As we said at the outset, this comparison isn't just about which car is fastest. It's also about liveability, value for money and striking the right balance between ride, handling and performance.
It's also about vehicle ownership and running costs, and we've rated the cars' performance both on the road and track.
As expected, the results are quite the mixed bag...
Balancing quick lap times with impressive on-road performance is a dark art. But this test was never about the fastest laptime – the test track essentially serving as a safe venue to drive our warm hatches in extremis.
Of the bunch, it was the pro_cee'd GT which proved the best blend of speed, dynamism and liveability. Recording the second fastest lap time, the Kia beat the Mazda3 SP25 by a comfortable four points.
In third, the Focus Sport beat the Pulsar SSS by three points ahead of the i30 SR, Giulietta QV and Cruze SRi-V respectively – all divided by a point apiece.
You'd think with pricing this close that build and material quality would be near identical – and you'd be right. It was difficult to split the seven hatches in this category, with first to last separated by just five points.
Despite an obvious difference in design age, it was the Mazda3 SP25 that tied for first place with the Focus Sport. The pair pipped the second-place pro_cee'd GT by a single point, and another point back was a three-way tie for third between the Giulietta QV, i30 SR and Pulsar SSS.
The wooden spoon was awarded to the Cruze SRi-V whose inferior interior materials let it down on this occasion.
Technology offerings usually go hand in hand with a vehicle's design age. The newer a car is, the cheaper its electronic equipment becomes which means the more of it a manufacturer can offer at a viable price.
But technology also has to be relevant to the vehicle, and easy to use. In this case that balance was best struck by the i30 SR which narrowly beat the Mazda3 SP25 before a four-point gap to third-place getter, the Focus Sport.
Fourth place saw a three-way tie between the Giulietta QV, pro_cee'd GT and Pulsar SSS, all of which narrowly defeated the tech-light Cruze SRi-V.
The cheapest car may not necessarily offer the best value, and the most expensive can leave you questioning why it was priced so high to begin with.
As it turns out our judges thought neither was true, instead finding the best value in the i30 SR.
A long warranty, capped-price servicing and good level of kit-for-coin helped the Hyundai secure a narrow victory over a second-place tie between the pro_cee'd GT and Mazda3 SP25.
Just one point behind was the Focus Sport, ahead of a three-point break to the Cruze SRi-V and Pulsar SSS, which shared fourth place.
Lucky last was the Giulietta QV, hurt by higher servicing costs and a significantly higher list price.
Interestingly, the ranking of vehicles in this section is almost the direct opposite of their test track laptimes.
One of the least 'sporty' of our warm hatches, the Cruze SRi-V was tops when it came to practical considerations. It's large boot and commodious interior saw it narrowly pip the equally spacious Pulsar SSS – again a less sporty offering.
Third place went to the i30 SR ahead of the Mazda3 SP25 and Focus Sport, which tied for fourth. The three-door pro_cee'd GT was next, followed by the Giulietta QV in last place.
As you've no doubt noticed, there's quite a level of variance between our category winners. The quickest car around the track didn't necessarily offer the best value for money, and the best-built car was not the most tech savvy.
In the end, however, the aggregate scores saw an odd reversal of roles with the warmest hatch relegated to the back of the grid. The Giulietta QV's high pricing, compromised ergonomics and lack of capped-price servicing hurt its chances, even if (almost) nothing could touch it on the track.
In sixth place, and hampered by material quality issues and poor transmission calibration was the Cruze SRi-V, which beat the roomy but dynamically inferior Pulsar SSS in fifth.
A 'sleeper' of sorts in this company, the Focus Sport took home fourth overall ahead of the well-equipped and dynamically impressive pro_cee'd GT in third.
In spite of being one of the slowest cars on track, our judges awarded second place to the i30 SR. Its high equipment levels, long warranty and fair price gave it an edge in this company, and one that saw it lose by only one point to the very capable Mazda3 SP25.
The Mazda's competitive pricing and after-sales support, strong tech levels, user-friendly cabin and performance were valued as highly as its robust on-road manners. And in our eyes it's a deserved winner.
2014 Warm Hatch Car Comparison
Scores: | Lap Times: |
1) Mazda Mazda3 SP25: 72/100 | 1) Alfa Romeo Giulietta QV: 1:03.0 |
2) Hyundai i30 SR: 71/100 | 2) Kia pro_cee'd GT: 1:03.1 |
3) Kia pro_cee'd GT: 70/100 | 3) Holden Cruze SRi-V: 1:04.7 |
4) Ford Focus Sport: 69/100 | 4) Mazda Mazda3 SP25: 1:05.3 |
5) Nissan Pulsar SSS: 67/100 | 5) Ford Focus Sport: 1:06.4 |
6) Holden Cruze SRi-V: 64/100 | 6) Hyundai i30 SR: 1:06.5 |
7) Alfa Romeo Giulietta QV: 61/100 | 7) Nissan Pulsar SSS: 1:06.7 |
0-60km/h: | 0-100km/h: |
50-70km/h: | 80-100km/h: | 60-0km/h: | Lap Time: | |
Alfa Romeo Giulietta QV | 4.3sec | 8.4sec | 1.5sec | 2.4sec | 14.6m | 1:03.0 |
Ford Focus Sport | 4.4sec | 9.7sec | 1.9sec | 3.2sec | 14.7m | 1:06.0 |
Holden Cruze SRi-V | 4.6sec | 10.5sec | 2.0sec | 3.1sec | 14.7m | 1:04.7 |
Hyundai i30 SR | 4.7sec | 10.0sec | 1.9sec | 3.0sec | 14.9m | 1:06.5 |
Kia pro_cee'd GT | 4.2sec | 8.3sec | 1.6sec | 2.5sec | 14.9m | 1:03.1 |
Mazda 3 SP25 | 4.0sec | 8.0sec | 1.9sec | 2.5sec | 14.6m | 1:05.3 |
Nissan Pulsar SSS | 3.7sec | 7.5sec | 1.6sec | 2.1sec | 15.1m | 1:06.7 |