I'm shocked that i30N didn't feature on the article, had an opportunity to test drive one today and that thing f*"ks off. Very fun to drive and being a manual makes it the best Hot Hatch IMHO.
Even after owning a fairly "hot" hatch, I still prefer the dynamics of a sedan.. Given the choice between the M135i and my ex V8, I would choose the V8 every single day...
A friend actually told me that it's probably because I'm not the target market... Which I found odd given the price of these things.