So as not to muddy the other thread! Focus ST,Astra VXR,Golf etc,all brilliant.In reality think I have grown out of the desire for in your face stuff.

I like the subtlety of the new vRS.Maybe not as much of a stormer.Not far behind though.More of a family car that is quick.Ticks all the right boxes for me though.

My fault for comparing to the others.I really don't think it is one of those kind of cars.Getting old

I've had phases too - Was big in to my ICE but now happy with HU powered component speaker setup. I doubt I'll ever lose my enthusiasm for my car in general, which I think could be described as a "warm-hatch"

Although having said that, it may be a hatch, but its a fairly big one by paxo standards, and its got 5 doors.... Maybe I'm just muddying too.

So as not to muddy the other thread! Focus ST' date='Astra VXR,Golf etc,all brilliant.In reality think I have grown out of the desire for in your face stuff.

I like the subtlety of the new vRS.Maybe not as much of a stormer.Not far behind though.More of a family car that is quick.Ticks all the right boxes for me though.

My fault for comparing to the others.I really don't think it is one of those kind of cars.Getting old [/quote']

Pretty much agree with all you have to say (another sign of getting older!), I have a family to consider and the VRS ticks all the right boxes in terms of space, practicality, performance etc. May not be so 'in your face' as the ST or VXR, but a brilliant all round car none the less.

I don't think its necessarily that different from the old Octy RS, which again was never a true "hot hatch" out of the box and was bigger than most of the normal "hot hatch" crowd. The size definitely appealed to me when I bought mine and the enw one appeals as well - although must admit the extra cost makes it more of an issue when deciding on other options.

Mazda 6 MPS is an interesting option

23k but it is the only one to offer scooby w/o "im a tuuat" set up..

256hp 4wd and subtle vrs style look.

I think I'm getting old too - at 25 I was asking the Ford salesman if the ST came with 5 doors.... and it does !

3,4,5 and mpv to follow in the form of SAV.

The fabia will be the last small hatchback i own. I am going to go through my monster Jap car phase, move on to my 4x4 phase, and no doubt will end up with a range topping saloon as a choice vehicle for the next 40 years motoring

You know you're getting old when a mate comes up to you and says his lady is pregnant and you go 'congratulations' instead of 'oh b*gger'

Can't stand three door cars, all that clambering about, rubbish.

Another sign is when you spend more time looking at the Passat than the R32 in the VW showroom.

Didn't the new Skoda Octavia vRS just win the What Car Best Hot Hatch award ?

And quite how the old Octavia vRS wasn't a "hot hatch" is beyond me, since it was faster than the equivalent Golf GTI, Focus ST, Astra SRI etc etc ..........

Yes it's slightly longer than a typical hot hatch, but that's the only real difference.