F--- Car and Driver and their "rankings" what a load of horse**** that is. The GTI 1.8T smashed the Ford Focus SVT and Honda Civic Si.
They gripe about the GTI having body lean and floppy, yet it pasted the Honda Civic Si at the track and was just a smidge behind the Focus at the track. Simple reason - tires! GTI has all season "H" speed rated tires, the Focus Ultra High Performance "W" rated tires. Put those tires on the GTI and not only would the GTI of wasted the Focus even more in the acceleration tests, but it would have beat it at the track too.
Sure the Focus might have more precise steering, lighter feel, less body roll, etc, but when it comes down to it, the additional traction of the tires, would have given the GTI the win at the track too.
And really, how many people buying "hot hatches" drive their cars at the limit on a track anyway? Like 1 maybe 2 percent!
The reality is, the GTI would literally embarrass the Focus on any given day on the street in 98% of all driving situations. Doubtful any Focus SVT driver would be willing to bet on their pink slips in a road race with the GTI 1.8T now would they?
And which would that make the "hotter hatch"?
One other note, "DRIVER COMFORT" they gave the SVT a 10 and the GTI a 9. Yet they bitch and moan endlessly about the vibration in the Focus, the squeaks and rattles it has, the noise from the exhaust, the way it felt even when driving on the expressway. Yet they praise the GTI for it's comfort and roominess, it's smooth engine and the unanimous choice for a road trip? So how exactly does that make the driver of the Focus more comfortable?
Then there's the "Handling" rating. Gave the Honda Civic Si an 8 but gave the GTI a 7. Did they actually look at there OWN TEST RESULTS!!! The Honda handles the worst of the bunch, sloppy, slow and way far back at the track!
What also gets me is the 10 they gave the Honda for fit and finish and giving the GTI a 9.
Sorry, I sat in the Civic Si a month ago at the LA Auto Show. It feels cheap, plasticky, low rent and sparse by comparision. Even the hatch cover was cardboard thin by comparision to the GTI.
I've beginning to understand more and more that Car and Driver surely has "special preferences" with some car makers. Because how can you TRUELY rate a car last that has the best performance (by far) near top track handling times (again, would be tops with the right tires) and all the other advantageous the GTI has over the others. Can't quite figure it out.
They state their priorities in a successful "hot hatch" are 1) Fun to drive 2) Fun to drive 3) A hatchback and 4) All that other stuff.
That's great, I guess if there idea of Fun to Drive is getting you arse handed to you in 98% of everyday driving conditions by another car, basically getting beat even in the twisties (sure the Focus ever so slightly beat out the GTI in the twistiest and tightest road course) but in the real world, twisty mountain roads also have STRAIGHTS, where the GTI will fly on by and the smidge handling advantage the Focus might have over the GTI with it's all season tires, it would NEVER catch up in the straights and even have a chance to use that tiny handling advantage. I mean come on, the Focus beat the GTI on the track by .66 seconds. Well, the GTI gets to 100 mph 4.7 seconds sooner, so the frickin Ford can have it's .66 seconds at the track, but in the REAL world driving situation it'll be looking at the GTI's taillights getting smaller on the straights and won't ever catch back up!
What a joke Car and Driver. Here's what the priorities of a "hot hatch" should be:
1) Perform to the level of deserving the name "hot"
2) Pleasure to drive
3) Hatchback
4) All the other stuff
Like the MP3 in the comparo a few months ago, they award the winner to the best handling car, and forget everything else. Pity really, cause I'd like to see how hot a Focus SVT driver thinks his car is when he cowardly ducks away from a challenge from a GTI 1.8T driver on the street, or on a canyon road.
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They gripe about the GTI having body lean and floppy, yet it pasted the Honda Civic Si at the track and was just a smidge behind the Focus at the track. Simple reason - tires! GTI has all season "H" speed rated tires, the Focus Ultra High Performance "W" rated tires. Put those tires on the GTI and not only would the GTI of wasted the Focus even more in the acceleration tests, but it would have beat it at the track too.
Sure the Focus might have more precise steering, lighter feel, less body roll, etc, but when it comes down to it, the additional traction of the tires, would have given the GTI the win at the track too.
And really, how many people buying "hot hatches" drive their cars at the limit on a track anyway? Like 1 maybe 2 percent!
The reality is, the GTI would literally embarrass the Focus on any given day on the street in 98% of all driving situations. Doubtful any Focus SVT driver would be willing to bet on their pink slips in a road race with the GTI 1.8T now would they?
And which would that make the "hotter hatch"?
One other note, "DRIVER COMFORT" they gave the SVT a 10 and the GTI a 9. Yet they bitch and moan endlessly about the vibration in the Focus, the squeaks and rattles it has, the noise from the exhaust, the way it felt even when driving on the expressway. Yet they praise the GTI for it's comfort and roominess, it's smooth engine and the unanimous choice for a road trip? So how exactly does that make the driver of the Focus more comfortable?
Then there's the "Handling" rating. Gave the Honda Civic Si an 8 but gave the GTI a 7. Did they actually look at there OWN TEST RESULTS!!! The Honda handles the worst of the bunch, sloppy, slow and way far back at the track!
What also gets me is the 10 they gave the Honda for fit and finish and giving the GTI a 9.
Sorry, I sat in the Civic Si a month ago at the LA Auto Show. It feels cheap, plasticky, low rent and sparse by comparision. Even the hatch cover was cardboard thin by comparision to the GTI.
I've beginning to understand more and more that Car and Driver surely has "special preferences" with some car makers. Because how can you TRUELY rate a car last that has the best performance (by far) near top track handling times (again, would be tops with the right tires) and all the other advantageous the GTI has over the others. Can't quite figure it out.
They state their priorities in a successful "hot hatch" are 1) Fun to drive 2) Fun to drive 3) A hatchback and 4) All that other stuff.
That's great, I guess if there idea of Fun to Drive is getting you arse handed to you in 98% of everyday driving conditions by another car, basically getting beat even in the twisties (sure the Focus ever so slightly beat out the GTI in the twistiest and tightest road course) but in the real world, twisty mountain roads also have STRAIGHTS, where the GTI will fly on by and the smidge handling advantage the Focus might have over the GTI with it's all season tires, it would NEVER catch up in the straights and even have a chance to use that tiny handling advantage. I mean come on, the Focus beat the GTI on the track by .66 seconds. Well, the GTI gets to 100 mph 4.7 seconds sooner, so the frickin Ford can have it's .66 seconds at the track, but in the REAL world driving situation it'll be looking at the GTI's taillights getting smaller on the straights and won't ever catch back up!
What a joke Car and Driver. Here's what the priorities of a "hot hatch" should be:
1) Perform to the level of deserving the name "hot"
2) Pleasure to drive
3) Hatchback
4) All the other stuff
Like the MP3 in the comparo a few months ago, they award the winner to the best handling car, and forget everything else. Pity really, cause I'd like to see how hot a Focus SVT driver thinks his car is when he cowardly ducks away from a challenge from a GTI 1.8T driver on the street, or on a canyon road.
