Our mid-season episode is a real treat for all you petrolheads, as Driven Web Series, powered by PETRONAS Primax, sets out to settle the much-discussed affair of who makes the best hot-hatch today. Those looking for a new fun-to-drive daily driver now have a big pot of choices to pick from. We round up four of the best to find out which is the King of all.
Is it still the Volkswagen Golf GTI, or have others surpassed it? The GTI started it all, and in its latest Mk7 form, is now the best it has ever been. Opposing fire comes from above – the land of premium hatches. Here, we pit the original hot-hatch against the Mercedes-Benz A 250 Sport, BMW 125i Sport and Volvo V40 T5.
Why them, and not the others, we hear you ask? Two simple reasons: these are the ones you can drive everyday (not mere weekend toys), and more importantly, they all have the all-important brand cachet. After all, why would you look at lesser marques when you want to spend North of RM200,000?
In usual Driven Web Series-style, we cover all bases, and then some. There’s no twist this time round, but we’ve added plenty of turns to make up for it. So fellow enthusiasts, you’re welcome to sit back, crank up the volume and enjoy the show.
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Should have had a drag race with all 4 cars together too. Would have been great to watch!
Is there a tow truck on standby? Since the is a VW, better get a tow truck on standby. VW fanboys will say GTi got wet clutch and all that grandmother tales but it still breaksdown so often like the dry DSG boxes.
Amazing how VW fansboys and VW salesman are nowadays so active online again, like many years ago, disputing there is nothing wrong with the DSG. Even VW Global has come clean to tell everybody that DSG is inherently faulty and cannot be used in hot Asian countries such as Malaysia which VW Global said is too hot for their DSG boxes as well as the DSG boxes cannot handle Asian traffic jams like Malaysia.
Cant be worse than BMW dude. At least VW is confident enough to give 5 years warranty. I only get 2 years for my new F30. Was promised by BMW SA that all BMW car is entitled free service every 20000 km when planning to buy the car. After buying,now 36000 km and I have not got any free service. Complained to the manager they said will service according to recommendations by on board computer. I said the SA didnt tell me that and promised free service every 20000km. He said SA resign already….This is BMW Malaysia.. Pure con job. I will go for VW or Merc after this.
We would like to give our sincere appreciation to all VW DSG owners. If not for you all, we would not be able to send our kids overseas to study degree course. Thank you VW DSG owners!
Frankly speaking, I never saw a VW on tow. If VW is so bad I would at least saw 1 on tow truck from the 1st day they do business in Malaysia. Bare in mind everyday I can see lots of ppl driving VW on the road.
Bro, I have seen a few times in KL…
Im staying in PG so maybe Im just lucky. However, everyday my route to work I get to see a banner that jinx all VW owners. Lol
oh no… my own Polo already sit on tow truck 3 times in year 2013 itself!!
Mine needed towing for a flat battery (^_^;)
Kesian…Suprima not joining…oh wait different kampung lah
It would be more interesting if they included the Focus ST and Megane RS265, but nevertheless a good shootout.
Those are like leceh manual cars la
I guess u drive auto cars. Manual cars are for real men drivers. Maybe your not real enough to be a man.
you guyz are awesome.. i enjoy watching it.. seriously Malaysian need this kind of car review show. KEEP IT UP GUYZ!!
What? Where is Suprima S? Isn’t it’s the hottest hatch from Malaysia?
SS is not premium/luxury hatch in bolehland
well done, we need another German, the Audi A3 and probably Mini Countryman to complete this
Audi A3 Sportback…
I haven’t watch a video yet but the winner of this shootout should against another 3 hot hatches, Mazda 3 MPS, Ford Focus ST and Renault Megane R.S.. It will be interesting to watch.
Nice review, next please do a review for RS Megane vs Golf Gti MK7
Hiii Paul Please compare & shoot out sport sedan BMW 328i vs Mercedes c250 vs Volvo S60 T5 vs Lexus IS250 vs Audi A4 2.0i vs Infiniti Q25….
Mott
Hiiii Paul Please also compare and & shoot up Aventador, F12, 918 Spyder, Huayra, CCX, Zonda, MP4-12C and Veyron….
how about u do it urself… u brilliant…
May I request to compare Sam Loo vs Maserati vs Kimchi vs Dr M vs Perkasa ?
good suggestion but infiniti has no Q25, the previous model was G25, Now they hv the 3.7/3.5 litre Q50, and i think a 2.0litre turbo Q50 will be launched..
Well done, guys! You all outdo yourselves once again in this episode.
Keep em comin! =)
Guys, great work! I hope in the future you guys could also show us the legroom and headroom space for driver and passengers, rear visibility, blind spot areas, compartments / sockets provided, boot size, quality of materials used for interior, trim levels that come with the model etc… Perhaps 4 of you can ride in a car and mention your experience as driver and as a passenger. Cherio!
VW GOLF MK7 get the title “Car of the year” wasn’t for nothing…
The improve version “GOLF GTI” were even better !!!
..but reliability sucks big time, my less than 2 year old golf tsi need clutch pack replacement and my friend’s 3 year old 2.0 Roc broke down with EPC problem and need to be towed to SC. My colleque’s 2 year 1.4 Roc was recently had whole MU & Clutch pack replaced….all under warranty but the HASSLE of being without car for few days is troublesome!
Roc? Is that a new junk on road?
wow, good video is more better compared with the 1st one.
but from what i watch is the video wasn’t fair enough when shooting the car interior.
the video did show how is the BMW rear seat and the space, but what is the other 3 models? Since it’s 5 doors car.
every car can speed up to 180km/h or 200km/h with below 150k
this 4 car is consider as high speed car(around 200k)
but how many second needed when from 100km/h-0km/h?
just my 5 cents..
Don wori. They will still outperform your kancil lol
How about Focus ST and Europe version of Civic Type R?
Kudos to the team for making this great video. I perfectly understand why track cars like Focus ST and the Megane wasn’t included.
That’s who it should be done. Instead of throwing everything into one bowl of rojak.
Great job! Enjoyed it every bit.
where is the Focus, Megane, Civic Type-R Euro, Brera and MPS? dont tell these cars are not hot hatch? cannot be driven on daily basis? clearly biased comparison. the GTi is no match for the superior handling and build quality of A250, sorry to VW fanboys.
Aiyyooo boy. These people are the expert judges right now laa and we value their comments and justufication. They test drove all the 4 cars and concluded that gti was no 1. Yr opinion here is therefore rubbish. Now go and fly kites somewhere else boy
The fella is obviously a Merc salesman or someone who struck lottery and came from a Kancil. Don’t know what is ride quality at all
if have no clue or dont know anything about cars, dont comment so fast kiddo. nap time now, go grab your milk bottle.
totally agree with ricky, the interior, the handling and everything is just way above the Golf GTI. only VW childish naive fanboys will support their GTI is much more superior and dare not admit how good is their rival. (or should i say how good ARE their rivals). peace~!
Great show, excellent dialogue, fair review. Bravo!
But my eyes still hurt looking at the Angry bird! No minus points for ugliness?
Gosh, my fav.. A-class spot at 4th.
and the winner is…. V40!
Long been branded as old uncle brand and V40 is been compared with other sporty car. Well done Volvo! I go for V40 as it has good outlook, rare, and reasonable price with high safety rating.
Driven is getting better. Hafriz is also improving. Not too “wooden” anymore. no offence dude ;)
I agree the delivery, how the presenters speak and act, has improved a lot since the first episode. I guess they needed some warm up to get into it. Now they look like they born to be on TV. Directing and editing has also improved.
I enjoy this series, so thank you for making it and keep up the good work guys.
The volvo is cheapest, the only sub-rm200k. Also with 5+5+5 coverage, best after-sale package too.
It’s clear volvo is not a sporty brand, more focused on safety and comfort. And design is very beautiful, especially the rear.
If that’s so why they introducing things like polestar and advertising their cars as beingnaughty
Their core models are still tuned towards comfort.
The so-called “naughty” s60 is still pretty soft compared to german rivals, but it is a sportier volvo. Drive s60 and 240, the 240 feels boaty. But drive it next to 3series, c-class, volvo is boaty.
Polestar is relatively new to tuning commercial volvo.
In the end, ask anyone who thinks of volvo, sporty? Nah, it’s always safety, and how comfortable u feel after long drive.
But making it naughtier is always welcomed :)
I got a feeling volvo pay lots of $$$ to win in favour. Coz, once a buyer buy a volvo, it’s for life. Even sam loo won’t even want a volvo park at his stock yard. Taboo.
i really think you guys shouldnt do lap times in elite as its a go-kart track. and you guys entered corners wrongly, hence a huge lap time for the bmw and volvo compared to merc and golf.
additional alfa romeo makes hot hatch too, its called guiletta
One does not doubt the ability of the Singh to follow proper racing lines
very nice video and fun. waiting for more car review like this.
Bravo guys for another laughing session! Seriously, I’m a fan of your show now. 10-min is still longer than any car TV show could give for a comparo. Yes, there’ll be blatant bashings and senseles comments, but the fact that you guys did give the cars some mild thrash to come out with an arguably collective ranking is to be commended for. As I said in many previous comments, any buyer with any money to buy a car, MUST test drive the choices that they have before deciding the one to drive home. As for those who don’t, just enjoy the show!
P/S: Pity Harvinder, he left the skirt at home. Otherwise, it’d perfect with the A-Class;-)
That Sam Loo guy will be very pissed off with this shootout… they should put a Toyota Yaris as the ultimate benchmark…
lol…
According to him, Malaysian built Vios has more RV than imported Yaris.
Sam Loo busy selling sushi. He is so broke now. He cannot sell his no RV Camry 2.5. Brand new 181k. Now 1 year car selling for 145k. Pity him. Better sell to junkyard.. Haha
Another nice episodes from the lads at paultan.org
I think the reason why we don’t see the Focus ST nor the Megane is because those are low volume sellers and have stiff suspension so its not really an everyday hot hatch car.
Focus ST do not have a stiff suspension, firm may be.
You can still drive a Focus ST everyday, the only problem is most Malaysians’ left foot can only cope with not many hours of traffic jams hence Manual Transmission cars are left out from the above comparison tests as such.
In this instance, Driven is right to classify what is considered as an everyday car for Malaysian… it has to come with an Auto Gearbox!! Conventional/DSG/CVT or similar..
Great job with the video guys. I might be wrong here but I thought the BMW comes with adjustable settings similar to the GTi saw well.
Only the m sport has adjustable suspension. Don’t be fooled by the drive mode button
i think u guys should have an mpv episode soon, because mpvs are really popular in malaysia. try to get hold of the toyota previa please, i want to see how it holds up against competitors.
Make a video about peugeot 208 , ford fiesta , audi a1 and kia rio .
Who cross shops between Audi a1 and Kia rio?
I change my mind . The rio will have to be replace with a VW Polo.
is it possible for next comparisons u include reliabily surveys?? thy have alot of forums and real surveys online to collect ….reliabilty is an important factor in purchasing a car regardless of brand…it should be included in the criteria to rank the cars…bcos not many shows online/youtube bother about it n u wil have sting unique in ur reviews…
The series get better and better every time.good jobs guys.
Can we have a readers polls pppppppplease……
Since you have given your verdict, it will be interesting to see the public’s verdict too!
Volvo V40 +1
i’d go for it because of value in money (least expensive in the group), practicality (everyday use and comfort), style (very good looking)!!!
Sam loo will spoil the poll by bringing his hoarde of toyota salesman to mass vote non stop all day on vios and camry only. Smart ppl will stay away fr those thrash.
I would love to see comparison for MPV’s categories in the next episode. Hehe.
Realistically, the GTI is the LEAST PREMIUM, HAS THE MOST PROBLEMATIC GEARBOX, and THE CHEAPEST LOOKING. The Volvo sounds the best, is beautiful and extremely safe and reliable with 5 years free service. The BMW isn’t ugly, is great to live with, has a premium image and has great resale values. The merc is flamboyantly beautiful, expensive but very premium looking. I don’t see how a f**king VW could be the best of the bunch.
>BMW
>Great resale values
Cannot brain!
But agree on the rest. Merc probably has best resale value here.
VW is good, but scared DSG.
bmw is unique with rear wheel drive.
Volvo is nice. A bit thirsty, but when u feel the 5-cylinder purr, totally worth it :) and that assured feel of a very safe car, priceless. I believe the T5 has auto brake function, right? Impressive, all other arguments are invalid!
Added thoughts:
Bmw scared banyak masuk workshop.
So vw n bmw are out. To argue they have performance, if i really look for performance, megane rs265. Checkmate. Cannot drive manual? Pussy aa want performance but not manual?
Merc n volvo. Cheaper, safer, 5-cylinder, 5+5+5, volvo it is :)
Another great review done by you guys which a lot of improvements seen comparing them to the first episode. I do miss the old driven series a lot by Sharizan, Harvinder and Nurul Alis sponsered by BHP though. Especially Sharizan, with his epic style of presentation. Too bad there’s no Season 2 for the last Driven. Anyways, good job guys. Bring the glory of the olden days of Driven back!!
often copied never equalled !!
VW Golf GTI did not get the hot hatch king title for no reason..
Best all rounder..
I see, this is in Bukit Jelutong, I can tell by the D’Bayu (Greenview), the mosque and golf course. Next, BMW 428i Sport vs Mercedes C250 Coupe vs Audi A5 2.0 TFSI. Also Harvinder, just be the first to be in the car at the end.
After 3 episode, jonathan and havinder are great! but the others have to buck it up man. reviewing cars with very less excitement, lack of enthusiasm and not even half entertaining or informative. Although it’s a web series, Car Advice (youtube) is much better on every direction comparing to this. now now, don’t say that i do not support you guys, i’m a fan of paultan.org since the early days. but the driven(series) is not even half good comparing to your articles in the web. man…… do something. sometimes someone just have to be the bad guy. =) *waiting for ep4*
aiyoo why not test GTI with A45 AMG,,. baru fair..
are you sure GTI with A45 AMG is fair?
A45 AMG is to compare with Golf R bro..
vids getting better. congrats Driven
well done guys! enjoyed watching it :)
Good Show. Should extend the time of your webseries
Nice review…
However, think its pretty unfair pitting the GTI against the rest which arent really performance/sports tuned cars. It should go up against the likes of the A45 AMG and M135i… the GTI will win when it comes to track and lap times against the normal a250 or i125… if it is about the budget and racy hot hatches, I feel that the GTI should be pitted against the likes of Focus ST, Renault Megane RS or even the Mazda 3 MPS which are all sports tuned and coming in at very similar price range. Oh… and aren’t hot hatches meant to be sporty and not comfy on the roads?
kudos for the vids, but like Halleluyah mentioned, it could be a lil bit more informative and natural… I know its still new and hoping for better reviews from the guys…
No offense btw just my 2 cents… cheers
I agree with you what is hot-hatch suppose to be.
Driven, can you please do more tests in the “affordable segment”? The A, B and C segment.
These are the cars where most of the Malaysians buy, not the premium brands.
A Golf GTI seems too far away for most of us.
Shout out to Chris, you are really good in front of the camera!! although i must say all the other 3 are doing a great job as well.
Hey, can we have Danny in the video next week?? have been waiting for his appearance since last week……lol…..
Good comparo, however, if this is a review of the best hot hatches in the Msian market, then should have included the Megane RS and Focus ST, and boot out the Volvo.
But as it is, out of the 4 cars, the best 2 is the GTI and BMW. A250 got the best looks and brand catchet, but its ride is poor relative to the rest, altho its handling is good.
In the end, the best all-rounder is the GTI. Without a doubt.
Know it wouldn’t be likely for the team to do a comparison of the A200, 118i, Volvo V40 T5 and Golf TSI but if so, would the result be any different?
I think a comparison of A200, 118i, Volvo V40 T4 and Golf TSI for day to day drive can be quite interesting too.
I Must Work Hard and more aggressive to own one of this Hot Hatch. Maybe 10 years later :_(
Great Driven Web Series!! Like it~
LOL…where is citroen DS5?
DS5 has massage seat which VOLVO V40 doesn’t have…and the list goes on…
*not to mention v40 is 30% assembled here…whilst DS5 is only 5% assembled in malaysia
All these cars here do 0-100km/h in less than 7s. You can have the 9s car, no thanks.
Love to watch review between Suzuki Swift, Fiesta, and Peugeot 208
Most of the presenters are a bit wooden, maybe stage fright? Need to be more natural, not like reading a script or memorized script …lol! The Flying Singh (hee!hee!) was more natural as his lines were more natural, spontaneous speech with natural flair. The others need more practice to keep their minds off the camera and mic.
The cars tested were a bit limited, with the GTi not compared to a proper hatch like A45 and M135 which foreign mags have done, which kicks out the Gti due to loss of power compared to an A45. Maybe comparing apples to oranges until the next Golf R comes. Good effort for a local production, great shots and editing…pity the commentators.
Based on personal experience in Malaysia, Don’t buy a new BMW. Their after sales service is crap and warranty is 2 years only. All emails complain to HQ is entertained poorly by a stupid personel called Chandra Gandhi .They will try their very best not to allow you to claim any manufacturing defect. If can claim also u will wait like forever for parts. Try talking to the sales manager. They think they are like richer than u and me. Lol. Bloody low class sales man. I think now BMW realize and many people boycott already. Many F series BMW club members have disposed off their cars because of frustration. Go for merc instead. You will be treated with more respect, hopefully. I will know soon
My 2 cents…VW after sales service ABSOLUTELY sucks! I know, I have a GTI and I would rather eat glass than to deal with VW. Sad becoz the GTI is a great ride. BMW service has slightly improved lately but 2 years warranty is unacceptable esp the $$$ you have to pay for gearbox, adaptive shocks, fuel pumps etc. Merc (Hup Seng to be exact) gives good service and the 4 year manufacturing warranty provide piece of mind….but seriously, I have not walked into a Merc showroom for ages but the A250 is a great attempt to look hip again. Lexus tops in after sales service but you are buying a scaled up but very well built Toyota?
Would have been nice if the Ford Focus ST was included in the comparison as it is also a hothatch..
I think the Focus ST would fit better in this shootout in terms of pricing and performance compared to the Volvo.
Would love to see how the ST compares to the GTI
In most oversea comparos between Focus ST, megane RS and golf GTi, the Focus sits in the middle between the extreme handling RS and the jack of all trades GTi. Even watching in youtube, the sound symposer sounds great. Haven’t got the chance to hear it in real life as there aren’t any test drive unit for focus ST. Interior of ford focus is no match for all the cars above. Why is it really great handling cars have so so interior. Driver enjoying the drive so much that he doesn’t bother about the interior.
you guys can go on and on and on about how fast the GTI is, how fun the BMW is, how COOL the a250 is, but that split second in a car crash, the car who really will save you, is the v40. it will sacrifice itself, to save you, the driver. it’s the closest thing to death proof.
the v40 T5 is the best all-rounder imho. Not only you get a handsome car, you get a really fast car (213hp), and at the same time, you know you are the driving the safest of the lot. if you value your life, this is the car to buy.
V40 on upgraded shocks should fix the floaty feeling you get… then it should be a great car!
Why exclude the Focus ST and the Megane RS? They rule in the world of hot hatches, together with the Golf GTi. The Volvo’s such a joke lah btw.
So here are some comparisons that I would reckon for the following episodes:
1. Honda Accord, Mazda 6, Toyota Camry (Japanese D-segments)
2. Perodua Myvi, Kia Picanto, Hyundai i10, Suzuki Alto (Affordable compacts, though Myvi is a segment ahead but their prices match)
3. Serena S-Hybrid, Mazda Biante (People carriers with similar prices)
4. Honda Civic, Toyota Corolla Altis (Maybe after the new one arrives), Kia Cerato, Hyundai Elantra, (Sushis vs Kimchis, add in the Preve maybe?? [pun intended])
5. BMW F30, Lexus IS, Volvo S60 (Premium C-segments)
6. High end D segments: F10, E-class, Lexus GS….
Boss, Paul Tan still looking forward to the volvo v40 review la.
Really acquire more feedback about DSG VW, worth to buy or not.
Bought my ’16 GTI SE here in US for $29k. It’s obviously a class below the Merc A250.
Not sure how VW justifies the price there back in Bolehland. For reference, the price of the Golf R is around $40k and the Merc is around $50k here.
The GTI that I bought has the limited slip diff, backup camera, start button, keyless entry and free vwnet service + sirius xm radio for 6 months. I don’t think VW is being fair for the VW-fans back in Bolehland.