How does £3,281 off the price of a (very) hot-hatch with serious load-lugging capabilities sound? Or £1,891 off the price of a crossover SUV with the ability to out-drag an Aston Martin V8 Vantage?

Improved engineering and niche-filling conquests by the majority of carmakers now mean that there are more ways to have your cake and eat, especially if that means owning a performance car that can undertake daily chores with the best of them.

Here are AutoeBid’s favourite everyday performance cars, spanning a wide variety of segments and budgets.

BMW M3

There hasn’t always been a four-door BMW M3, but thankfully there is for this generation. That means owners get the sledgehammer performance of a twin-turbocharged 3.0-litre straight-six engine with room for a four passengers and 480 litres of boot space (45 more than the M4 coupé).

The numbers, for a junior saloon car, are compelling: 0-60 mph takes 4.3 seconds; top speed is limited to 155 mph; and, most surprisingly, combined fuel economy is 32.1 mpg with carbon dioxide emissions of just 204 g/km. Times are changing.

Audi RS Q3

Once Audi launched the Q3 SUV it was only a matter of time before the company’s performance engineers breathed on it. The market is currently lapping up fast four-by-fours with raised ride-height, and the RS Q3 is among the most desirable – and attainable (really).

Even at £43,000 you’ll be getting a decent amount for your money. The German carmaker’s characterful turbocharged 2.5-litre, five-cylinder engine sits up front, sending 306 bhp to all four wheels. A dual-clutch gearbox keeps things smooth, which is just as well given the car’s 0-60 mph time of 5.5 seconds.

Ford Focus ST

The Focus ST’s modest boot can be remedied by ordering the estate version, and with that caveat taken care of the fast Ford is a compelling proposition. In line with the current downsizing trend, the five-cylinder engine that was available at launch has been replaced with a more economical four-cylinder unit; you now get 247 bhp and a combined 39.2 mpg.

As well as being faster than the Volkswagen Golf GTI, the Focus ST is also quite a bit cheaper and, by most accounts, more fun.

Jaguar XFR-S Sportbrake

This is an absurd machine with an equally absurd price (£82,495), but if you’re looking for pace and practicality then the Jaguar is hard to beat. A supercharged 5.0-litre V8 sends 542 bhp to the rear wheels through an eight-speed automatic gearbox. The sprint from 0-60 mph takes 4.6 seconds, which is a little behind the Audi RS6 Avant, but the urgency with which the XFR-S executes overtakes is frightening.

It’s become a cliché for Jaguars, but interior quality isn’t quite up to the standard of cars such as the Mercedes E-Class. In our opinion, however, the XFR-S’ exterior design and exclusivity are powerful bargaining chips. Ultra-desirable.

Mercedes-Benz GLA 45 AMG

This beefed-up A-Class won’t have the same off-road capabilities as the Audi RS Q3, but it doesn’t take long to realize that the GLA 45 AMG is more about going fast on tarmac rather than off it. For a glorified hatchback in the same mould as the Peugeot 2008, the numbers are colossal.

A heavily turbocharged 2.0-litre petrol engine yields 355 bhp, and as is the status quo for small AMG models that power is sent to all four wheels. The sprint to 60 mph is dispatched in fewer than five seconds in a car with decent space for luggage and rear headroom.

Nissan GT-R

This list needed one all-out supercar, and Godzilla’s rear-seats (strictly for kids), reasonable running costs, and predictable handling give it the nod from us. It is the everyday supercar du jour, supplanting Porsche’s evergreen 911.

The 3.8-litre V6’s 543 bhp, four-wheel drive, and complex electronic control systems unite to help the coupé explode off the line and on to 60 mph in just 2.7 seconds. It will does that all day long, too, which is a testament to the Japanese car’s reliability. The latest version of this iconic beast gets extra sound deadening and a softer rider at low speeds, too.

Range Rover Sport Supercharged

There is a hardcore Range Rover Sport ‘SVR’ arriving in October with 542 bhp and a price tag of £93,450. Tuned at the Nürburgring Nordschliefe, it promises to be stonkingly fast, with a 0-60 mph time of 4.5 seconds (for a two-tonne-plus car) and a top speed of 162 mph.

Those with milder tastes will happily settle for the standard Range Rover Sport Supercharged (pictured), which develops 503 bhp from a 5.0-litre V8. With Range Rover’s wonderfully open interior architecture it’s some way to cover ground fast, yet the latest Sport is hugely accomplished off-road, too. Fuel economy is less impressive, at a combined 22.1 mpg.

Skoda Octavia vRS Estate

If you were disappointed that Volkswagen refuses to offer an estate version of the Golf GTI then we’re sure sister-company Skoda would like to speak to you. With 1,750 litres of cargo space the Octavia Estate’s working credentials are beyond question. Factor in the same 217 bhp powertrain as the GTI and you’ve got arguably the best everyday car on this list.

Skoda has also raised the profile of the Octavia vRS over the years, and the visual impact of the latest model is impressive. Bi-Xenon lights and 18-inch wheels as standard make it a fast, good-looking, and – with a combined 38 mpg – reasonably frugal family car.

Vauxhall VXR8 GTS

Rivaling (beating…) the Jaguar XFR-S Sportbrake for sheer indulgence, the Vauxhall VXR8 GTS can only be regarded as a performance bargain, even at £54,449. Why? Because for that you get a 6.2-litre V8 engine that develops 576 bhp, five sizeable seats plus a boot, and an exhaust note that truly resembles a foghorn for impact.

The sprint from 0-60 mph can be dispatched in around four seconds if you can prevent the rear tyres from lighting up too much, and top speed is limited to 155 mph. It’s not unreasonable to suggest that the VXR8 could top 200 mph were its electronic restraints absent. Putting a damper on proceedings is fuel economy, which at 18.9 mpg can only be considered to be appalling. Still, it’s hard not to be tempted.

Volkswagen Golf R

The Golf R moves things on from the excellent GTI in two big ways: it has super-adhesive four-wheel drive and the turbocharged two-litre engine has been tuned to deliver a heady 296 bhp. Those attributes elevate it to an entirely new level of performance and as an everyday car very few machines will beat the Golf R from point-to-point.

Of course, as a Golf you get rock-solid engineering, a polished interior, and excellent visibility, luggage space, and safety. The best thing of all is that an estate version has been seen testing in Germany. Yum.

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