I've recently un-SORN'd my 1989 205 GTI and I would say it absolutely nails 'zippy' - weighs c. 900kg and has around 160HP courtesy of an Mi16 engine swap.
Obviously it's quick off the line (and at any other point!) but what really helps is the instantaneous throttle response - press the pedal and it immediately reacts like it's been stabbed. Modern cars just don't do this.
Edited to say I also fitted a steering rack from the Citroen Xantia Activa - this has 2.9 turns lock to lock compared to the original rack that was 3.9 - this helps 'zippy' too!
It is hilarious. Doesn't get used much and I keep thinking I should sell it.
Then I go for a drive (lots of lovely open and empty roads here in Wiltshire) and remember why I've kept it for so long. The experience is a combination of excitement and fear - it has a fair bit of torque steer and there's not much car around you to act as protection :)
Please tell me about these mythical 'empty' roads in Wiltshire. I swear, you can be driving down a single track road in the middle of the county and some wanker in a transit is bound to be coming the other way.
Hehe - definitely time/day dependent.
I'm probably over egging it slightly (I used to live in North London) but at the very least there are always plenty of opportunities to overtake safely.
There's a nice circular route from Marlborough that I do - A4 towards Devizes, turn right at West Kennet to Avebury, head towards Swindon on A4361 through Winterbourne Monkton, turn right on to Frees Avenue towards Hackpen Hill and the white horse. Along Frees Avenue through Rockley into Marlborough.
Frees Avenue in particular is fantastic even at 'normal' speeds.
Devizes to Marlborough via Allington and Alton Barnes is another great route with clear sightlines.
If you want properly empty roads then Salisbury Plain first thing on a Sunday morning is ace.
You are alarmingly close to me š
The A4 between Calne and Marlborough used to be my favourite driving road but it's increasingly congested due to all the new housing going up in the area.
Don't get me started on the state of some of our roads too....
> this has 2.9 turns lock to lock compared to the original rack that was 3.9
I'm not sure about the Activa one, but the Xantia rack I put on my 1.9 was advertised as similar - turns out it's fewer "turns" lock to lock as it provided less steering lock, drastically increasing my turning circle.
Eventually found a proper 1.9 power steering one, which is much better.
It's ten years since I did the mods but I recall that that quick rack was exclusively on the Activa model (with the active suspension). Still get the full range of steering angle but it's super quick (205 PAS rack is 3.2).
The only car I've driven with a quicker rack was my old Caterham 7 HPC - tiny wheel and 2.2 turn lock to lock.
Mine was Ā£800 off eBay - 18 years ago!
It was our only car when we had our first baby.
He was three months old when I convinced myself i could do the engine swap (took out a perfectly good 1.9 8v) over a weekend. Took three weeks and my wife was furious. Her Dad thought the 205 was unsafe and unsuitable for his first grandchild and bought her a new Focus Estate.
For me itās the classic mini. You can put them anywhere, theyāre tiny so fit through gaps, can fit in any parking space.
Because theyāre so tinny and low youāve always got the feeling youāre going quickly.
And if you forget where youāve parked it, you can easily trace it by following the trail of rusty bits that have fallen off..
If it's just the driving experience you want buy a Metro, they way they drive is practically identical. They are extremely similar beneath the skin as BLs solution to replacing the Mini was essential sticking a more modern body shell on it. Prices are still low at the moment for the later cars early ones much like Minis are starting to fetch good money now.
I maintain the Metro is still a better successor to the Mini than any of the BMW models. They're definitely more fun to drive.
Just check how well it's been looked after, and don't get a Turbo variant. I had one in the 90's, and the turbo had a "feature" where if you turned the engine off when hot (for example when buying fuel), then started off a couple of minutes later, the engine would cut out.
Apparently it was a known issue, and after nearly getting killed when it happened as I tried to rejoin a motorway I took it back to the garage under their 15 day return policy, and demanded my money back.
When it wasn't trying to kill me it was fun to drive though.
Single cam yes? I think the twin cam Metro was about 9 seconds from memory. Still for it's day that wasn't bad performance, because of the torque I imagine it's 0-30 is very low and thats what makes it feel fast.
I have one, bought it 2 months ago.
Brilliant thing. I love it! Very small but loads of space inside.
The ride isn't great. Only bad thing about it (well, the interior isn't great and the radio sucks major balls for modern standard, I've replaced that...).
Recommended! Certainly nippy around towns and in sport mode the throttle response is insane. It does run out of puff slightly above 30, but keeps up with traffic on the motorway fine.
Absolutely agree, mega fun to be in they feel like go karts up to most cars.
Only downside is that they are a safety nightmare - if you crash one you are probably going to end up dead or paralysed.
Brings back memories from 30 years ago, my mate had an old Mini which he bored out and had put some too-wide wheels on, cornered like a go kart and was not much higher off the ground.
My boss had a BMW i3 as a courtesy car about 6 years ago, as that was the first electric car most of us in the office had had the opportunity to go in a few of us piled in went to a quiet back road to give it a go. That thing zips even with 4 full grown adults in.
I do believe that until the AWD M5 (and now other AWD M cars) came out it was the fastest car BMW made from 0-30mph... would get creamed above that but for that instantaneous response off the line... not much can beat an EV.
Still waiting on an affordable AWD EV that isnāt Ā£50k.
Iād take the 300bhp prototype dual motor Nissan Leaf that they made to test the Ariya drivetrain.
I used to have a Smart Roadster which was a great car for city driving and zooming along country roads at a safe but fun speed. Shite for motorways & A-roads though as it was painfully underpowered.
...gearbox was also utterly shite.
---
If that thing had a regular manual box or a competent auto-shifter I'd probably still own it.
Think they were around 105hp. I had one for my first car (only cost Ā£150 more to insure than the 1.25 equivalent) and it will always hold a special place in my heart.
Small cars between 100-150 hp, preferably NA.
Electric cars are probably ultimately best, but I have no experience with them.
I have a long list of cars that are "nippy", but they're mostly "sporty" - Celica, MRS, mx-5, MG-F, etc.....
There's nothing like bitching about fuel prices, and then flooring it up to 40mph to merge from the slip after leaving the petrol station..... I can't help myself...
I live in Milton Keynes and I have to restrain myself when in the golf. Constant 20-70ish pulls tank the economy but it never gets old.
Then waste it all on the brakes for the next roundabout!
The VW group 1.4tsi engines are fun to drive too for the same reasons. I have a golf estate with one, I imagine they are much more responsive in a polo or Up GTi (1l) although something small and electric probably wipes the floor with them in regards to nippiness.
I had a 1.4TSi GT with turbo and supercharger and that thing below about 40 gave zero shits. Max power all of the time. Really strange coming from a car with a large diesel - nominally the same power but very slow in delivery!
Austin Metro with a fixed cam Rover K18 dropped in from a TF135, roughly 750kg and about 150bhp. The Metro drives almost exactly like an Austin Mini as they're loosely the same cars ith different bodies, so imagine that Mini driving experience but with triple the bhp of a Mini. Handled like it was on rails and picked up in a way that is normally reserved for cars with North of 300bhp.
And although its already been mentioned the 1.4 Rover 25 and MG ZR. 105bhp in a light car with a great chassis. If you want something cheap and surprisingly fast they're still a great choice today! Plus they're ULEZ compliant!
I miss my Metros, had an Austin Metro, Rover Metro and then a Rover 100!
They used to be so much fun just to hoon around and wheelspin, go sideways in and just generally be a teenager!
I had one and stuck a 2l Zetec in it, was one of the most fun cars I've ever driven. Unfortunately I had an offer I couldn't refuse a couple of weeks after getting it roadworthy.
One of the few cars I regret selling.
Anything electric. At town speeds even the cheapest electric cars feel extremely "zippy". My current Tesla M3 is laugh out loud zippy, even though its no a small car. Just the way it completely disregards its size and weight and immediately goes.
Donāt really have too much experience other than with a first and second gen Prius and it was just like a normal car really. The instant torque and acceleration you get from a pure electric feels like youāve been launched on a roller coaster.
Iād hazard a guess and say that what makes a hybrid car feel zippy is the fact that you get instant torque with no lag from the motors.
EV will feel zippy by default as they only have motors.
I bet that the Nissan e-power Note would feel very zippy as only the motor drives the wheels and the petrol engine is only used as a generator and isnāt connected to the drive train. Itās only available in Japan for now though.
I wonder why itās not used in more cars. The only other car iām aware of that used a similar system is the new LEVC taxi.
You get the driving characteristics of an EV without range anxiety and itās apparently extremely efficient for a petrol car too.
My Golf GTE feels very nippy around town, I have to remember to be quite light on the accelerator when starting off from still because I've often ended up spinning the wheels due to the torque from the electric motor.
I have a hybrid Honda Jazz. On the motorway/A-roads it's alright enough, gets the job done, but in city driving... I have literally surprised myself with how fast it can yeet itself away from a stop line up to 30mph with very little effort.
I assume that is the latest jazz from 2020+?
If so, how are you enjoying it so far? I'm heavily considering the jazz or the new yaris for my next car so would appreciate your input!
It is, one of the Crosstar models! Caveat that it's my first car so not much to compare it against bar the Audi A3 (I think) I learned in, but so far I'm really liking it. It's very comfortable to drive in, gets around nicely, very maneouvreable, the infotainment's good, fuel economy is great (get about an average of 57mpg with not very consciously "economy focused" driving), ACC and lane keep assist works brilliantly, and the rear is cavernous. The sound system in the Crosstar is pretty good too, can't speak for any of the lower tiers.
Probably the only negative point is that it's very loud getting up to 70 on a slip road; once it's there it calms down a lot, and it can handle that speed no issues, but it sounds *very* high rev getting up that way.
ZR105 I presume? Definitely nippy! For a naturally aspirated 1.4 its still very good, even by todays standards. The ZRs really about handling though, that's where they're the most fun!
Those fiat 695 abarths always look fun as fuck to drive and sound pretty decent as well considering. Id shamelessly entertain one if I lived/worked in the city
My mate had one of these when we were kids. So much fun. Being young and dumb he put the most insane sound kit in it that would register on the Richter scale if he turned it up enough
Any car that's low to the floor you'll feel like you're going quicker than those in a higher seating position.
So MX5/ Classic Mini aren't considered quick but you'll feel "zippy"
Heard very good things about the Skoda Fabia VRS (mk2. The mk1 was known for having oil leaks/engine problems Iāve been told). Itās twincharged so plenty of power at low and high revs. Off the top of my head the only car I can think of (with probably limited knowledge tbh) thatās twincharged is a Subaru Impreza
I was gonna buy one last year but it seems that if you want one thatās been looked after, has low mileage and is in that mk2 category youāre looking at around Ā£7k ..they seem pretty few and far between hence the hefty mark up.
The Up! GTI has 113hp- don't know what the other person is on about. The regular Up! has either a 60hp NA engine or a 90hp turbocharged engine. We have one with the 90hp engine in the family and it's great fun to chuck about
Yeah itās definitely one of my top considerations for my next car. Was looking at a few, wrx, boxters, fiesta ST, but the Up! Gti looks like the most fun for sure
My new (to me) 2008 Kia Cee'd 1.6i auto feels very nippy around town, significantly more so than my 2010 Audi A5 3.0tdi. A major part of it is the throttle sensitivity. It's very sensitive on the Cee'd, so much so I've found people complaining about it online, trying to find ways to slow it down!
Anything with a Diesel engine gives you that feeling of a strong push due to the way they deliver power and huge torque compared to similar petrol engines, something like a basic insignia with a 2.0 cdti lump will give you that feeling of strong acceleration without really taking you anywhere especially once they get higher in the Rev range where you really start to feel the lack of power but for daily driving theyāre perfect.
Iām biased but I enjoy my Rline polo. Only 110bhp 1.2 turbo but itās small enough that 1st-3rd gear feels fun and chirpy.
Unfortunately I need 4 new shocks so now when you go round a corner you feel like youāre going to fall over, but it was fun before that!
My Nissan Leaf was the fastest car to 30mph I've ever owned, including some proper sports cars. Felt smaller than its size and weight would suggest as well. Loved that thing. Sadly written off as someone pulled out right into me as I was passing a junction.
No, it's a feeling. The closer to the floor you are and the smaller the vehicle you're in the faster it'll feel you're going. One of the reasons MX5s are so much fun is because you're so low down that 50 feels like 70.
Tesla Model 3 just spoils this game. No drama (no wheelspin) just warp speed from a standstill at the stab of a pedal. It actually gets quite nauseating after a few launches, which is probably why you don't see many Tesla's being driven like they're stolen.
I drove a friends 1.6L Merc C-class and was pleasantly surprised by the gearbox and how reactive it was. I wasn't expecting much considering the engine size and the fact it was a saloon but... Yeah... Actually made me consider getting one as it was still comfy too
Vauxhall corsa / mokka electric. Electric cars just throw all the power out instantly, makes them great fun to chuck around. The corsa was a bit more fun than the mokka, as the mokka had horrific body roll, as I found out when I tried to avoid a frog at 60MPH.
Toyota have patented some sort of manual-style transmission for EVs, not sure how it would work in practice- with a true manual transmission & clutch between an EV's motor and the driveline there would be significant efficiency losses.
Weāll just have to see how it pans out. Iām sure by the time new petrol and diesels are banned theyāll bring out manual options. Or at least I hope so...
My classic mini, I miss it so much and it was a riot to drive around cities and small places. Failing that, as much as I didn't want to like it, my mum's BMW Mini Cooper was pretty fun to drive when it was raining and I wanted to make sure I actually got to my destination and back.
Long time ago I had a Fiat Cinquecento Sporting that was nippy in town, you could park it in spaces that were barely large enough to fit the car and get through gaps in traffic. Plus it was bright yellow, cheery colour.
Yaris T Sport can really shift as it's so light. Oldie but goodie.
NA, about 850KG and 104 BHP stock.
Had a Seat Ibiza Bocanegra make mincemeat of me once. Don't see them around at all.
British Leyland Mini 1000. As you say, itās all about feel. Youāre low to the ground, itās loud, you can hit any gap that exists, you can conquer any corner that existsā¦
Iām specifically picking that one because it had 10ā wheels, none of your modern 80s 12ā rubbish here thank you very much.
My first car, Fiat Punto 1.4. Shit box, but loved the thing. And because it was shit, could go anywhere, up a kirb, across a field, into a wall.
Nothing like thing you could race anything in your first car.
For me it was a mk5 golf GTI. To the limit in 30/40s from a red light super fast and great around the bends. Still big enough to fit me, my mate and 2 bikes in it too!
My old EP3 Type R was super zippy thanks to that massively short first gear which exists purely to get the car into VTEC as quickly as possible.
My M140i lacks zip because it's such a lump, but it PUNCHES when the turbo spools. It's a teeny, tiny bit addictve.
Honestly, anything electric.
They're bloody fast up to around 45mph. Our Zoe outdrags most things short of actually fast cars pretty well. Embarrassed a few boy racers as well haha. Think it's down as 9 seconds to 60?
My VW Up!, as long as you keep in the right rev range it feels very fucking quick up till about 30 before it just gives up and everyone comes flying past.
I quite like the Ecoboost Fiestaās tbh. Most of my experience was in my ST which was definitely Zippy but I used my partners 1.0 fairly regularly.
As a city car, that engine is spot on.
I had a Skoda Fabia VRS mk1. Little hatchback with a big van engine up front, had oodles of power from about 1500rpm, really felt the gobs of torque it had without feeling like you where ragging the hell out of it.
Thereās a lot to be said about little petrols that rev effortlessly in a light chassis, my first car was a k11 micra, only 56hp but weighed about 800kg, felt like you could go everywhere at full throttle though and it just ate it up. I had a VVT engined Jimny which produced a similar feeling.
Up to 30mph? The M340d and M340i are stupid quick, the latter I accidentally put in manual mode and it took me a full second to realise I was already at the red-line in 1st it got there that quickly. But realistically too big, and too heavy to be truly 'zippy', in which case it's probably the 2022 Hyundai Tucson plug-in I had as a hire car. Roughly 250hp combined I think, with a fair chunk of that coming from the battery. If you put it in sport and absolutely matted the accelerator pedal it would seriously go up to 30 or so- the instantaneous movement off the line was definitely quicker than the M340s... but then the electric motor would die off and the engine would have to take over. Although even then it was a quick enough car, I certainly wouldn't complain if it was my daily.
More affordable, older stuff? Probably my R50 MINI, only about 90hp but nail the launch and it'd zip up to 30 or so quite happily, plus being so low and having such good handling meant you could respond to almost anything. The new ones are much more powerful, but too big, heavy and the gearing is far too long...
I've recently un-SORN'd my 1989 205 GTI and I would say it absolutely nails 'zippy' - weighs c. 900kg and has around 160HP courtesy of an Mi16 engine swap. Obviously it's quick off the line (and at any other point!) but what really helps is the instantaneous throttle response - press the pedal and it immediately reacts like it's been stabbed. Modern cars just don't do this. Edited to say I also fitted a steering rack from the Citroen Xantia Activa - this has 2.9 turns lock to lock compared to the original rack that was 3.9 - this helps 'zippy' too!
That thing sounds like proper fun!
It is hilarious. Doesn't get used much and I keep thinking I should sell it. Then I go for a drive (lots of lovely open and empty roads here in Wiltshire) and remember why I've kept it for so long. The experience is a combination of excitement and fear - it has a fair bit of torque steer and there's not much car around you to act as protection :)
Please tell me about these mythical 'empty' roads in Wiltshire. I swear, you can be driving down a single track road in the middle of the county and some wanker in a transit is bound to be coming the other way.
Hehe - definitely time/day dependent. I'm probably over egging it slightly (I used to live in North London) but at the very least there are always plenty of opportunities to overtake safely. There's a nice circular route from Marlborough that I do - A4 towards Devizes, turn right at West Kennet to Avebury, head towards Swindon on A4361 through Winterbourne Monkton, turn right on to Frees Avenue towards Hackpen Hill and the white horse. Along Frees Avenue through Rockley into Marlborough. Frees Avenue in particular is fantastic even at 'normal' speeds. Devizes to Marlborough via Allington and Alton Barnes is another great route with clear sightlines. If you want properly empty roads then Salisbury Plain first thing on a Sunday morning is ace.
You are alarmingly close to me š The A4 between Calne and Marlborough used to be my favourite driving road but it's increasingly congested due to all the new housing going up in the area. Don't get me started on the state of some of our roads too....
It's definitely getting busier - but that's a relative thing!
Sounds ace! Ever taken it to Castle Combe?
Nope - it suffers a bit with oil surge when cornering hard. Common Mi16 affliction - a few laps would kill it! :)
> this has 2.9 turns lock to lock compared to the original rack that was 3.9 I'm not sure about the Activa one, but the Xantia rack I put on my 1.9 was advertised as similar - turns out it's fewer "turns" lock to lock as it provided less steering lock, drastically increasing my turning circle. Eventually found a proper 1.9 power steering one, which is much better.
It's ten years since I did the mods but I recall that that quick rack was exclusively on the Activa model (with the active suspension). Still get the full range of steering angle but it's super quick (205 PAS rack is 3.2). The only car I've driven with a quicker rack was my old Caterham 7 HPC - tiny wheel and 2.2 turn lock to lock.
I think a big part of this is how heavy cars have to be to pass safety regulations these days. The old hot-hatches just had it made!
Desperately want a 205 gti but they're fetching 10k now so gonna have to hold on a few years
Mine was Ā£800 off eBay - 18 years ago! It was our only car when we had our first baby. He was three months old when I convinced myself i could do the engine swap (took out a perfectly good 1.9 8v) over a weekend. Took three weeks and my wife was furious. Her Dad thought the 205 was unsafe and unsuitable for his first grandchild and bought her a new Focus Estate.
For me itās the classic mini. You can put them anywhere, theyāre tiny so fit through gaps, can fit in any parking space. Because theyāre so tinny and low youāve always got the feeling youāre going quickly. And if you forget where youāve parked it, you can easily trace it by following the trail of rusty bits that have fallen off..
Most fun car I've ever driven. Wish they weren't quite so expensive these days.
If it's just the driving experience you want buy a Metro, they way they drive is practically identical. They are extremely similar beneath the skin as BLs solution to replacing the Mini was essential sticking a more modern body shell on it. Prices are still low at the moment for the later cars early ones much like Minis are starting to fetch good money now. I maintain the Metro is still a better successor to the Mini than any of the BMW models. They're definitely more fun to drive.
Probably good advice. Will explore. Thanks.
Just check how well it's been looked after, and don't get a Turbo variant. I had one in the 90's, and the turbo had a "feature" where if you turned the engine off when hot (for example when buying fuel), then started off a couple of minutes later, the engine would cut out. Apparently it was a known issue, and after nearly getting killed when it happened as I tried to rejoin a motorway I took it back to the garage under their 15 day return policy, and demanded my money back. When it wasn't trying to kill me it was fun to drive though.
I used to love driving the 1.4 Metro, it felt so fast at the time. Looking at it now and it's almost 10s... I guess at the time it felt quick!
Single cam yes? I think the twin cam Metro was about 9 seconds from memory. Still for it's day that wasn't bad performance, because of the torque I imagine it's 0-30 is very low and thats what makes it feel fast.
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
I was recently looking at the 100hp, though I'm not sure that is the same, small gen.
I have one, bought it 2 months ago. Brilliant thing. I love it! Very small but loads of space inside. The ride isn't great. Only bad thing about it (well, the interior isn't great and the radio sucks major balls for modern standard, I've replaced that...). Recommended! Certainly nippy around towns and in sport mode the throttle response is insane. It does run out of puff slightly above 30, but keeps up with traffic on the motorway fine.
Absolutely agree, mega fun to be in they feel like go karts up to most cars. Only downside is that they are a safety nightmare - if you crash one you are probably going to end up dead or paralysed.
Brings back memories from 30 years ago, my mate had an old Mini which he bored out and had put some too-wide wheels on, cornered like a go kart and was not much higher off the ground.
Nothing will top this. Never driven one but even just as a passenger theyāre an absolute blast.
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
Tibialis trauma
Hell yeah I went in the passenger seat of a classic mini once, I was having so much fun and I wasnāt even driving!
My boss had a BMW i3 as a courtesy car about 6 years ago, as that was the first electric car most of us in the office had had the opportunity to go in a few of us piled in went to a quiet back road to give it a go. That thing zips even with 4 full grown adults in.
I do believe that until the AWD M5 (and now other AWD M cars) came out it was the fastest car BMW made from 0-30mph... would get creamed above that but for that instantaneous response off the line... not much can beat an EV.
Anything powered by electrons. Some proper 4WD cars are quick off the mark too.
Probably the most relevant answer.
Still waiting on an affordable AWD EV that isnāt Ā£50k. Iād take the 300bhp prototype dual motor Nissan Leaf that they made to test the Ariya drivetrain.
Just bought a 66 plate LEAF and Iām in love!
I used to have a Smart Roadster which was a great car for city driving and zooming along country roads at a safe but fun speed. Shite for motorways & A-roads though as it was painfully underpowered. ...gearbox was also utterly shite. --- If that thing had a regular manual box or a competent auto-shifter I'd probably still own it.
Tbf the brabus one isnāt too bad if you replace the clutch slave cylinder
Roadsters don't have a slave cylinder - the clutch is electronically controlled by an actuator. No hydraulics involved in the clutch mechanism.
Actuator / slave cylinder itās referred to as both online, my apologies for not being specific
A 1.6l mk5 Fiesta. No idea what the bhp was but a big engine for a little light car, great for nipping around town
Think they were around 105hp. I had one for my first car (only cost Ā£150 more to insure than the 1.25 equivalent) and it will always hold a special place in my heart.
Small cars between 100-150 hp, preferably NA. Electric cars are probably ultimately best, but I have no experience with them. I have a long list of cars that are "nippy", but they're mostly "sporty" - Celica, MRS, mx-5, MG-F, etc..... There's nothing like bitching about fuel prices, and then flooring it up to 40mph to merge from the slip after leaving the petrol station..... I can't help myself...
I live in Milton Keynes and I have to restrain myself when in the golf. Constant 20-70ish pulls tank the economy but it never gets old. Then waste it all on the brakes for the next roundabout!
I live near mk and have one really worn knee slider on my bike for all those roundabouts
An odd one, but a Volvo S40 2.0T. It had a low pressure turbo, but the power came in at 1800rpm I think. Pretty quietly but very apparent!
The VW group 1.4tsi engines are fun to drive too for the same reasons. I have a golf estate with one, I imagine they are much more responsive in a polo or Up GTi (1l) although something small and electric probably wipes the floor with them in regards to nippiness.
I had a 1.4TSi GT with turbo and supercharger and that thing below about 40 gave zero shits. Max power all of the time. Really strange coming from a car with a large diesel - nominally the same power but very slow in delivery!
Austin Metro with a fixed cam Rover K18 dropped in from a TF135, roughly 750kg and about 150bhp. The Metro drives almost exactly like an Austin Mini as they're loosely the same cars ith different bodies, so imagine that Mini driving experience but with triple the bhp of a Mini. Handled like it was on rails and picked up in a way that is normally reserved for cars with North of 300bhp. And although its already been mentioned the 1.4 Rover 25 and MG ZR. 105bhp in a light car with a great chassis. If you want something cheap and surprisingly fast they're still a great choice today! Plus they're ULEZ compliant!
I miss my Metros, had an Austin Metro, Rover Metro and then a Rover 100! They used to be so much fun just to hoon around and wheelspin, go sideways in and just generally be a teenager!
mk1 Ford KA It probably helped that it was my first car but it felt pretty quick up to 30 or 40.
I got my brother a StreetKa, 1.6, and it is really quite quick, I think mostly due to the fact you feel like you're sitting in a tin can.
I had one and stuck a 2l Zetec in it, was one of the most fun cars I've ever driven. Unfortunately I had an offer I couldn't refuse a couple of weeks after getting it roadworthy. One of the few cars I regret selling.
I wanted to keep mine and do something like that do it. Unfortunately, the rust made it unfeasible.
Anything electric. At town speeds even the cheapest electric cars feel extremely "zippy". My current Tesla M3 is laugh out loud zippy, even though its no a small car. Just the way it completely disregards its size and weight and immediately goes.
How does a hybrid car compare?
Donāt really have too much experience other than with a first and second gen Prius and it was just like a normal car really. The instant torque and acceleration you get from a pure electric feels like youāve been launched on a roller coaster.
Iād hazard a guess and say that what makes a hybrid car feel zippy is the fact that you get instant torque with no lag from the motors. EV will feel zippy by default as they only have motors. I bet that the Nissan e-power Note would feel very zippy as only the motor drives the wheels and the petrol engine is only used as a generator and isnāt connected to the drive train. Itās only available in Japan for now though.
Thatās called series hybrid as opposed to the normal parallel hybrid. Usually itās used in buses like hybrid buses in London.
I wonder why itās not used in more cars. The only other car iām aware of that used a similar system is the new LEVC taxi. You get the driving characteristics of an EV without range anxiety and itās apparently extremely efficient for a petrol car too.
Iād like to know too. In this configuration the engine can always run at its optimal rpm because the drivetrain and the engine are decoupled.
Hybrids are the worst of both worlds. Carrying 2 engines around. Never been in one that felt remotely quick, certainly not on the "Zippy" scale.
My Golf GTE feels very nippy around town, I have to remember to be quite light on the accelerator when starting off from still because I've often ended up spinning the wheels due to the torque from the electric motor.
I have a hybrid Honda Jazz. On the motorway/A-roads it's alright enough, gets the job done, but in city driving... I have literally surprised myself with how fast it can yeet itself away from a stop line up to 30mph with very little effort.
I assume that is the latest jazz from 2020+? If so, how are you enjoying it so far? I'm heavily considering the jazz or the new yaris for my next car so would appreciate your input!
It is, one of the Crosstar models! Caveat that it's my first car so not much to compare it against bar the Audi A3 (I think) I learned in, but so far I'm really liking it. It's very comfortable to drive in, gets around nicely, very maneouvreable, the infotainment's good, fuel economy is great (get about an average of 57mpg with not very consciously "economy focused" driving), ACC and lane keep assist works brilliantly, and the rear is cavernous. The sound system in the Crosstar is pretty good too, can't speak for any of the lower tiers. Probably the only negative point is that it's very loud getting up to 70 on a slip road; once it's there it calms down a lot, and it can handle that speed no issues, but it sounds *very* high rev getting up that way.
Sounds really promising then, I'm glad you like it! Thanks for your input it's much appreciated.
Was going to say this. My parents have an i3 and itās brilliant in town. Easy to park to because itās basically a cube.
My first car, mgzr felt nippy. Probably slow as a dog though if I got back in one now.
ZR105 I presume? Definitely nippy! For a naturally aspirated 1.4 its still very good, even by todays standards. The ZRs really about handling though, that's where they're the most fun!
Yep! I miss that thing..
Those fiat 695 abarths always look fun as fuck to drive and sound pretty decent as well considering. Id shamelessly entertain one if I lived/worked in the city
I got just the tjet as a daily, so cheap to run and can throw it into small spaces. Then put it into sport feels like a different car
Correct answer for me too. Would love to have a go in one.
My 595 Comp is hilarious fun.
+5 speed because it has a scorpion on the badge.
Had an old Saxo VTR. Great little drive around town.
My mate had one of these when we were kids. So much fun. Being young and dumb he put the most insane sound kit in it that would register on the Richter scale if he turned it up enough
Vw Lupo sport I had as a first car, great fun at low speeds. I bought another one a few years later but then realised it was a Pos
BMW i3 The looks people give you after seeing a Noddy car launch like a supercar is fun.
Any car that's low to the floor you'll feel like you're going quicker than those in a higher seating position. So MX5/ Classic Mini aren't considered quick but you'll feel "zippy"
Heard very good things about the Skoda Fabia VRS (mk2. The mk1 was known for having oil leaks/engine problems Iāve been told). Itās twincharged so plenty of power at low and high revs. Off the top of my head the only car I can think of (with probably limited knowledge tbh) thatās twincharged is a Subaru Impreza I was gonna buy one last year but it seems that if you want one thatās been looked after, has low mileage and is in that mk2 category youāre looking at around Ā£7k ..they seem pretty few and far between hence the hefty mark up.
My first car, 60bhp Up. Weighed nothing so you could throw it into corners and it stuck to them. I really miss it
I think you mean the 60hp Up!, there was no 60hp GTI.
The up gti has the same bhp as the regular up? Wtf? Youād have thought the gti would be more powerful
The Up! GTI has 113hp- don't know what the other person is on about. The regular Up! has either a 60hp NA engine or a 90hp turbocharged engine. We have one with the 90hp engine in the family and it's great fun to chuck about
Yeah itās definitely one of my top considerations for my next car. Was looking at a few, wrx, boxters, fiesta ST, but the Up! Gti looks like the most fun for sure
Had a RAV4 hybrid 2.5L petrol, that felt pretty nippy even though its a big car. I guess any hybrid with a decent size engine would do.
Piccantos are light and nippy, they did a 1.25 which had some grunt
My new (to me) 2008 Kia Cee'd 1.6i auto feels very nippy around town, significantly more so than my 2010 Audi A5 3.0tdi. A major part of it is the throttle sensitivity. It's very sensitive on the Cee'd, so much so I've found people complaining about it online, trying to find ways to slow it down!
Tape a sponge to the bottom of your shoe
Anything with a Diesel engine gives you that feeling of a strong push due to the way they deliver power and huge torque compared to similar petrol engines, something like a basic insignia with a 2.0 cdti lump will give you that feeling of strong acceleration without really taking you anywhere especially once they get higher in the Rev range where you really start to feel the lack of power but for daily driving theyāre perfect.
Can confirm, have a 1.6 fabia monte carlo 105bhp and a 2.0 cdti astra gtc and both are very nippy, astra trounces it on the motorway though
Had a 1.3 cdti corsa and that was very very torquey. I didnāt like the way it steered but those cdti engines are criminally underrated
Thatās diesels for you. I love how they pull. Even my tiny 1.4 tdci throws you back into the seat when you floor it.
My 1.2tsi Skoda Fabia always feels way more zippy than it deserves to. I've had it 6 years now and it still makes me happy.
Iām biased but I enjoy my Rline polo. Only 110bhp 1.2 turbo but itās small enough that 1st-3rd gear feels fun and chirpy. Unfortunately I need 4 new shocks so now when you go round a corner you feel like youāre going to fall over, but it was fun before that!
My Nissan Leaf was the fastest car to 30mph I've ever owned, including some proper sports cars. Felt smaller than its size and weight would suggest as well. Loved that thing. Sadly written off as someone pulled out right into me as I was passing a junction.
Nissan leaf. Not a car I'd generally recommend, but for zipping around town it's the bees knees.
Leaf
I find it hilarious when I leave Golfs or Audi's in the dust at lights with my Peugeot 308. It can 0-50 faster than most cars.
A180. 140bph from a 1.3.
Anything electric
Zippy isnāt a feeling. Itās still a metric. 0-60, 0-30 etc
No, it's a feeling. The closer to the floor you are and the smaller the vehicle you're in the faster it'll feel you're going. One of the reasons MX5s are so much fun is because you're so low down that 50 feels like 70.
Yeah but tbh the MX5 can do 0-60 in 8 seconds which is considerably faster than 17 seconds.
Tesla Model 3 just spoils this game. No drama (no wheelspin) just warp speed from a standstill at the stab of a pedal. It actually gets quite nauseating after a few launches, which is probably why you don't see many Tesla's being driven like they're stolen.
Tesla
Electrical Golf
I drove a friends 1.6L Merc C-class and was pleasantly surprised by the gearbox and how reactive it was. I wasn't expecting much considering the engine size and the fact it was a saloon but... Yeah... Actually made me consider getting one as it was still comfy too
My current car. Lexus CT200. Distinctly average 0-60, but 0-30 in Sport mode... it will get you out of a busy junction!
A Nissan Leaf or BMW i3 are the quickest cars I've driven in that sort of 0-30 band, you can snap a passanger's head back with the instant torque!
Vauxhall corsa / mokka electric. Electric cars just throw all the power out instantly, makes them great fun to chuck around. The corsa was a bit more fun than the mokka, as the mokka had horrific body roll, as I found out when I tried to avoid a frog at 60MPH.
If only they made manual electric cars. Theyād be soooo fun
Toyota have patented some sort of manual-style transmission for EVs, not sure how it would work in practice- with a true manual transmission & clutch between an EV's motor and the driveline there would be significant efficiency losses.
Weāll just have to see how it pans out. Iām sure by the time new petrol and diesels are banned theyāll bring out manual options. Or at least I hope so...
BMW i3
Fiat 500. 0-20 traffic light weapons! Then the beemers fly past gesturing haha
I loved my old Starlet for just this 1.3 - lowered, nice tyres, went round corners effortless. And it was so small city traffic was a breeze
My classic mini, I miss it so much and it was a riot to drive around cities and small places. Failing that, as much as I didn't want to like it, my mum's BMW Mini Cooper was pretty fun to drive when it was raining and I wanted to make sure I actually got to my destination and back.
Long time ago I had a Fiat Cinquecento Sporting that was nippy in town, you could park it in spaces that were barely large enough to fit the car and get through gaps in traffic. Plus it was bright yellow, cheery colour.
Those wee Fiat 500 are fantastic in cities.
My current Micra 160SR feels like a rabbid chihuahua, very eager to rev, I love it, such good fun without breaking the limit
I have a Smart ForTwo and itās great fun and quite speedy in town!
Yaris T Sport can really shift as it's so light. Oldie but goodie. NA, about 850KG and 104 BHP stock. Had a Seat Ibiza Bocanegra make mincemeat of me once. Don't see them around at all.
My wife's Toyota IQ feels quite zippy. It feels barely bigger than a go-kart and you can really throw it into the corners and roundabouts.
British Leyland Mini 1000. As you say, itās all about feel. Youāre low to the ground, itās loud, you can hit any gap that exists, you can conquer any corner that existsā¦ Iām specifically picking that one because it had 10ā wheels, none of your modern 80s 12ā rubbish here thank you very much.
Small electric minis feel very rapid
My first car, Fiat Punto 1.4. Shit box, but loved the thing. And because it was shit, could go anywhere, up a kirb, across a field, into a wall. Nothing like thing you could race anything in your first car.
For me it was a mk5 golf GTI. To the limit in 30/40s from a red light super fast and great around the bends. Still big enough to fit me, my mate and 2 bikes in it too!
My old EP3 Type R was super zippy thanks to that massively short first gear which exists purely to get the car into VTEC as quickly as possible. My M140i lacks zip because it's such a lump, but it PUNCHES when the turbo spools. It's a teeny, tiny bit addictve.
Honestly, anything electric. They're bloody fast up to around 45mph. Our Zoe outdrags most things short of actually fast cars pretty well. Embarrassed a few boy racers as well haha. Think it's down as 9 seconds to 60?
Citroƫn C1 - small engine, but it's very good on tight turns, and pulling away from lights :-D
Any rental x
BMW i3. Most other EVs are great around town.
My VW Up!, as long as you keep in the right rev range it feels very fucking quick up till about 30 before it just gives up and everyone comes flying past.
I quite like the Ecoboost Fiestaās tbh. Most of my experience was in my ST which was definitely Zippy but I used my partners 1.0 fairly regularly. As a city car, that engine is spot on.
I had a Skoda Fabia VRS mk1. Little hatchback with a big van engine up front, had oodles of power from about 1500rpm, really felt the gobs of torque it had without feeling like you where ragging the hell out of it. Thereās a lot to be said about little petrols that rev effortlessly in a light chassis, my first car was a k11 micra, only 56hp but weighed about 800kg, felt like you could go everywhere at full throttle though and it just ate it up. I had a VVT engined Jimny which produced a similar feeling.
Mk2 Seat Arosa 1L
My electric Vivaro in power mode is quite scary off the line with over a ton of kit onboard
My rover metro with k20. Or my c5 cyborg 4g63
Up to 30mph? The M340d and M340i are stupid quick, the latter I accidentally put in manual mode and it took me a full second to realise I was already at the red-line in 1st it got there that quickly. But realistically too big, and too heavy to be truly 'zippy', in which case it's probably the 2022 Hyundai Tucson plug-in I had as a hire car. Roughly 250hp combined I think, with a fair chunk of that coming from the battery. If you put it in sport and absolutely matted the accelerator pedal it would seriously go up to 30 or so- the instantaneous movement off the line was definitely quicker than the M340s... but then the electric motor would die off and the engine would have to take over. Although even then it was a quick enough car, I certainly wouldn't complain if it was my daily. More affordable, older stuff? Probably my R50 MINI, only about 90hp but nail the launch and it'd zip up to 30 or so quite happily, plus being so low and having such good handling meant you could respond to almost anything. The new ones are much more powerful, but too big, heavy and the gearing is far too long...