I tested two automatic hot hatches to see if they’re any good, and the result surprised me

If you go back 10 years, there were loads of small, manual hot hatchbacks to choose from. You had the Ford Fiesta ST, the Volkswagen Polo GTI and the Peugeot 208 GTI, to name a few, but in 2025 this market seems to have fizzled out.

The Fiesta ST is dead, as is the 208 GTI and the latest Polo GTI is automatic only. As a former Fiesta ST owner, I’ve always been of the belief that small, scrappy hot hatches need three pedals – a manual gearbox just adds a layer of involvement and makes it easier to rev out the fizzy little engines.

But can you have fun in an automatic hot hatch? To find out, I’m going to compare the Ford Puma ST, which is the closest thing you can get to a Fiesta in 2025, with the Volkswagen Polo GTI.

Volkswagen Polo GTI vs Ford Puma ST: engines and performance

Let’s start with some stats. The Volkswagen Polo GTI uses a 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder engine with 207hp and 320Nm of torque. This is paired to a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic gearbox, and 0-60mph takes 6.5 seconds.

The Puma ST used to use a 1.5-litre three-cylinder engine with 200hp and a manual gearbox, but that was axed a while ago in favour of a 170hp 1.0-litre engine with a seven-speed automatic gearbox. It’ll do 0-60mph in 7.4 seconds.

As you’d expect, the Polo does feel faster on the road, and it’s also better at putting its power down. Put the Polo in sport mode and the throttle response sharpens up nicely, and the gearbox becomes more eager to shift.

That said, the Puma can still get a wriggle on. You might scoff at the idea of a 1.0-litre three-cylinder hot hatch, but put your foot down in sport mode and it’ll shove you back in your seat, and you get a suitable rorty noise piped into the cabin. The gearbox isn’t quite as good as the VW’s though – it doesn’t shift as quickly which can hamper the experience on a country road.

The engines in these cars are more closely matched than you might think, but I’m giving first blow to the Polo. It’s more powerful and has a better gearbox, but the Ford does sound slightly better.

Volkswagen Polo GTI vs Ford Puma ST: handling and comfort

Handling is one of the most important parts of a hot hatchback, and this is the Puma’s time to shine.

Get it out on a country road and the Ford Puma ST is bound to put a smile on your face. The steering is really quick and darty, making it feel agile. You get very little body roll through corners, and if you plant your right foot as you exit a bend you can feel the front wheels scrabbling for traction. It’s great fun in a really childish way.

The Polo feels a touch more subdued. The steering is nice and accurate, but it doesn’t have quite the same eager turn-in as the Ford does, which makes it feel slightly less involving. You can still have fun, just not quite as much as in the Ford.

But there is a flipside to this. Once you’re done hooning down a B-road and you want to just pootle about, the Ford’s stiff suspension is borderline intolerable. It jiggles about over any small imperfection and crashes through potholes, and the massive sporty bucket seats were just a tad too form-hugging for my larger figure.

The Polo is much nicer to live with everyday. Switching from sport to normal mode slackens off the suspension a bit and makes it way more compliant than the Ford. It’s also quieter at motorway speeds.

If you value fun over everything else, the Puma is the car for you. If you value your spine then you’ll want the VW. It’s still really good to drive, but it feels more grown-up.

Volkswagen Polo GTI vs Ford Puma ST: Design and interior

Styling is another really important part of a hot hatch, and these two cars bring something different to the table.

The Polo GTI is quite understated in typical VW fashion. It’s sporting just about enough trinketry to make it stand out from the normal Polo including red badging, bigger alloy wheels, a boot spoiler and twin tailpipes. It’s a smart-looking thing without being shouty.

The Ford, on the other hand, is a bit more in-your-face. The standard Puma already looks pretty aggressive, but the ST adds bigger air intakes, larger alloys, a honeycomb grille and a bigger spoiler.

I happen to prefer the Puma’s styling because I’m a fan of a shouty hot hatch, but what about the interiors?

This is where the Polo powers ahead, because the Ford’s cabin feels pretty low-rent. It’s quite a dark and gloomy place to sit, and the plastics around the centre console feel really cheap and flimsy. The big sports seats look cool though.

The Volkswagen’s interior feels much more solid and high-quality. The red dashboard trim also brightens things up, and I love the tartan pattern you get on the seats. The VW’s infotainment system is also easier to use, even if the screen isn’t as big as the Ford’s.

Volkswagen Polo GTI vs Ford Puma ST: practicality

A hot hatchback needs to be both fun and easy to live with, and both of these cars offer decent practicality for their size.

The Volkswagen has a touch more rear legroom than the Ford, making it better for carrying rear passengers. If you need to carry luggage, the Puma’s 456-litre boot is over 100 litres bigger than the Polo’s.

And the Ford has a clever party trick – the Megabox. Under the boot floor is a massive storage box with a drain hole at the bottom, so you could fill it with ice if you wanted to keep drinks cold at the campsite or chuck sopping wetsuits in there.

If you’re after a family car to carry rear passengers regularly, you’ll probably be better off looking at something bigger like a Volkswagen Golf GTI. You can just about get a child seat in the back of the Polo if you push the front seat forward a bit, but the massive buckets in the Puma make it a real struggle.

Volkswagen Polo GTI vs Ford Puma ST: prices and deals

The Volkswagen Polo GTI starts from £31,415, but you can save almost £2,400 on one through Carwow at the time of writing. All cars come with 17-inch alloy wheels, LED front and rear lights, a 10.3-inch digital driver’s display, adaptive cruise control and adaptive dampers which you can firm up at the touch of a button.

As for the Puma, it starts from £33,880, and Carwow savings stand at £2,702 at the time of writing. You get heated Recaro sports seats, 19-inch alloy wheels, a heated steering wheel, a 12.8-inch digital driver’s display and a power tailgate as standard.

Volkswagen Polo GTI vs Ford Puma ST verdict: which would I buy?

If these two cars have taught me one thing, it’s that you don’t need a manual gearbox to have fun. Would I prefer one? Sure, but both of these cars had me giggling on a country road.

The Ford impressed me more than I thought it would. I’ll be the first to admit that the thought of a 1.0-litre automatic hot hatch (I know it’s technically an SUV, but it’s close enough) didn’t fill me with much hope. But it really impressed me with its pin-sharp handling and characterful engine note.

However, a hot hatch needs to be more than just fun. You need to be able to live with it everyday – and the Puma’s rock hard suspension and cheap-feeling interior would get on my nerves pretty quickly. You might forget about these drawbacks once you hit a twisty road, but as soon as you’re back in town or on the motorway it really grates.

The Polo just feels that bit more grown-up. It’s comfortable to drive around in every day, then when you hit a b-road you can stick it in sport mode and have almost as much fun as you would in the Puma. I just wish the steering was a bit sharper.

Combine this with the much nicer interior and lower price tag, and you have a clear winner – the Volkswagen Polo GTI. I really came to like this car during my time with it, and it’s the one I would go for.

Also consider: Mini Cooper JCW

For similar money to these cars you could also have a Mini Cooper JCW. It looks fantastic, has a wicked interior and the 231hp engine makes it faster than both the Polo and the Puma.

However, if you thought the Ford Puma ST was uncomfortable the Mini makes it look like a Rolls-Royce. You can never really exploit the power because it’s always bouncing around and pulling at the steering wheel like some sort of deranged lunatic. We’d recommend sticking to the standard Mini Cooper S.

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Looking for a new set of wheels? With Carwow you can sell your car quickly and for a fair price – as well as find great offers on your next one. Whether you’re looking to buy a car brand new, are after something used or you want to explore car leasing options, Carwow is your one stop shop for new car deals.

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