Hot hatches are the closest thing most people get if they want reliable performance from the factory, but even so, they also don't come cheap.
From a general perspective, there's a massive disparity in what cars cost now compared to five years ago – blame the volatile economy and inflation for that.
Even so, that isn't stopping people from buying (non-performance) brand new vehicles, as the monthly National Association of Automobile Manufacturers of South Africa (Naamsa) sale figures show.