I'll go out on a limb here and say that I drove the flappy paddle version when it first came out and was quite impressed with it. Driving a flappy paddle gearbox is a slightly different skill than with a regular stick shift and once I had got the hang of it, I suffered none of the kangarooing that many complain of. It was more refined than the HGT I was driving at the time and the engine had been subdued by EU regulations.
I found it more refined and more of a "tourer" than a hot hatch.
The only way to find out for yourself is to drive one, and give yourself an hour or so if you can.
