Ah, the famous caterham hot hatch..

My outright favourite here is the Golf R, but considering they cost more than 40K with options, the i20N is the moral victor. Looks good, drives great and has a manual! That's the kind of 'hot hatch' you'd want to daily.

Analogy of the the Puma ST was brilliant!! "A Fiesta ST that's had a few pints"

The i20N is making waves. I like it!

I’ve owned a Golf R, driven a Fiesta ST that I had for 2 months, and test drove the i20N yesterday. The i20N is the best all round without a doubt. I placed my order there and then, cannot wait🤘

The Golf R starts at just over £40k which I think stretches the limits of "affordable"; in my eyes at least and it's not even available as a manual as far as I can tell. Others may argue that anything is affordable on PCP...

I20n looks like a cracking little hatch, and blessed with a manual gearbox too. If I couldn't afford the extra £9k for a Yaris (if you can get hold of one), looks like a great choice to me.....

Love my i20 N - first one in Scotland and even after my Type R, I’m still smiling!

I can understand the word "affordable" for i20N and puma, however golf r is nowhere close to the meaning of this word. Also, you compare golf r vs 128ti and i20N, I mean... A 100 horse power difference doesn't make sense in a car comparison, especially vs awd and fwd. Also, there is no type r, even though it's not affordable. Bad title choice I guess

I get my i20 N tomorrow!!! 😍

Came here for the i20N, and was not disappointed. I want to get a test drive in one as soon as possible

Strange comparison with so many levels of apples to oranges. Almost every car was a different use case and price? Reviews a fat Fiesta ST, then verbally talked about the Fiesta ST throughout the whole i20 section as being it's direct competitor yet no sign of a Fiesta. As a viewer, that's odd.

Good video but only the I20N at £25K is ‘affordable’. Even the Puma is £30K plus.

The N is for sure my Next car. Pretty N-thuastic about it!

When you start comparing FWD to Four wheel drive and RWD cars to each other as in a “same class” for handling driving and other features, its becomes annoying to watch

Cupra for power outputs and handling but I'll take the I20N for best allrounder.

Love the I20n, would definately replace my 208Gti with one.

Based on the thumbnail and only being able to read "Whats the best drivers car?" I thought this collection of hatchbacks and a Caterham Super Seven was all Autocar could get get this year 😂

Strange you didn’t mention costs at all in your summing up. The i20 N is phenomenal value compared to the Golf R and perhaps this should be a factor in your choice!

My I20N is due October and I cannot wait. Spent a long time shortlisting options and nothing matched it for bang for buck. Kona N looking like it could be a genuine crossover king, too - I30N power in a jacked up I20N body, madness!

Love the i20 N and happy it won. The Golf R is way too expensive to be included. Caterham can't handle a crash and have you live so it can't be included.

Just about to read your write up in this weeks magazine, thought I’d search and watch this first. I always leave reading your magazine to read on a Sunday!

This TEST is like Watching PAINT DRY

If the i20N is the best affordable drivers car why is it rated 2nd to the Fiesta ST in your road test this week?

I used to run a 1700 cross flow on Webber’s.. they’ve got the sound similar.. but 40£k??? That’s taking the piss.. if it was 20k then perhaps..ps good film! Good reviews!

Wait how come the Yaris GR4 wasn't here?

That Cupra is a good looking thing

If I was looking for a drivers car the Ford Puma wouldn’t be on the list…but the Hyundai looks like a bundle of fun..🥳😎

I fell to sleep about halfway, who won?

Is the i20n better than the i30n for the price difference. Would be an interesting comparison back to back. Whether or not it is justifiable.

No Megane or civic type r?

The golf for those who have given up on life.The i30n is just amazing.

If I didn't have a GR Yaris, I would be straight to Hyundai for the I20N.

Audio - buy another lapel microphone.

I've got an I20 and I haven't seen another one yet!

The I 20N is the car for me, good job seeing as I’ve just bought one hopefully I will get it at the end of this month after three long months cracking little car

Unfortunately a lot of these cars are not available here in Canada. We get way too many SUVs. If I had my way there would be none allowed on the road wasting petrol!!!! Thanks for the excellent review.

Do you prefer I20N before I30N for the city driving? Please consider than I30N offer DCT Clutch which will be useful in traffic jams.

Great job Autocar! Looking forward to your verdict on the upcoming Toyota GR 86. So many press launch videos from Japan and America by now, I wonder what's taking Toyota UK so long, when they did a very subtle UK launch at the Goodwood Festival of Speed...Unfortunately The GR 86 be ignored by people who prefer turbocharged hothatcbacks (because all they care about is straight line speed and PCP Finance deals) or people who want a more raw experience like a Caterham, but I see it as the perfect sweet spot between the those two types of cars in that spectrum.

I like the review, although, there isn't much of a comparisson to the Puma ST ( which I own proudly). Puma ST is the best car I've driven in years ( coming from 208 Gti and VW Gti ). Fun and functionality combined.

Terrible sound mixing. One voice is much higher than the other one

Forgot to say that the Cupra Leon is bigger than the Golf R. BTW hate those touch controls.

Price should of been capped at 30k?

Love that you're testing on a stretch of road that I've driven hundreds of times in a variety of interesting cars.

the most enthusiastic and full of emotions shootout i have ever seen!)

Quite possibly the least inspiring car line up since the concept of car line ups was envisaged.

comparing Golf R with i20N..what are you guys smoking?!

No GR, no Type R?

I skipped the “Pooma” segment. I don’t care what the verdict on it is, not interested.

Love the way most of the golf R talk was just "it's a golf"

Wheres GR, most hyped ’hot hatch’ for the 2021?

Didn't have to watch this video to the end for the verdict...I knew all along they'd pick the new i20N........

@27.50 come on guys get the accounts department to dip into petty cash for another mic. You are 'Autocar' after all.

Great review thank you. i20N nails it for me and I would take it over any other car here. I cant get over the looks of the Golf or the choice of materials for the interior, I like the look of the BMW and it probably takes second place but loses marks for auto.

I like you guys you going so slow for the test 😂😂😂

I agree with the findings but i must say when the golf r as a standard car now starts at just over 40k so you'd have to pay much higher road tax 'affordable' might be a bit of a stretch for many when in this group

Golf R..affordable I hear you say?

I'd take the BMW I think. Good quality and a bit more sensible, it fun when you want it. Cheaper to run then the AWD and M models too.

Not sure about autocar anymore. Always seem to find to many faults or downsides to the cars they drive. Im guessing all the hyper cars they drive must make hot hatches seem dull to them.

Why get a Puma over a Fiesta? I don’t get it

Love the idea of ' affordable' You live in a different world..

Ford's obsession with SUVs is killing them

The golf r is a over 40k and classed as a luxury car now, so it’s not that affordable. However with lease deals it may be common as mud as with the mk7

Sorry guys, I usually love your videos, opinions and reviews, but this is a properly bad video. 1. Caterham in a hot hatch competition? Rubbish. 2. 2:34 - Some shots have really bad image stabilization, this is one of them. 3. 3:00 - "proper dials" - just because it's a base spec - you can also have it with a full digital speedometer 4. 7:00 - Press department should not provide you guys with such a poorly specced car(s). Golf 8 R is miles ahead as soon as you spec it with the Akrapovic exhaust, the performance pack with Nürburgring mode and more. 5. 9:08 - Comparing it to the GTI which isn't on the test? GTI does not try to be the "hard-hardcore hot hatch", this is just crap. 6. 15:20 - Yes, the same engine but it would be interesting to know that the Puma has 236 lb-ft vs. 214lb ft in the Fiesta. 7. 16:54 - "It wants to be driven hard" = It is an exciting thing? It is. The rotating back is (as mentioned), is awesome, none of the mentioned VAG / BMW cars is agile like that. Ford put quite an aggressive chassis in a crossover and he is still not amused, while he criticized the cars before for trying to be too hardcore? The sound is exciting inside and outside, there is not just "a growl" inside but it also sounds sporty outside. You can hear the turbo really nicely which is again very exciting. The others Golf without Akra, Leon, 128ti are super muted outside. 8. 18:52 - James' audio is really bad 9. 19:35 - "Feels more like a Golf GTI?" No it clearly does not. The torque converter auto (vs. DSG), the grown-up interior, the steering feel (he even mentioned that) the engine and the well-rounded passive dampers make that car way more grown-up than the GTI. Maybe it's more GTI than it's predecessors with RWD, but he does not mention that point. 10. 20:56 - Great to see them having a bit of a laugh, that's what the show should've been like. 11. 24:15 - "The rear is trying to overtake you" - This is a the most fun feature on the Fiesta / Puma ST and again James is criticizing that point. I'm not sure that this editor is the perfect choice for a hot hatch shootout. 12. "Britain's best affordable driver's car" - I thought the video was about Hot Hatches? The Golf is with 40k+ not really "affordable" anymore

Should have included a Suzuki Swift Sport too....?

Hyundai, should make a i10N in competition with the vw up gti

Pity you cannot afford 2 microphones!

Ford Puma doesn't have the market to itself. The T-Roc R been around a while as well as the Audi SQ2. Both compact SUV's.

yes sure put a puma st for a drivers car but not a megane rs :D

We needed this for the masses thanks

Attempting to watch Autocar without an ad blocker was a mistake...I didn't know that it's possible to attach so many ads to a 28 minute video.

A very in depth review. Though there is no way I'd buy the hyundai over an R !

I guess MINI is no longer consider a hot hatch.

Can't believe these guys get paid to do this!! Just awful car reviewing and i know i'm not the only one who thinks this about these two Autocar!!!

A93, Glenshee?

Where does the Caterham fit in?

BMW discontinued the round dials on this about eight months ago. I sat for maybe two minutes after I typed that first sentence. I hate myself.

You can buy nearly 2 i20ns for the cost of 1 golf R lol

WHAT THE **** why no Yaris, unbelievable.

Great vid as always. The 128ti doesn't have those dials because it doesn't have that option fitted. It'll have an older version of idrive with a smaller screen.

Puma ST do be looking good though.

Is there an updated version of this video? Eg 2023.

Toyota GR 86 Period 👍

What I don’t get is why would you not include cars on sale for more than a year? Average punter doesn’t care if hatch has been available for 2-3 years, and that usually means more development time.

An i20n compared to a Golf R.... Apples and oranges... And what about the new Toyota GR86? What about a golf GTI clubsport ... Certainly thats more driver focused than a Golf R.... And no Toyota GR yaris?

The i30N with DCT does it for me, Only thing that worries me is the number of issues Hyundai have had with that DCT in other models

Prob agree, you forgot a very important factor - price. The i20 is at least 10k less than the golf, no competition however few people that have £35k plus to spend would actually spend £23k. Also Cupra is stupid money.

why is a caterham in a hot hatch shoot out ?

Great video 👍 good job team 👏

I cant chose this i20N or the Fiesta ST... like i dont really want the back end going out all the time so ive herd the ST dose? feels unsafe

What is the point in buying a car that doesn't have a boot?

How is a Golf R affordable???

As an owner of an i20N I can only agree 😅

Hi, you mention the i30 N, but why is it not in this test? Surely its of the same class as the golf and others...??

Best affordable drivers car is either the Toyobaru or the MX5. And both are front engine and RWD, as god intended.

When there's any Caterham around, no car at all, not even those multi million dollar hypercars stands a chance when it comes to pure driving fun and engagement, it's unfair to put it in a test like this against anything short of a race car.

I’m a BMW fan but I have to admit that 128ti is hard to look at

Informative and not full of nonsense as usual, just as I like it. Keep up the good work

Ford puma is on another level

The torsen diff in the M135i can you turn it on and off or in eco to sport does it work differently