BEST PERFORMANCE CARS
You cannot explain the allure of a well-sorted performance car to a person who doesn’t get it. So if you get it, here are the best performance cars to OWN, on objective criteria. (That is - the ones that won’t break your heart or bank balance.)
HYUNDAI i30 N
There’s something very Jedi about the e-Diff in the front of an i30 N that turns an ordinary hatch into a cornering hero.
The i30 N was designed to be financially accessible, and fun. (Ditto the i20 N and Kona N.) They’ll all make you work for those lap times, or you can simply enjoy your favourite piece of public road, albeit at a more conservative (but immensely satisfying) pace.
An i30 N is still the king of affordable small-car performance with the choice of an old-school six-speed manual (that’s right, with a clutch pedal), or the company’s slick seven-speed dual-clutch transmission for lighting-quick gear-changes.
Seats are brilliant on-track but might get tiresome on the CBD commute. Push the ‘N button’ and transform the car’s attitude including louder exhaust crackling, more immediate throttle response, heavier steering, faster gearshifts and firmer suspension.
MAZDA MX-5
The small, light, nimble two-seat sports car that absolutely refuses to care if you think it needs more power. It’s an unapologetic driver’s car designed purely for those who want to exploit what’s given to them. MX-5 will test your talent envelope, much like a go-kart.
MX-5 brings out your dormant talents that lay hidden beneath the drab, monosyllabic nature of most modern cars. If you want to overtake, you have to make that happen with your eyes, your hands, your feet.
There’s no spooling turbocharger helping you under the bonnet, just a 2.0-litre atmo-four drinking 95 RON fuel. You won’t be taking much luggage, because the boot is tiny. And cabin space is strictly premium.
There are many compromises in this car, but that’s because when you accept them, and learn how to use an MX-5 properly, you get an indescribable kick out of driving. Pick the manual for ultimate driver engagement and use every one of the 135kW Mazda has given you.
SUBARU WRX
Breathtaking performance and the practicality of a five-seat, big-boot family car in a relatively affordable package - that, frankly, goes like stink.
There’s no STi version in this latest generation, but all the hot bits went into the tS, which you can even have as a Sportwagon - with 492 litres of boot space, which is more than some midsize SUVs.
The 2.4 turbo Boxer engine is a beastly engine and mated to the best CVT on the market which is now so good at making gear-changes you’ll think for a moment it’s a dual-clutch. Hard to beat that AWD too.
If you want an all-wheel drive rocketship that (mostly) flies under the radar and is as happy with kids in the back as it is clipping an apex or getting off the line, the latest WRX does not disappoint.
WRX remains an icon, and it still feels like one to drive, especially in the wet.
TOYOTA 86 / SUBARU BRZ
The Toyota 86 and Subaru BRZ are essentially the same lightweight, affordable performance car wrapped up in subtle design differences only a handful of enthusiasts and anoraks will spot. They look the same, the go about the same and you’ll spot logos from the other brand on various components under the bonnet.
Even a base model BRZ offers something uncompromising in the sports car domain - no passengers up the back (not really, anyway). Unlike a WRX, it’s a front-engined, rear-drive manual with Subaru’s glorious four-cylinder Boxer configuration and Toyota’s build quality.
If you really don’t need to take additional small people, or tag-along mates to your track day experiences, the BRZ or 86 is an excellent choice for distilled but accessible hardcore driving dynamics. Think clutch pedal, enough luggage space for your helmet + race suit, and a bottle holder for hydration; that’s as full as a car like this should ever get.
HYUNDAI i20 N
If you crave that perfect blend of hot hatch smallness with the seemingly bulletproof grunt of Hyundai’s N-division, the i20 is calling you.
It weighs the same as a dragonfly, but stings like a wasp trained by Navy Seals thanks to its mechanical limited-slip differential, the manual-only transmission ‘choice’ and that crackling 1.6-litre turbocharge petrol engine that will take everything you can dish out - and it’ll ask if that’s all you’ve got.
The i20 N ticks every box for performance weekend trackday machine and civilised daily driver with personality and little red warning labels that signify to Mustangs and Porsches to keep your distance.
This is one feisty little go-kart that offers high-end bang for your buck and track-happy warranty from a reputable brand.
BMW M3
The M3 is BMW’s best work, especially the current generation; it’s the pinnacle midsize sedan with big power, huge grip and the even bigger brakes, and the most carnally attractive inline-six imaginable.
But the fundamental paradox here is a case of its capability versus yours, and more than likely, you won’t be able to find the genuine limits of this car without striking disaster. You’ll find your own limits much sooner than you’ll reach its potential. Unless you have your own track, or something.
Investing in the Competition you’ll get 216 kW-per-tonne from the twin-turbo straight six, which is 60% more awesome in a straight line than an i30 N, taking it from 0-100 in 3.9 seconds. And that’s not even what this car does best.
An M3 is as close to perfect as a practical supercar could ever be. Is it comfortable? Yeah-ish. Is the M3 Competition comfy? Kinda. More than it has any right to be for such a driving machine.
BMW Z4
If you like the idea of an open-top sports car when the weather’s right, you want the performance of an elegant coupe and the long-bonnet brawny confidence of a muscle car, the Z4 was made for you.
You get 245kW from a balanced six-pot engine and RWD via LSD. That’s what the Z4 has always been about. Although it has put on weight, along with every single other new model ever, it’s still a special car with a unique combination of old-school simplicity with a veneer of current BMW tech over the top. (And they are pretty good at the pure driving experience.)
The top-spec M420i weighs 1542kg, which is eight percent more than the 2.0-litre turbo-four weighing 1427kg.
All this makes for a compelling discussion you’ll be having with yourself about which one to buy, because the big turbo-six is about two seconds quicker to 100, but costs about $140K before on-roads, versus the $99K of the 145kW base model. You’ll have to choose between ‘apex predator’ or ‘straight-line grunt’. Good luck with that.
LEXUS LC500
LC500 could very well be a future classic for the Lexus brand as one of the last remaining large-capacity V8 engines available to the wider market. In a world of constricting fuel economy and widespread public virtue, it rebels.
And boy does this thing sing. Little can compete on soul-stirring performance than the snarl of its big, thumping V8 engine. Available in coupe or convertible, the LC500’s design harks from the LFA supercar which was a design turning point for Lexus.
Being built by the Big T, you know LC500 won’t be as unreliable as, say, a Mercedes. Lexus offers very good customer support in Australia, so you’ll actually be treated humanely.
Some very cool colour options are available too, in a world of cold corporate greys and darkened, pastel hues.
TEMPTING PERFORMANCE CARS TO AVOID
Nissan Z: Still using an outdated petrol V6 engine when everybody else has moved onto turbocharged four-cylinders, three-pots or continue to refine inline-sixes for optimal balance of the pistons’ firing order. This is because Nissan has failed to innovate on their Last Action Hero sports car.
Volkswagen Golf R: It’s a typical performance hot hatch with Volkswagen-level ethics baked in. Goes hard, goes fast, and they’re happy to promote that, but guaranteed if anything breaks, they’ll find a way to dismiss your warranty and consumer law rights. That’s Volkswagen in a nutshell.
Skoda Octavia RS: Octavia RS offers Volkswagen Group levels of customer support: meaning poor. But you’re also paying above-board for a Golf that’s not as nice to sit in Skoda is also a pretty irrelevant brand here in Australia; they’ll struggle hitting 10,000 sales in 2023.
Mercedes-Benz A45 AMG: Expensive to buy, run and service, and not nearly as well-made as Mercedes would have you believe. It’s easy to crank up the power at the compromise of reliability of internal components.
Audi TT RS: A very expensive VW that sells in tiny numbers and is backed by a brand with aggressive indifference to your plight if you present a problem to the service department. Don’t be surprised if the petrol particulate filter gets blocked and they bill you for it.
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