3 of Today's Hot Hatchbacks in Competition.

Today it appears that even the economy driver is much more discerning than ever before with regards to value for money.

We have decided to do a comparison test on three of the latest and fashionable of today's hatchbacks.

The cars we are going to look at are the Mini Cooper S, the Renault Clio 2L Renaultsport 197 and the new Vauxhall Corsa VXR.

The initial perception with regards to the Vauxhall is that it is a much nicer car than previous versions.

Are there any other small cars around that can develop this much bhp (189 to be exact) from a turbocharged diesel 1.6 L engine. Is this the first Vauxhall actually to have the power to match the books?

It is up again serious competition however. Perhaps this is a selling off how important the market is.

The Clio develops 194bhp from a 2 L engine that takes a little to get it going but once you do, boy does it fly.

Producing 173bhp from a 1.6 L engine that is turbocharged, the Mini Cooper S. has more than enough grunt.

All three cars have a great number of positive things about them with the power and handling of the Vauxhall comparing very favourably with the lightning reactions and good performance of the Mini. In turn comparing more than adequately with the overall power of the Renault once you've got it up and running.

On the inside the poor plastic facia of the Mini Cooper does tend to let itself down whereas in the Renault though the interior may be a quality it was difficult to get yourself comfortable. With regards to the Vauxhall the interior design was great but at the cost all of compromised visibility.

How would these cars pan out in the long run was one of the other key issues. It appears that the strong second-hand price of the mini could make it an excellent prospect for its owners. With regards to the Renault a heavy depreciation in the value of the car would tend to offset the definite advantage of the discounts available on purchase. Lastly, the folk soul was cheap as to get up and running and potentially better equipped to three but this was offset by the quite steep running costs of the car.

All three cars represent quite good value for money with possibly the Mini Cooper S edging it overall. The overall handling speed and performance of the Mini makes it very popular despite the fact that the interior plastics look cheap and the rear seats are tiny and the boot is negligible. One of the additional factors is that most of the extras for the Mini are quite expensive.

Set against this the Vauxhall is a good old rounder with excellent performance superb handling and an interior of excellent quality. Set against this unfortunately is the other role compromised visibility and the fact that they're all quite as many safety benefits and features as the other two.

The Renault Clio comes in last of the bunch which is quite sad when you consider the power and performance of the car. You have to wind it up to get it going and when she do you won't be disappointed but it was the depreciation and the lack of residual value that was against it.

Article Source: http://www.rightarticle.com

Scott James writes about all sorts of Automotive issues on the Internet and more information on the above can be found at the following: Ferrari Cars ; Driver Education and Car Dealers Manchester

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