How much time have you spent behind the wheel of a GTI? Have you had the opportunity to drive one in a spirited manner for any length of time? If so, what environment? Was it just a test drive or were you able to really beat on it?
Because since it's release in 2009, the MkVI GTI has been held in very high regard among both journalists and performance enthusiasts. The car has enough horsepower to spin up the tires in second gear, without any clutch trickery provocation. I'm happy that competitors have more, but how much more do you really want in a FWD car? If you choose to include weight then you basically have to exclude the Focus ST and Mazdaspeed 3 from the hot hatch category, because they're both as heavy or heavier.
Disecting it in the way you have doesn't change what it is. It doesn't matter if the car cost $100k. The hot hatch formula is that a manufacturer takes a mundane hatchback, installs a few performance upgrades (engine, suspension, etc), and sells it as the "hot" version of that car. The GTI fits that exact criteria to a T the same as any other car you've mentioned. Being more expensive or more refined doesn't really change this.
Because since it's release in 2009, the MkVI GTI has been held in very high regard among both journalists and performance enthusiasts. The car has enough horsepower to spin up the tires in second gear, without any clutch trickery provocation. I'm happy that competitors have more, but how much more do you really want in a FWD car? If you choose to include weight then you basically have to exclude the Focus ST and Mazdaspeed 3 from the hot hatch category, because they're both as heavy or heavier.
Disecting it in the way you have doesn't change what it is. It doesn't matter if the car cost $100k. The hot hatch formula is that a manufacturer takes a mundane hatchback, installs a few performance upgrades (engine, suspension, etc), and sells it as the "hot" version of that car. The GTI fits that exact criteria to a T the same as any other car you've mentioned. Being more expensive or more refined doesn't really change this.