TOP 5 JUNIOR HOT HATCHES YOU CAN BUY BRAND NEW IN MALAYSIA (2015)

Welcome back! This is the first posting after the 2015 Id Fitr celebrations in Malaysia. I'm technically still on vacation but I think it has been a while since we had a 100%  Motoring-Malaysia posting instead of just the news. Well, I suppose there was that 'Spotted For Sale' Alfa 4C, but of course, the more the better. So now's the time for us to state THE BEST JUNIOR HOT HATCH IN MALAYSIA that you can buy right now (July 2015 that is). According to Yours Truly here of course. This is because I have driven them all nd I do believe that it is my duty to tell you guys about it.

Number #5 - Volkswagen Polo GTI

Tested: Peugeot 208 GTI - A car worthy of its GTI Badge

These days if you want performance and handling for a certain price it would have to be the hot hatchback. These hot hatches were basically souped up versions of compact and supermini sized hatchbacks in either 3 or 5 door variants with added on bodykits, larger wheels and a more powerful engine. Gone were the days where affordable sportiness meant a coupe body. Ever since the first few hot hatchbacks arrived in the late 1970s and early 1980s, this was the way to go for affordable performance.

Peugeot was one of the early ones. They burst into the scene with the 205GTI in 1984. It was a stupendous car. It had a 1.6liter engine with 105hp in the beginning. This would not sound like much in current times but in those days, cars were pretty light. This was an era before airbags, side impact bars in the doors and other safety kit. So the 205GTi had around 900kgs to lug around. This still meant decent acceleration and performance. And at that point of time, 1.6liter family hatchbacks had an average of 95hp to begin with. So the 205GTI reigned supreme. It even liked to cock its inside rear wheel if one drove it vigourously in the bends. It was, a classic. Still is actually. I do wonder what happened to the few I used to see running around in the mid 1990s.