New Hot Hatches for under £15k

The Hot Hatch segment is popular with young and old alike. Large enough to be practical and powerful, yet small enough to be stylish and dynamic they´re a big hit with most people and it´s never been more apparent as the top car makers fight it out amongst themselves to develop the best and hottest hatch around. We´ve taken a look at a couple of the best new hatchbacks available on a budget of £15,000.

Fiat Grande Punto

Since it´s launch on February 11, 2006, the huge popularity of Fiat´s all-new Grande Punto has proved that the Italian car makers really have their finger on the pulse when it comes to making cars that stand out for style and peformance.

For a number of years, the Punto has been widely regarded as Peugeot and Renault´s, ungainly, rather unattractive cousin, but with the all new Grande coming in as the largest supermini in the highly competitive B segment, the ugly duckling has turned into a swan, and the Punto has finally found its niche.

With no less than 13 versions of the new Fiat Punto on sale, starting from a tiny £7,594 up to £13,000, there really is a Punto for everyone, making it a worthy contestant in the competitive hot hatch sector. There are five different trim levels: Active, Active Sport, Dynamic, Eleganza and Sporting make up the range and each consist of the high-quality build and stylish design we have come to expect from the Italians.

Power comes from a choice of six powerplants, including the widest diesel range within its category: 1.2 litre, 65bhp and 1.4 litre, 77bhp versions of the 8 valve Fire petrol engine and 4 turbocharged versions, to show off Fiat´s sophisticated direct injection diesel engine technology: 120bhp and 130bhp variants of the 1.9litre 8 valve Multijet, and 75bhp and 90bhp versions of the 1.3 litre 16 valve unit. There will be future additions to the range including more powerful engines, but details of these are still ´under wraps´.

The all-new Punto is not short of accolades including the Golden Steering Wheel (Germany); Auto Europa (Italy) and best City car (France). With a 5 star Euro NCAP rating under its belt you know you´ll be safe too.

The Fiat 500 is headed for greatness when it is launched late in 2007, but until then, you´ll have to make do with the Grande Punto - but when the car is this good, that´s not really too much of a cross to bear!

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Peugeot 307

A couple of years ago, I had a Peugeot 307 as a company car, and I really enjoyed the experience. It´s a very popular model, so much so it made it into the top ten selling cars of last year, and on the back of its original success the range has recently seen a realignment with four trim levels now completing the line-up.

The Peugeot 307 range starts with the entry level Urban model which replaces the E and is priced at a reasonable £11,900. This model comes complete with air conditioning as standard as well as the black/grey Starting cloth trim that previously came as standard on the S model.

An enhanced 307 S model carries many more features than the more basic Urban, and starts at £12,600. Specification now includes 16" Equinox alloy wheels, front fog lights and the distinctive grille bars with chrome detail. A perforated leather steering wheel, cruise control complete with speed limiter, fashionable white instrument dials and depending on the colour of car chosen, Turbine black/grey or black/red cloth trim.

The new 307 Sport model (replacing the SE and XS) is exclusive to the Hatchback style with a choice of 3 or 5 door versions and starts just under budget at £14,600. Although you can expect to pay around £1,500 more than you would for similar-engined S models, the new sport has a far superior specification with 17" alloys, black leather upholstered sport front seats, leather steering whel, stylish aluminium gear knob, climate controlled air conditioning, automatic headlamps and windscreen wipers, electric folding mirrors and on the 5 door models, rear electric windows as standard. It doesn´t end there, but we simply haven´t got enough space in this article to cover all the features it comes with, so if you´re interested, check out the Peugeot website for prices and specifications.

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Suzuki SX4

Suzuki´s all new-SX4 is a 5-door hatch that marries together the characteristics of the sporty compacts such as the Suzuki Swift, with those of lightweight SUV´s, like the Grand Vitara to create an exciting alternative small car - described by the makers themselves as ´a sport x-over for all seasons, all occasions´.

So if you´re after the practicality of a stylish and dynamic small car with the protection and driving capability of a 4x4 then the SX4 might well be the one for you.

The all-new SX4 was born of a partnership agreement between Suzuki and Fiat Auto S.p.A with Suzuki taking the lead for the project manaement from the intial concept to mass production.

Launched last month, the UK Suzuki SX4 range will initially be made up of 3 models powered by 107 PS 1.6 litre VVT petrol engine: a front wheel drive model that comes in GL and GLX grades and the 4GRIP GLX with selectable/automatic 4-wheel drive. Later on this year, Suzuki will release a 120 PS 1.9 litre DDiS diesel derivative which will use a highly flexible engine which will be supplied by Italian giants Fiat, and also a 4 speed automatic option for the 1.6 GLX

The SX4 is available in two differing trims, the GL and the GLX. It´s styled to look good whatever job it´s doing. Suzuki are particularly proud of its elegant flowing form and it´s low waistline. The different models allow Suzuki SX4 customers to find exactly the right image for their car. The GLX and 4GRIP GLX models lean more towards an SUV appearance, while the GL grade puts the emphasis on the passenger car characteristics, with SUV elements taking a back seat.

After undergoing NCAP tests, the Suzuki SX4 was awarded 4 stars for occupant protection, and 3 stars for pedestrian and child protection ratings respectively, which for a compact car, is extremely impressive

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Seat Ibiza and Leon

When it came to looking at SEAT´s new cars, we couldn´t decide between the funky little Ibiza, and the Leon. So as they both come in models that are available under £15k, we´ve decided to cover them both.

2006 SEAT Ibiza

We´ll start with the Ibiza. Believe it or not, the SEAT Ibiza was introduced over 20 years ago. Since then, production has totalled more than 3.4 million of the cars and over 160,000 were destined for the UK.

Currently SEAT´s best selling model to date the Ibiza is classed as a supermini and a hot hatch, depending on who you speak to, it´s the sportiest car in its class and has a reputation for being fun, funky and dynamic.

The visual appeal has been strengthened with the 12 new models in the SEAT Ibiza range, the most obvious of the changes being the new front bumper which now features three bold intakes and on Stylance models and upwards, pronounced fog lights. Twin headlights are now fitted as standard throughout the range. Taking up the rear is a new-look bumper and rear light clusters, which along with new badging and alloy wheel designs, finish the look off. Good news on the safety front too - in the tough Euro NCAP crash tests, the Ibiza achieved an impressive 4 star rating.

The Ibiza is available in 3 and 5 door versions with 5 differing equipment and trim levels, the Reference, Stylance, Sport, FR and Cupra, and 8 differing engines ranging from a 1.2 12V petrol 64 PS and 1.4 TDI diesel 80 PS through to 1.8 20V T petrol 180 PS and 1.9 TDI diesel 160 PS.

Prices range from £7545 for the 1.2 12v Reference, to the slightly over budget 1.9 TDI PD Cupra which comes in at £15495, but it is an on-the-road price so includes road tax and delivery etc.

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New SEAT Leon

According to the Spanish manufacturer, the Leon neatly blends the sporting image of a coupe with 5-door practicality and reinforces individual SEAT values from within the Audi brand group.

The new Leon is larger than the outgoing model, although this is hard to tell when you look at it´s dynamic design and compact form. There are five different engines in the SEAT Leon range comprising of 2 petrol and three diesel including their exclusive four cylinder, 185PS 2.0-TFSI engine, powered with FSI direct-injection and has a turbocharger in a single unit together with the exhaust manifold.

Five trim levels are available, Essence, Reference, Reference Sport, Stylance and Sport and the new SEAT Leon has a host of innovative advancements, including ´invisible´ door handles, which are concealed in the doorframe, bluetooth enabled hands-free communication, navigation system and a rain sensor.

SEAT have also made a commitment to helping the environment by using materials with high levels of recyclability, and low consumption and pollution levels, such as lead free paint and reducing the total weight of PVC by 1.2kgs.

Pricewise, the SEAT Leon range starts at £11,295 on-the-road, and there are 7 models within our £15k price range, including the impressive 5-dr 2.0 TDI reference sport, which has a top speed of 125, can do 0-62mph in 9.3 seconds, and just sneaks under budget at £14995.00.

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2006 Volkwagen Polo GTI

We couldn´t put together a feature on Hot Hatches for under £15k without including the hotly anticipated Volkswagen Polo GTI.

Launched on May 12, 2006, the new Polo GTI has completed the regeneration of the Polo range and adds a touch of excitement to improved line up.

The range-topping Polo hit showrooms back in February and since then, customers have been ordering the GTI.

The VW Polo GTI is available in 3 and 5 door models, and has a 1.8-litre 20 valve turbocharged engine at its disposal. In the GTI model it develops 150OS and 152lbs ft of torque, from 1,950 to 4,500rpm, which in plain English makes it the most powerful Polo ever to go into production. Getting to 0-62mph in 8.2 seconds, it can hit a top speed of 134mph.

Borrowing style tips from its much respected big brother the VW Golf GTI, the Polo GTI features a honeycombe front grille, twin tail pipes, red brake callipers, 14mm lower suspension and 16" GTI alloy wheels.

With prices starting at £14,810 for the 3 door model, it fits nicely into our budget, although you´ll have to shell out an extra £600 if you´re wanting to plump for the 5 door.

Equipment-wise, you wont go wanting. Including Anti-lock brakes with hydraulic brake assist, Electronic stabilisation programme, driver and front passenger airbags and front side airbags, climactic air conditioning, remote central locking with alarm, electric windows and mirrors and a radio/CD player, you more than get your money´s worth.

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The problem is, I now want all of these cars - how can you possibly choose? If you can, let us know what your favourite is at Blogtorque

• Top 200bhp cars on a budget

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