So with the credit crunch hitting (eugh, sick of that phrase)… we thought we’d put together a list of the cars with the fastest 0-60 times for under £20k. Whilst creating our new car comparison tool we had an opportunity to have a little play with some of the car data and this is what we’ve come up with for under £20,000.

We had UK spec car data available to us and we’ve chosen the top of the range car where possible.

The top 2 cars were not the most practical of cars for obvious reasons, so we’ve chosen to leave out the Westfield Sport and the Caterham Seven. Undoubtedly these are both great cars, but for the purposes of this chart we have omitted them both.

Ready..? Let’s go.

Honda Civic 2.0 Type R

5. Honda Civic Type R

Honda’s updated model of its excellent longstanding type R is a little bit bulkier than its predecessor, however coming in at around £18,000 and doing 0-60 in 6.6s puts the Civic at number 5 in our chart. The Honda Civic has always been a favourite amongst the hot hatch fans, and thanks to its performance deserves its position in our chart.

Seat Leon 5dr hatchback 2.0 TFSI Cupra

4. Seat Leon 2.0 TFSI Cupra

Possibly my favourite on our list is the Seat Leon Cupra. It looks great, it performs fantastically and is comfortable and well made. Perhaps even a 2009 purchase for me, I’m that much of a fan. This car just makes it into our chart’s price bracket at £19,545 and races to 60mph in 6.4s.

Renualt Megane 2.0T Renaultsport

3. Renault Megane 2.0T Renaultsport

This hot hatch is beefier than the Clio version and slips into our range at a price of about £19,395 and pushing itself from 0-60 in 6.3s. Perhaps one of the more understated hot hatches in terms of its aesthetics but handles very well, and is a great all-rounder.

Vauxhall Astra VXR

2. Vauxhall Astra VXR

The priciest car in our chart, edging the closest to our £20k limit. This looks great, accelerates hard, and is quite roomy. The only downside perhaps is that it’s the most likely to lose its value over any of the others in our chart. However, if that doesn’t really bother you (and to be honest, there won’t be much in it), then this will take you from 0-60 in 6.2s.

Mazda 3 2.3 MPS hatchback

1. Mazda 3 2.3 MPS

Looks can be deceptive, and our no.1 is deceptively quick. The quoted spec time for 0-60 is 6.1s, however word is that it can probably beat the 6 second barrier. That’s quicker than a Lotus Elise, which is pretty impressive. It’s perhaps not for the “hot hatch” fan who probably wants it to look as fast as it performs. However, the Mazda 3 2.3 MPS is a surprise package to appear at the top of our charts being the fastest car for under £20,000.

Reviews for all the cars

• Mazda 3 2.3 MPS
• Vauxhall Astra VXR
• Renault Megane 2.0T Renaultsport
• Seat Leon 2.0 TFSI Cupra
• Honda Civic Type R
  

The guys over at topgear.com have posted their favourite supercars of 2008. Pick your favourite from these, it’s a tough one..! Our vote is split between the Scuderia and the LP560, two of the greats. Showy, noisy and attract people all over the place.

Top Gear’s favourite supercars of 2008

As with all sports, the talk is never about the players, the sportsmen, or the teams, it’s usually about the politics behind the game. I think this is why we love them so much. There has to be controversy, the more battles the better, it’ll keep the PR ball rolling when the season isn’t…

It seems that Formula one teams, or the association that represent the teams, may come to blows with Bernie Ecclestone over the way he runs and handles Formula 1.

Ferrari president Luca di Montezemolo has a number of grievances and issues which are decisions made by the one man, Ecclestone himself. Di Montezemolo believes it’s time to end the dictatorship that runs Formula 1.

However, some of the issues seem to be about money – what a surprise… Ecclestone has responded with some Ferrari hometruths about receiving more money than any other team.

We’ll wait to see how this plays out.

Honda adds a 3rd hybrid to its range

Although not release until 2010 along with their CR-Z coupe hybrid, Honda will be putting out a Honda Jazz powered by Petrol and electric. With the size of a Jazz being relatively small anyway, the MPG and fuel consumption figures should be particularly special.

The engine will be a 1.3 litre with the addition of the electric motor and the expectation is the Jazz to get 80 miles per gallon. It’s good to see that Honda is out there making a concerted effort to add eco-friendly cars to their range.

Mercedes SLR Speedster special

Chances are, you won’t see many of these… This limited edition model with only 75 being made available to current SLR owners will blow your socks off, and quite possibly your hair. Production for this one will start in June through till December, and will get you from 0-60 in 3.5 seconds.

You might think that this is primarily a track car, with the ergonomic elegance and the lack of windscreen, however the interior is lavish. For the racers though, the brakes are particularly good and the aerodynamics ensure that handling is decent.

It will be interesting to see a review when someone gets their hands on one, as this is an intriguing car specimen!

BMW Z4 with metal roof down

BMW have announced that their new Z4 due out in May will have a metal folding roof, as opposed to its soft-top or coupe form that it’s currently in. Obviously this will add a bit of weight, and with the added extra length and size of the 2009 BMW Z4, it might hinder the handling.

Either way, it looks like its a worthy addition for the sun seekers out there ready to tool up for the summer! Let’s hope we’ll get some decent weather first eh?

Ford Focus RS Official Shot

After seeing a concept of this new Focus hot hatch in the summer, Ford have released an official photo of the new Focus RS. It looks as you’d imagine on hearing the name, and has a top speed of around 155mph, 0-60 in under 6 seconds, using the engine’s 300bhp.

With a revolutionary new suspension system included, the Ford Focus RS should cost less than £25k but we’ll have to wait until nearer the spring to find out, when it’s released on general sale.

Welcome to Compare a Car, your new place to get the best car news, car reviews, and some of our top car collections. We’ll also be featuring car videos, and regular updates from the forthcoming formula 1 season.

Also, in development we have a tool to help you choose the best car for you from our huge UK car database. With so many fantastic cars out there, it’s often hard to choose between them, so hopefully we’re going to go some way to solving this.

Thanks for visiting.

If you’re looking forward to the new Formula 1 season as much as we are, you’ll know that Louis Hamilton’s next season will be an important one. A guy with as much passion for winning as Hamilton had during the 2008 season, may lose that grit and determination in the second. We hope he doesn’t!