I get that different people will like different things. Personally,I bought a 208 GTI. I felt that it was the best all-rounder. Comfortable ride, whilst still being sporty. I feel you just see too many Fiestas, and with being a heavier car it didn't actually return as high MPG. The renault clio I almost immediately disregarded due to not being able to have a proper manual gearbox. I like a clutch and gear stick, and the whole feeling of changing gear, and people have all been saying the gearbox in a clio is woeful. I wouldn't say it was or wasn't, but personally I just prefer a manual. What did you all actually buy and why? (And please, no ford fanboys calling me an idiot for buying the 208 and saying "fieshta iz best coz iz ford bruv!")
I've owned two Fords and had access to a third. Where's this brilliant, smile-a-minute handling? I just found them humdrum and I've heard that many people have been misled by the motoring press constantly singing the praises of Fiestas, Mondeos and Focuses. Maybe I'm wrong, but faced with a choice between the 208, Clio and Fiesta, then I'd always go for the 208 GTi. Its maturity is something that has to properly be experienced. It's the only flyweight hot hatch you can live with every single day on every single type of road, that doesn't constantly nag you to go faster, but rewards you immensely when you do. The Fiesta, Clio, Polo etc are designed to make statements, to go on a track (spoiler: 99% of owners never do this), but the 208 is a complete design. It's not a toy or a go-kart, it's a car. And unlike all the others, it doesn't broadcast that you're a hooligan!
Fiesta ST has a very stiff ride compared to the 208 GTi. If you don't ferry people around and you can live with the constant wiggling around, the ST is fine. Daily drive with easy live-ability, definitely the 208 GTi.
Darren Loke ive had a couple of abarth 500s, i just like them. Anyway, the ride was choppy and fidgety, and could not get the ST for that reason, amongst others. The 208 seems to have great reviews as regards comfort, and as im 47 i like that, plus having the power.
Everyone new the fiesta was going to win. They moan when hot hatches have stiff suspensions and are uncomfortable on the road but when they test the 208 gti they say it is too comfortable? Talk about crazy how many people who buy hot hatches buy them for driving on b roads hehe most people buy them for looks and just to be noticed.
Have an ST, bought it the other week and love it. Have driven the Renault and found that it was boring in comparison. Fiesta is a little slower in a straight line, but for an extra £600 you can have 215bhp with mountune upgrade (ford approved, doesnt affect warranty) and its still cheaper than all the others, but also more powerful now too.
Test driven all three.The fiesta is the cheapest looking and most common i agree. i drove the mountune version nice and nippy but no quicker than my tuned Colt Ralliart.The peugot okay but did not really impress. The Renault Sport Clio, Fantastic i love the double clutch auto with 3 modes. Looks from all angles and the interior better than the other two.With the cup pack it really does handle but you need how to know how to use a edc/dsg box remember it good enough for the nissan gtr ferrari EVo X sst etc and superchips will map to 243BHP it shifts comrade.Please keep buying the fiesta it makes the rarer and more expensive clio Rs Rarer and more desirable.
English and ford... The Clio kills the fiesta like the Megane 265 kills the ford rs500. 208 is the same : french chassis, moreover the bests. Fiesta is demonstrative but demonstrative is not performance. Where is the record on the Ring for ford, oh it doesn't exist with 350hp...
I've test driven the Fiesta ST with my pregnant wife as passenger - no deal. I then drove the Peugeot and she absolutely loved it. Things that nobody speaks about is comfort, space and visibility. Peugeot was fantastic. Also the interior makes you feel special, unlike the Fiesta. Not going to drive the Clio as manual is the only way to do it. Will be purchasing the Peugeot in the next few weeks.
The visibility is byfar the wirse of almost aby car a I sat in!!! You ckearly bought a car for your wife bot youresekf or as a bunch here are not an enthusiast driver... Not just thatcit's a way better sports and fun car than the two hete but tgan a whole bunch of way more expensive cars... This comes from an owner of 2 FiSTs
Each to their own I guess. I have driven both a mk5 GTi and the Fiesta ST and I prefer the ST's nimbler handling, although I will concede that the GTi has a gutsier motor. However the ST put a bigger smile on my face due to better feedback through the steering plus its clutch and gearbox are sublime. Admittedly Ford still have a ways to go before they can match VW's interior quality but then the Golf is a much pricier car. You could almost buy a base Fiesta and an ST for the price of a GTi...
Auto express gps times Fiesta st 0-60 = 7.5 seconds 70-0= 52 metres.Peugot gti 0-60= 7.2 seconds 70-0= 47 metres. RS clio 0-60= 6.7 seconds 70-0 = 45 metres. Best 0-60 time and also the most powerful brakes,very handy for a hot hatch.
Onestly,The PUG 208 is by far the winner here,it looks amazing !!!!!The fiesta is the same ugly car and unfashioned &old,the Renauld its fresh...time will decide,but the 208 is the hit here!,Is the car with the real 5* !!!
The 208 looks like every other econobox. At least the Clio looks like something special. The Renault looks like they designed the base model Clio with the focus on the R.S. The ford and Peugeot look like they were designed with the base model in mind, and the performance versions were last-minute additions.
@@chrisgreen717 what are you talking about, everyone who knows anything about cars agrees the Clio is the worst car here and looks the worst too. Also it's the worst quality. The 208 was considered to be of Audi quality.
I've driven all 3. I dont do track days. Best in real world usage is the 208 GTi. It's a car for mature petrolheads. Rides like a 508 on the motorway and yet still spritely if you push it on the B roads. Brake fade is not a big issue, change your brake lines to steel braided hoses and problem solved.
If you were to specify the spec levels you get with a peugeot 208 gti with that of a ford fiesta st you would be paying about the same amount. Plus the residual values of the 208 gti are 20% higher after 3 years and 36000 miles then that of the fiesta st. For me the peugoet 208 gti is definitely at the top of it class, for being the best real world car
Oh how wrong you are, your statement proves you have driven none of these cars for if you had when you got out of the Fiesta ST you would have had a smile a mile wide. Oi Auto Express, how about an Android app for us Apple haters?
Ford is definitely the most fun car on a twisty and well made road but try driving it to work every day on roads with pot holes and speed bumps and you soon get sick of it. 208 Gti is by far the best. How often are you going to go round corners on the road at the limits of grip? almost never, but how often are you going to drive to work, to the shops, to your mates house and want to be comfortable and have some fun squirting the throttle on the straights? every day.
I drive "enthusiastically" on just about every trip i make but I'm not so stupid as to try and take a road car to its grip limits on public road bends where getting it even slightly wrong will result in at least whacking a kerb which could quite easily damage my car or at worst result in a big crash. When i get out on a track thats a different story. Thruxton, silverstone, buckmoor park, sandown park etc are all a short drive away and if you push a bit too hard round them you end up either having a slide or understeering over some run off kerb and its safe, i should know :). Notice how EVERY reviewer of these hot hatches is all pro peugeot right up until they get onto a track and then they suddenly love the ford. If you dont take your own road car on a track which 99.9% of us dont then you will never get the benefit of more hardcore cars. As i said ive driven both and the ford was more grippy and responsive and gave better feedback but it rattled like crazy over my local roads, doesnt have half the comforts and gadgets of the peugeot and costs more. The odd occasion i want to really hammer round some bends i simply get in my comfy 208 gti, cruise up the m3 for 20 minutes to sandown park or milton keynes and powerslide a rotax kart round a proper track :)
Cole McNair and you sound immature if you think safe driving is boring. It IS possible to drive a car with purpose, but stay safe AND have fun. Its people who think the road is a racetrack that cause accidents. Maybe you will grow up eventually.
david kirk well said, a good comment that. I think we both know the kind of drivers that cause the problems on our roads. Very immature, out to impress their mates etc.
You could have included a bit about quality and level of equipment, things that affect price and ownership. Handling is important in a hot hatch but may not be enough if it comes with lower quality (which means low resell value) or less equipment.
In Norden countries (Sweden, Finland and Denmark) was tested 24 sportscars of all price range. Fiesta ST was 10 - 12. Renaul was not tested and 208 was 20.
What annoys me about this is that it doesn't appear to be a fair evaluation of the statistical side of the test. The 0-62 times and the drag race. they are all be driven by a different driver with different skill levels, it would only be equal if the same driver was tested the times for them all. As an owner of the Fiesta ST i can safely say that it is a fantastic car to drive around the city and on motorways, plus I've had 50mpg from it driving sensibly. Gets a lot of attention wherever i go too.
Are auto journalists paid by Ford? Apart from the handling (which I will admit is superb) the rest of the Fiesta is either bland or just plain bad. Its the slowst in a straight line, the rear seats are woeful and by far the worst part of it when I sat inside one was the cabin build quality - it just feels and looks cheap and it didn't take much force for me to wobble bits of it around. 208, IMHO, is best. Only 0.3s slower around a track but better built, more standard kit and more comfortable.
Embarrassing fact) My mate has a peugeot 208 GTI same as this little rocket here, We decided to have a rolling sprint from 60mph to 115 mph My ford focus 2.0 zetec TDCI wiped the floor with it and only has 136hp But 320 nm of torque is what counts mostly on overtaking. Anyway still a nice car!
Guy's, Ford make's a ST and still manage to be First. If Ford will come out with a Ford fiesta RS, you renault,peugeot,volkswagen guys are totally screwed.
Peugeot onces built such cool cars!! 205 GTI; 405 TI; 405 Coupe and the 306 GTI but now it seems their managment became nuts!!! Please fire all these suckers and bring back cool cars!! You can't have forgotten how to built cars!!! WAKE UP it's 5 to 12 ...
RENAULT RS is a best cars in those class. There is no such charged hatches for it price. How it possible that sluggish ford can be first? I think that test drivers are impotent mens!))
I recommend you to watch the review of Chris Harris regarding the new Renault Clio RS, a review that is not that subjective like this one. My opinion is that it have had been a good decision to have also a manual transmission on Clio in order to avoid the opinions of this type of "hardcore racers". I would not buy neighter a Fiesta, nor a 208 GTI because their design is simply breathtaking... Another key-factor for a hot-hatch :)
There's no way in hell a Fiesta is more comfortable than 208 or Clio. Even a regular Fiesta is a harsh, unrefined mess. It has no noise proofing, its hard, uncomfortable...very cheap inside. Seriously, regular Clio or 208 feel like twice as expensive cars compared to the Fiesta. This is just a biased review. Clio 4 RS being 1 sec slower than old one? Right...how come in all other tests its 2-3 seconds faster than old one?
Can I just say fantastic review! I'm sat here, should be revising for my university finals but as always i'm watching cars. All I do is watch cars and motoring journalism all day everyday and have done for years, subscribe to all the channels and this was a textbook review. Succint, informative and genuinely useful! Big disappointment from Renault after the previous Clio but undeniably a clever marketing move to expand the model appeal. Fiesta for me! Now, how the hell can I join the team? :)
I don't like modern hot hatchbacks. They feel and look like a "no compromise" and "racing only" road going versions of the normal cars (and also a bit juvenile sometimes). But they should do everything for everybody. That's why I still prefer a Peugeot 205 Rallye or a Fiat Uno Turbo.
I'm betting the interior has pretty much disintegrated by now ;) Build quality was never the French car manufacturers strong point you've got to admit.
I know exactly what Im talking about because I own a Golf mk5 GTI and its way better than any of these modern cars.Also driven the fiesta but older generation than this,love the seating position very much...but this new fiesta is rubbish
each of these cars is rubbish..the same car,the same engine,horrible handling,too tall and too cheap for a sport hatchback...waste of money and time..nice work auto industry..ruin all the pleasures...I will never buy a new car anymore
If I could choose I'd take 208 gti, but those imported cars are too expensive where I live, maybe when I'm older and they're outdated cars I can get one.
Please look at the Nurnburgring lap times and see how much is Megane RS with 265hp faster than Ford Focus RS with 305hp. It is easy to be fastest on straight road.
I own Peugeot 206, and basically love everything in it what everyone hates. The looseness of body and gearbox. Overall chillout feeling. They mentioned that here regarding 208 that it isn't razor sharp. sounds excellent to me.. and the interiors of 208 are just super cool imo.
As has been proven in the years since your comment, people buy what the motoring press tell them to. In this instance they'll buy the Fiesta and look like teenagers in their first car, or the Clio so they can bang on about its track pedigree while never taking it on a track. These days people just buy German as they are terrified to stand out.
Yes thasts true, but whit lithe hatch its hard to do it, but one of the best tings in the 208 is the fact its a old school car, you dont need to press the clutch to start the engine, dont have botuns to change the car reponse, if you need do a normal ride you keep under the 3000rpm and the car is normal, if you wanna have fun you just need to rev up, over the 5000rmp... the fiesta and the clio, are more eletronic, expecial the clio...
well done Autoexpress .. long awaited review of new little hot hatches .. . Renault used to be the best . .but now with their "hipster-ish global product attitude".. [.. so who cares about their great concept cars like "Twin-run".. if they can't got their trademark(hot-hatch) right ?!? (marketing over function) . . Still, let's wait for next Megane RS..] . 208 is no match for good-old 205GTI..and it needs to have it's front/face redesigned [french cars should be elegant/handsome ! :]
I think its a good test! Renault have messed up with the Gearbox and Peugeot is very boring! I have a 2007 ST Fiesta and it aint the fastest car around by a long way! But handling is brilliant.. So the new ST Fiesta being Turbo and 6 speed should make up for what ford didn't do with the old one! My 2007 has only 18,000 on her and I may even go for a test ride in the new version! I will not be selling my old one....Its going in the garage! :)
@bismarckcro The Clio lost because it doesn't do anything wonderfully except go 0-60. Reason #1, Most expensive, Reason #2, No no manual option, Reason #3, Nowhere near as vicious or track ready as the Fiesta or 208GTI let alone the last gen Clio RS, Reason #4 The dual clutch auto isn't fast or responsive, Reason #5 It's not comfortable like the Peugeot 208 GTI, Reason #6 It's not as fun as Fiesta, Reason #7 it's not the most practical, Reason #8 It's uncomitted and disrespectful of it's lineage
these new tech cars is friendly with enviroment and easy to drive cars with the electronic help..................the machines is the older cars i own a renault clio rs 197 2007 (year) it has good brakes and nice steering system but i also have a daihatsu charade gtti 993 cc turbo without technology like clio rs old way is the best thats my opinion true power and feeling
no will not, if the car have a longer gear will need more time no rev up, however will have a better fuel economi because you can be in higher speeds in a lower rev... but for brutal acelaration short is better, try in a game simulator like GT5 or Forza to change the gear rate and test the car times...
the problem of the 208 is the gearbox, its to long, in a local magazine a read that the 208 in 6th at 120km/h the engine is at 2700 rpm, the rcz whit 1.6thp 200cv at 120km/h in 6th the engine is at 3100... if the 208 have the same gearbox of the rcz will be mutch faster...
NONE! The new Golf GTI is far batter.. And The new KIA looks far better: watch?v=UFlYqevuK1k and btw Ford Fiesta ST is piece of crap car (front end looks like a Astorn martin rip off), Fords are the most unreliable cars ever made...
CLIO or the PEUG ford is just shit and btw i know for sure if you put al those cars on the nur i think than the clio easily won thanks to his handling i know the gearbox is just a bit stupid but i think its faster than men can shift?
i would hate to have the ford, everytime you try to pass the pug or the clio you will just get denied on the road.... Also something that made me wonder was why do you have a "Ford commercial when i start you´re clip" this must be taken as bias...
Ta 2:23 the gus almost suffocates when he's about to say that Ford was last, so funny. AutoWeek got Ford's stickshift all the way up in their asses. But still I would take the Fiesta over any other hatch. (I am not a Ford fanboy unlike presented above)
There are people who only read what interests them or hear is true ... if you do not listen to a thing that is not to the liking is fake or paid ... LoL! Or is it that some people are paid to make disparaging remarks ...
fiesta is the winner cuz its not french. british reviews are going up to partisanism. ford is a good car maker, but thats all. being a fun car is not having a back ache after 50 kms. those reviewers should learn that.
Just not a fan of the Fiesta's profile in spite of the dynamics it has. Quite narrow and tall, whereas looking at the new Clio it's lower and wider - far better in my opinion. At the GTI is just putrid, chrome everywhere - terribly tacky. Hope the Clio's interior is better than the ST's (plastic, low-rent) - I might buy one. I've owned many, many manual cars and going over to an auto-box is no big deal for me.
