Volkswagen Group Ireland recently held a refresher day at Mondello Park, bringing 40 vehicles from Volkswagen, Audi, Skoda, SEAT and Volkswagen Commercials along for journalists to sample and reacquaint themselves with. Sitting in the paddock were the likes of the Audi A3 Cabriolet, Skoda Superb L&K, Volkswagen Amarok Canyon and SEAT Leon ST FR, all with tanks full of juice and keys in the ignitions for the assembled journalists to sample on the roads around north Kildare.
Of course, as the event was taking place at a racing circuit, the various brands had also brought along some fast toys that spent their day on track duty. The DSG-equipped SEAT Leon Cupra was so fresh into the country it was not even wearing plates and it continuously fought at the head of the field with the 300hp Audi S3 Saloon. While ultimately not able to keep up with the fast Audi and SEAT the Volkswagen Golf GTI Performance Pack and Skoda Octavia RS TSI were so evenly matched that there were some great dices... sorry respectful following line a-stern... between the two cars no matter who was behind the wheel.
There was also a track prepared Leon FR TSI, in which Dave Humphreys proved he is the fastest journalist in the country, but the less said about that the better.
So why, with all those hot hatches, with an average power output of 250hp, did I spend most of the time on track in a 180hp Ibiza Cupra?
Compared to the Leon Cupra the Ibiza does not stand a chance; it is 100hp down, does not have the best chassis to begin with, has to make do without the sophisticated differential and does not have the braking power of any of the other cars available to drive on track. But it is because of these deficits that it is so much fun to drive; it is the yappy little Jack Russell to the Leon's thoroughbred greyhound, the S3's Pinscher and the Golf's... ok so I've run out of canine analogies, but the fact remains that while, even on track, some drivers will never get beyond 50 per cent of the faster cars' capabilities, the Ibiza can (and was) driven on the absolute ragged edge, leaving you with a grin that the Joker would be proud of.
Sure, any of the other cars can drive by along the straight as if the Ibiza is parked, but they do so mid-way up the rev range in third gear. At the point it is passed the Ibiza is topping out in fourth, its supercharged and turbocharged engine crying out for you to pull the right hand paddle shift and change up. Then you reach the first corner and while the brake lights on the Golf come on at the 150-metre board the Ibiza is still accelerating until past 100 metres as, weighing less, it needs less distance to pull up.
It is this kind of 'ragged edge' driving that has made the Fiesta class in Mondello so popular. From the outside it all looks slow and tame but from inside the cabin everything is frenetic - the engine cannot give any more, the brakes are screaming for mercy and the tyres long ago gave up and are just holding on for dear life as the less than ideal suspension components allow the car to lean into a corner in dramatic fashion.
And it is for that exact reason why I have always preferred low-powered hot hatches on the road to their high-powered brethren. Two years after I drove it, I still say the Abarth 500C is one of the most fun cars I have ever driven. Yes it is ungodly firm on the road, but you can cane it to within an inch of its life, work the turbocharged 1.4-litre engine to its last then look down at the speedo and realise you haven't broached the speed limit. Now I am not saying that you can have more fun in a 1.0-litre Micra than you can in a 300hp S3 - you still require a decent chassis and some noise to go with the experience - but drive an S3 in the same manner as you'd drive the Abarth and you are not just looking at licence losing territory, you are well into the realms of 'go straight to jail, do not pass go, do not collect €200'. The opportunity to explore the limits of anything with over 200hp in safety just does not exist, not in Ireland and not on public roads at least. Pin the throttle in anything fast and by the time you are reaching for fourth gear the Garda chopper has already been deployed from Baldonnel to hunt you down. Do so in the Abarth, Ibiza or even a Fiesta ST (which really is stretching it) and you can pitch it into a corner, wait for the lift off oversteer before continuing on at a rate of knots that is unlikely to get any unwanted attention.
Don't get me wrong; I enjoy driving big power cars as much as the next man, but for those drives that leave an indelible grin on your face and the desire to head straight back out again, give me low power every day of the week.