I am officially in love with hot hatches

X

XRL

New member
I admit it, I love hot hatches. But they're almost exclusively FWD :( And i do NOT love FWD. I can't explain it, but it upsets me that we don't get most of the REALLY cool ones.



How can you not love this? It's got 300hp too! And lots of torque! But sadly, Ford won't bring it over here (unless we all nag them a lot!)

09focusrs_7491a.jpg


YouTube - New Focus RS 2009 on 5th Gear!! <- It sounds nice too :)



The best hot hatch we get here is this:

img_3429.jpg


Not the peacock, the R32 next to it. I know, I was confused at first too. 250hp and AWD, not as over the top as some others, and a bit more luxurious than most other hot hatches.



What are your favorites? Post pics too of course :) That way I don't feel like I'm the only person with an odd love for these practical, yet sporty contraptions.



Here's a few more:



volvo-c30-rdesign1.jpg




cupra1.jpg
 
GTI = the original hot hatch.

But give it up to the BMW M coupe of the 90s...it's 13 years old and still catches my eye.



By the way, I think the WRX counts as a hot hatch now that the "5 door" is no longer classified as wagon. vroooom !



ps. If ford actually brought that car to the states I would actually consider buying one. The big three seem to think that only muscle cars will sell, but I think they have underrated the market.
 
No love for the A3?



When I brought my car in to be serviced a few weeks ago the loaner I got was a loaded 3.2l A3 quattro. Really sweet. The dealership uses it as a loaner because they couldn't sell it - nobody in the US is paying $42k for a hatchback!
 
barrym said:
No love for the A3?



When I brought my car in to be serviced a few weeks ago the loaner I got was a loaded 3.2l A3 quattro. Really sweet. The dealership uses it as a loaner because they couldn't sell it - nobody in the US is paying $42k for a hatchback!
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It's hard to find the A3 quattros! I would love if we got the S3, and/or the 3 door version. The forthcoming R20 seems like something I'd like, it's basically the S3. Sadly, it won't be coming for some time, if its real. An R36 GTI would be cool too.
 
MKV GTI owner here. I love it. yeah it's FWD but it's modded and I smoke some rear drive V8's around here and then I get dirty looks. It's worth it.
 
XRL, that loaded A3 may be calling to you. It's in Florida, AWD, and amazing. (Thanks Barry) But maybe it falls in wagon category, rather than a hatch. The lines are blurred at the edges.



Thanks for posting up the C30 picture. Picture it in black sapphire metallic paint and you have my new ride (ETA late may/early June). I never thought I'd like or get a Volvo either but this one speaks to me too.



I think hatches are a tough sell because people think of them as just cheap or toys. But there are a lot of truly nice choices out there. I'm dropping my CUV in favor of the C30 as I find I just don't need such a big car and will do fine with the utility the hatch offers, not to mention the fun factor.
 
I've always considered the A3 a hatchback. It was only after moving to the US that I heard it referred to as a wagon. I suspect that this is just a marketing ploy by Audi to make it sound larger (not that it is very small), because as you mentioned, people think of them as cheap little cars.



I guess I'll never understand the mentality of 'bigger is better'.
 
They are bringing that Focus platform over in mid 2010 as a 2011 model year. Sadly, no RS at least to start.



You have to consider the current economy... putting all the extra money into the RS wouldn't be a very prudent business decision.
 
UpNorth said:
XRL, that loaded A3 may be calling to you. It's in Florida, AWD, and amazing. (Thanks Barry) But maybe it falls in wagon category, rather than a hatch. The lines are blurred at the edges.



Thanks for posting up the C30 picture. Picture it in black sapphire metallic paint and you have my new ride (ETA late may/early June). I never thought I'd like or get a Volvo either but this one speaks to me too.



I think hatches are a tough sell because people think of them as just cheap or toys. But there are a lot of truly nice choices out there. I'm dropping my CUV in favor of the C30 as I find I just don't need such a big car and will do fine with the utility the hatch offers, not to mention the fun factor.
Click to expand...



I'm in the same boat. My CUV is nice and all, but it really doesn't have that much more room than a GTI would. The 3.2Q A3s are totally uncommon around here, there's like a handful, not that the 2.0t A3 is very common either. The 09s have the 2.0t Q model, but they're 35k, lol. Hence my moving towards an R32, the only thing it doesn't have is the panoramic moonroof, which would be missed, but not to the point that I'd lose sleep at night.



The RS is super hot. The really interesting part is that it shares a lot of platform with that C30 (including its engine, the RS is just an upgraded version of that 5 cylinder turbo). The C30 sounds pretty cool too, and it's pretty luxurious. I wish I could get some seat time in one, they sell for pretty decent pricing too. You've GOT to get it in black though, because the weird rear hatch opening is kinda odd otherwise. I also wish it didn't open just that small area, but such is life.



I'd give heavy thought to the RS if it came out over here and had a flappy paddle gearbox. But if you figure over in Britain it costs as much as the R32 (which was about $35k here) I dunno how many people could justify $35k for a Focus. Hence why I think they need to make a C30R, and have it be the RS with the near-lux of a Volvo. Then it could sell.
 
The C30's are very cool looking, but remember the values will fall fast on them because they are a Volvo. So you might even find one a year old for a very good deal. The performance of them is so so, but still decent.



I really love the A3 with the 3.2, but like you said, they are very pricey.



If I was in the market for a hot hatch, I would really look at an 04 R32. I have driven a few of them and they are just amazing cars.
 
i've always had a thing for hatchbacks (past & present), and one that i really like that has held it's own for many years are the old civic's...
 
People are getting amazing deals on the 08 C30s that are still on the lot. If I were more prudent, that is the route I would have gone, but instead I decided to build my own 09. Just decent performance is fine for me, I'm not exactly burning up the track. I just don't want to be bored and want something nice. Other more serious drivers have had a good time modifying their C30s to get more performance out of them. As for the back end, people love it or hate it. I like it, but agree Black is best for it. The hatch opening is relatively small, but I figure that is just a good excuse not to carry truly big and heavy things.



Rumors abound of Volvo coming out with a limited edition, 300hp, AWD version of the C-30. That would fill the gap left by the RS, but who knows what will happen. It would be spendy no doubt.



If you can find an R32, that may be your best bet.



One last hatch story, when my sister was interviewing for her first job out of school, the interviewer told her she should get a hatch becasue it would be convenient for the sales job. She didn't take the job, but did get a hatch: a used porche 944.
 
The C30 confuses me too, I don't understand its options and such, lol. I guess it's a nice system for getting exactly what you want, but if you are looking used (like me) it makes it difficult to find one with the options you want since they don't come together as packages for the most part.



Does the C30 have a limited slip differential up front?
 
Yep. That is hot indeed. I can see why you're biased, Lumador.



XRL, C30 doesn't have limited slip differential as far as I know. I may be way off here, but I think they try to compensate with their traction control system. I'll stop now before I start making stuff up. :nervous:
 
A3 owner here and it a great car, good feel, solid and decent performance. Recently looked at a Subby sti, not bad either.
 
I like the Volvo and the Focus as well. One that I find really interesting, though, is that Volkswagen announced the Golf GTD this week for the US market. It's faster than the oritinal US GTI from 1983 and a fuel sipper with its diesel engine.
 
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