delcbr

trying to decide which is better iam leaning towards the mazda 3 mps just now but iam not ruling out the vxr or focus st.ive read some reviews on the power upgrades but the best ive seen is the same ats the mps out the box.

s70rjw

iTrader: (2)

For a starter the VXR has 237bhp v 222bhp for the ST. 1393kg v 1465kg for the Focus. Good review on the VXR here

Vauxhall Astra VXR --- MotorBar Road Test

Dream Weaver

Mazda 3: Ugly, quick in a line, £450 a year to tax
VXR: Look OK, naff interior, dont handle (check VBH's review of the VXR NE)
ST:

My ST is just about to push towards 300bhp when my FMIC comes next week and its superb. We had a VXR Nurb edition on a recent run and it wasn't very quick.

ScoobyJawa

They put the Nurburgring Edition VXR against a boggo ST on Fifth Gear, the standard ST won

I do like the idea of the Mazda 3 - the new one goes someway to actually looking quite smart, not sure on upgrades though.

As DW mentioned the ST is fairly easy to get to 300bhp, I'm sure not that hard in the Astra too, but having 2.5l its got torque everywhere

renny

iTrader: (2)

Then you have these people.......
morego. - Performance Car Tuning Specialists - BBR ST330 2008 For Sale

Getting the most out of the ST.

The Chief

I've driven a VXR and was really impressed - admittedly around a track so dont know what they are like on the road, as for the torque steer, well i didn't feel any.

Also had a lap in the Nurburgring VXR with Paul O'Neill and that was something else, the noise from the remus exhaust was just amazing, popping and banging.

I believed all the crap written about the VXR before i drove one.

Would i buy one after driving one in anger? you bet i would.

Hoppy

April edition of Evo has four modded hatches. Astra VXR with 420bhp, Golf GTI 407bhp, Audi S3 400bhp and Focus ST 327bhp.

Focus appears to be favourite, and the Audi most refined with a smoother torque curve and 4WD. Astra and Golf a bit manic. No surprises there then.

But I have to eat a small slice of humble pie (okay, a large piece Dream Weaver ) over the Focus RS in the same issue. You've got to respect the guys on Evo, and Harry Metcalfe said "...I came away thinking that its arrival could well well signal the end of the Mitsubishi Evo and Subaru Impreza dynasties. For me, the RS seemed to make their complicated four-wheel-drive systems pretty pointless." He also reckons it's "amazing value" compared to a an FQ-400 at £50k.

< note to self - don't drive one, you might like it >

Darc174

iTrader: (13)

ST anyday of the week, also faster out the box

Hoppy

This is the ST reviewed in Evo. Says it's for sale £18k.

chris1scouser

2.0 TFSI. Better and more reliable engine. Better build quality of the cars it dwells in.

markymark34

bit dull though, interior quality definately not up to that of the focus.
Im a massive GTI fan (had a tornado red mk2) but since then they have been way off the mark. The mk6 is the same, far too expensive 22k without xenons or leather! once specced its sitting at same price as the focus RS!

AS for VXR vrs ST im having this dilema myself. Driven 3 STs and 2 VXRs. Not impressed with handling or interior of VXR but its quicker in a straight line. Both seem to respond well to tuning. More power in the VXR would worry me but some people claiming it stops it being so manic by giving more punch low down.

delcbr

evo times are: focus st 0-100 in 16.8
astra vxr 0-100 in 16.7
civic type R 0-100 in 16.9
mazda 3 mps 0-100 in 14.3 now were talking lol

i dont understand why the mps hasnt been tested on top gear and fifth gear and there doesnt seem to be alot of official lap times for it i mean it is the fasteest in a straight line out the box.is it a snobbery thing?

the shows have tested awful cars and gave them a terrible write up so it does seem strange why they havent got their hands on one yet.

Jimpreza

I'd go for the vxr on looks alone especially wth the 19's. I have drove the st and vxr and felt the st handled better but the vxr seemed more alive and much more fun. I haven't drove the mps but they are supposed to be quick but they look awful.

delcbr

i dont think the mps looks bad it just doesnt look amazing a real sleeper though.

john banks

delcbr, I would not consider any of them against your Boxster, except perhaps a 400 BHP S3.

ScoobyJawa

I think some of this comes down to the chassis/handling, unfortunately for Maz, the MX5 and RX's seem to be the only places they nail it well, not well regarded in their saloons and hatchs

Hoppy

The modded cars featured in Evo this month, as mentioned above, did 0-100 like this. I wonder which one has 4WD?

GTI 12.1
VXR 12.4
S3 10.8
ST 13.0

john banks

A 400 BHP Evo is about 9.1, yet weighs 1400kg. Why are the others including the S3 so slow?

The Chief

I think its how it dumps its power down over the first 50ft or so, doesn't the Audi have Haldex 4wd system? i would imagine no where near as good at blasting off the line like an Evo or a Scoob with similar outputs

john banks

My 406 BHP 2.0 Scooby was doing 0-125 mph in 12.1, with standard diffs, in the wet, with me driving, and I'm hopelessly slow at changing gear.

I still think Scoobies and Evos rule

delcbr

bleedin ell that is quick 9.1 to 100mph!!!maybe i should get one afterall lol

delcbr

how much can an s3 be had for?

J4CKO

iTrader: (1)

S3, tuned as above, no badges, job done, total stealth.

delcbr

we are talking about the latest s3?i think its outwith my budget

RJM25R

iTrader: (1)

Golf GTI, edition 30 or pirelli edition (230 bhp and "some" exclusivity) runs a de-tuned S3 engine and will hold it's value better as well. I've driven the Focus and the Astra, and they're both good cars but the wuality an fit/finish is nowhere near as good as the VAG stuff. I'm in a Golf GT hire car ATM because I had a bad smash in my EOS last week and it's been abused (the hire car) for 34,000 miles but still no rattles or quality issues inside. I've driven 10k Focus's that feel like they've done 30k and rattles etc from the seats/dash.

THAT's what you pay the extra money for.

markymark34

couldnt disagree more. Got 2 friends with mk5 golfs and they have been back countless times with rattles and bits of trim coming off. One has just bought a Focus as he couldnt take it any more. Its widely known that VW cut some corners with the mk5 golf, not saying that focus is miles better just saying the VW isnt the ultimate biult car any more.

john banks

We've had a Mk V GTI from new and I've had to fix dash rattles (as the dealer can't), and it has had a wiper motor fault, a check engine light that had no code stored and cruise control failure. It also is slow, bouncy, has horrid electric power steering.

MrRA

That really isn't a bad weight to be honest.

Focus ST - 1429kg (Focus RS - 1465kg by comparison)
VXR - 1393kg
S3 - 1540kg
Golf GTI - 1328kg

I dread to think what the weight of these cars would be if they had an AWD transmission fitted (yes I know the S3 is AWD before anyone points it out), especially the ST and the new RS.

john banks

Evo feels lightweight though in comparison to the GTI, even though it is heavier. The Golf has superficial build quality although not like the Mk IV (heavy doors, bonnet strut etc), but is unreliable.

andrew jeffs

iTrader: (3)

arnt we missing a car here lads?What about evos long term favorite,the renault megane r26,can be easily tuned up to 300bhp,handles better than all of them,better brakes and will match all but the vxr in standard form.Ok its ugly from the back,and could possibly encounter build quality issues,but its the fastest point to point car.