Well I am biased so I'd say the Astra VXR, but the ST was the other choice when I bought it, along with the Golf GTi. Ignore old reviews of the vxr because it had the preproduction chasis so got slated by idiots who couldn't see past the fact it was just an example. New reviews have forced those same people to have a change of heart and it really is a fun car to drive especially after a remap and full performance exhaust. But doing that adds nearly 2k onto the price. Tyre wear depends on driving, it's not overly bad but having 264bhp going through the front wheels means if you're not conservative then they will wear fast. Rear tyres are like new still. I am selling my vxr for a stupid price right now, I don't actually want to sell it but I was offered money for a new car from work and I could not refuse the offer as they are buying it outright for me and the vxr will be surplus to requirements. The reason the price is so low is because I don't want to sell and a high price would mean a possible longer wait and I don't want to change my mind, I just want to get it over and done with.