Hot hatch legends like the original Mini Cooper S and Golf I GTI became instant icons because they gave enthusiastic drivers an exciting yet simple and affordable set of wheels. But as great as their modern successors have become, they seem to have forgotten what affordability means to many buyers.

No problem, you might say – VW has just launched the ancient new Citi Golf 1.8i R-Line. Until you drive one and suddenly all the perks of thirty years of advancement in the car industry become blatantly clear. But you know there’s still hope – especially if you can stretch your budget towards the R200K mark. Last year we declared the Ford Fiesta ST champion of the affordable hot hatch class after we, possibly unfairly, put it up against cars like the Fiat Punto 1.8 and Citroen C2 VTS. We reasoned that it simply offered such a great driving experience, that the extra money would be very well spent.

Now we’re sitting with the exact opposite problem. Volkswagen has just introduced the GTI version of its Polo, and Seat launched the even more powerful Ibiza Cupra earlier this year. Both cost almost R20 000 more than the Fiesta and their performance credentials are somewhat superior.

Which begs a new question – are either of the two VWSA rockets worth the extra money?

The Polo GTI comes with loads of street cred, and it has the punch to match that glorious badge. A 110kW turbocharged 1.8-litre 20-valve engine hand-me-downed from the previous Golf GTI seems like the perfect solution on the technology to price scale. The Polo has also raided the latest Golf GTI’s closet for a styling package that really ensures it looks the part - in fact all you need add is the ‘ZN’ personalized plate. On the flip side, you’ll probably be sad they chose the 5-door body style instead of the far sportier 3-door shape.

In theory, the Polo’s biggest worry should be its Spanish cousin, the SEAT Ibiza Cupra 1.8T. It has a sportier shape and a more powerful 132kW version of the 1.8 turbo engine in its favour. Unfortunately, the Spanish contender looks a little dated, especially from the back – although its body kit means it still looks ready to race.

But hey, we can’t honestly say that either of them strike a meaner pose than the Fiesta ST. Its squat shape, pronounced wheel arches and bold bumpers and skirts come together so convincingly that the little Ford looks like it’s just tackled a Junior WRC rally stage – all it needs is a sticker coating and mud bath.

It’s just a pity that the Ford can’t keep up the other two when it comes to performance. Lacking the force-fed advantage of its rivals here, it was somewhat slower against the clock. While its 8.5-second 0-100 is still great – the others do it in just a shade over seven seconds. The Ford was also more than three seconds off pace in the 80 – 120km/h overtaking test. So while the Ford is not slow, it does need to be worked really hard to extract the most out of it – it’s not effortlessly powerful like the SEAT and VW are.

But at the end of it all, we were more than happy to forgive the Ford for its lack of sparkle. Don’t worry, it didn’t cast a magic spell on us or anything. No wait, it actually did. You see, what you have is not always as important as what you do with it and if you bear with us for a moment, this will make more sense once we’ve discussed things like power delivery and road holding.

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