Spot on mate - exactly the same as my GTi 180. I feel like I am racing people all the time, when infact I'm not. There's so much more a zed than a hot hatch could provide (well, I think so) - the noise alone that echo's all around is something that makes you smile and it doesn't matter if your going fast or not. Like you said, hot hatches feel like big go-karts (great fun especially in twisty b-roads), but when it comes to pure grunt and real 'sporty-ness' most lack that special something. In a zed, I couldn't care less whether Mr Evo, Mr scooby or even Mr Clio 182 can go faster - it gets to a point of asking yourself how much of it is 'pub talk' comparing figures rather than enjoying the noises, g-forces, grip, comfort, etc whilst out driving in the sun on your day off.
I think that's where a lot of people go wrong - speed is a key factor in enjoying a car, of course it is. However, it isn't the only element - otherwise all manufacturers would be spitting out crazy speed cars. To me, a car is brought on my desire and passion to drive it, enjoy it and even customise / mod it in the best way I can afford. My golden rule is, if you can get kids to point and smile at it and the occasional lady takes a glance, then you have a cool car - the zed is one of those.
The Z gets so much attention, Ive noticed over the last 2 weeks Ive had her!! People know its not a really common car, so thats why they look
I love the exclusitivity of the Z, its like a limited club, and Im so glad there arent many on the roads like TTs, BMWs
Leaving my Type-R still hurts, but I feel I grown-up so much into the Z.