IN THIS FEATURE Less of a thriller? Lighter, faster, safer

The rest of the Cup driving experience is similarly exhilarating. The steering's extremely responsive, and though uneven road surfaces can start the wheel twitching around in your hands a little, and too much power can tempt the wheel into straightening, it's not unsettling and the pay-off is great feel and feedback for a modern hatchback. The gearbox is short-throw and pretty positive, the ride's firmer than some drivers will expect, but the result is that the body feels tied to the road, there's little roll and the car's brilliantly controlled over crests, dips and bumps. It's certainly the best-driving hot hatchback you can buy today, and one of the keenest driver's hatchbacks ever.

It's not perfect, though. The driving position is poor, with a seat that's set too high, while many will find the steering wheel too low and too far away. The seats themselves offer good lateral support, if being a touch on the firm side. The rear seat, which splits and folds on the regular 182, is a folding bench with no head restraints, one of a few sacrifices to keep the Cup's cost low.

Only other paint choice is a striking orange

And low it is. At £13,800, it's some £900 cheaper than the regular 182 (or £1295 if you include Cup suspension and spoilers on the 182), and an astonishingly fast package for the money. You lose some equipment in the process, such as automatic xenon headlamps and wipers, multi-disc CD, fully-automatic climate-control and leather/alcantara trim, but the payback is one of the hottest hatchbacks of all time.