Enjoyable hot hatch for an old man?

Am I searching for the holy grail? As an older chap I am now looking for slower thrills - seeking an enjoyable drive with the following features:

Small car (city car/supermini/no larger than Golf), sub 11 second 0-60, enjoyable, snickety manual gearbox, characterful, rorty sounding petrol engine, supple suspension capable of coping with potholed roads, reasonable interior quality, ideally not too “in your face”, fairly anonymous looking, ideally less than 10 yrs old but open to suggestion (the newer the better to see me out), budget £30,000.

I really do not want to go very fast!! Hoping you can help with your extensive knowledge!

Asked on 25 July 2023 by

Answered by David Ross

Although you have said you want a hot hatch, the first car that springs to mind is the Mazda MX-5. It ticks a lot of the boxes you are looking for, and the 1.5-litre version is quick enough while offering more supple suspension than the 2.0-litre versions. It offers a very focussed driving experience and is fun to drive even when not travelling quickly, so it should provide the thrills you are looking for without risking your licence.

If you are set on a hot hatch then we would suggest looking at cars like the Hyundai i20N, Volkswagen Up GTi or the Suzuki Swift, which are sporty without being too showy or straying into super-hatch performance levels.

Tags: performance cars hot hatches fun to drive

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