16 Nov 05
Hot hatches are great, aren't they?
They give the regular man in the street, the sort of driving experience those in expensive exotica take for granted, but without crippling your bank balance with purchase price or running costs. They allow you to enjoy your favourite stretch of country road in the morning, while having enough space for a trip to the dump in the afternoon. They'll seat the family in comfort and can be supremely pleasant on long motorway slogs.
But, and here's the only but, they can look a bit too aggressive for suburban living.
Big alloys, gaping bumpers, oversized arches and wild rear spoilers may look great in the brochure, but don't make friends with irate partners or draconian fleet managers who start to think you've spent too much time reading lads mags and drinking lager at weekends. They also attract the wrong type of attention on the road.
No longer can you stop at a set of traffic lights alongside a Vauxhall Nova without the baseball-cap wearing driver looking over and revving his engine - or, worse still, giving you the thumbs up. Every junction becomes a mini Grand prix - and don't even think about taking the kids to McDonald's on a weekend night - you'll find yourself being egged on to perform a burnout or such-like.
What you need is something that'll give you the driving experience of a hot hatch, but without the negative image that comes with it. Something like the Seat Leon TFSI might fit the bill.
