbecauseit’ssomulti-dimensional,

beingoneoftheroomiest,mostcomfortable

andbest-equippedhothatchesyoucanbuy,

aswellasoneofthequickest.

Ourpick2.0VTECTurboGT

Listprice£34,320

TargetPrice£34,320

MPG33.2CO 2 na

ForHandlesbrilliantly,yetsurprisingly

comfortableandeasytolivewith.

AgainstInfotainmentsystemis poorand

theenginecouldsoundmorespecial.

WHATCAR?SAYS

Honda Civic Type R

Go to whatcar.com/new-car-deals for the most up-to-date Target Prices^ August 2020 109