Lets Talk Hot Hatchs

Well if the 25 year import rule can come into play you could go hunting in Europe for either an Escort XR3i or a Fiesta XR2. Both came with 1.6L CVH's, so 1.9L 'big blocks' are available for pennies over here. I prefer the look of the Mk III Escort over the MkIV, but the Mk III got the crappy CIS/K Jetronic, where the not as nice looking Mk IV got J Jetronic. The Mk II XR2 got a carb, not fuel injection. Don't confuse it with the Mk I Fiesta XR2 which was similar to the NA Spec Km I Fiesta, that was stuck with a 4 not 5 speed and the Kent engine. While the Kent is a great engine, the 4 speed is a big disadvantage and to fit a 5 speed you need fram rail surgery.

G8MikeGXP wrote: How about a Focus ZX3?

Weighs over 1000kg = not really a hot hatch.

dean1484 wrote:

impulsive wrote: Colt/Summit/Mirage

Ohhhhhhh I forgot about those!!!

I like the looks of these, and the predecessors but my guess is that you will be hard pressed to find either in currently serviceable condition.

This. I still lust after the '85 and '86 style SPG's.

Knurled wrote:

G8MikeGXP wrote: How about a Focus ZX3?

Weighs over 1000kg = not really a hot hatch.

I think most cars in this thread are over 2200lbs ;p

Hasbro wrote:

93EXCivic wrote: I am kinda confused by the Yugo and Yaris being mentioned in a thread on hot hatches cause they just aren't. The grand daddy of the hot hatch market.

Not a hatch but it should have been!

Close enough.

I lol'd

I couldn't love GRM the magazine or the website more, and believe me, I don't like to be the P.C police or anything or the guy who has a problem with everything, but I do have a problem with this...

I find it a bit offensive that you use terms like "hot" and "hatch" etc etc... for your little hatchbacks or whatever in the forums. I myself do not have a MK1 GTI, Suzuki Swift or Dodge Colt, but I feel sensitivity for people who do own those things as I am generally a supporter of all things automotive, and my Girlfriend is pursuing her masters in the field.

These terms although I'm pretty sure are not even real words, are obviously meant to resemble the words used to describe people with fun-to-drive small cars that weigh less than 2200lbs, and it appears that they are used on these boards in a joking sense which, as I view it, makes light of people who are afflicted with driving slow cars fast.

Zomby Woof wrote: I lol'd

I never said it was a hatch but I can't see how you can argue that the Mini didn't start the hot hatch market. I mean it was one of the first transverse FWD cars that really went after faster cars while still being practical. If that isn't the definition of what the hot hatch became then what is?

redhookfern wrote: This. I still lust after the '85 and '86 style SPG's.

Which is why I have everything to turn my 87 into a pre-86 looking SPG. Plus I will be putting in the 91 suspension that came out of my 2.1. Should be the best of what the 900 could offer in looks and handling

In reply to 93EXCivic:

You edited it before I answered. The definition is a car with a hatch. I didn't think it was that complicated.

alfadriver wrote:

Mitchell wrote:

Jaynen wrote:

G8MikeGXP wrote: How about a Focus ZX3? It certainly fits the "slow car fast" idea. Get the SVT suspension setup for a couple hundred bucks and it'll be even more fun, especially on the 15" wheels that came on the base model and the sedans.

For that matter the SVT itself is pretty understated and a great little car

I have had mine for 7 years now. I love about it except for the the premium gas requirement and poor gas mileage. Since mine is black, it doesn't get much attention at all. While I don't always care for the black paint, It does blend very well with the privacy tint on the rear glass. The back seat is surprisingly roomy.

Since I know one could get the Focus sedan with the 2.3l and the manual (my parents got one)- can one find a Focus with that engine? Just about as powerful as the SVT ZTEC, no premium, and IIRC it got good milage for them. Not sure if they were ever made, since it was a major distraction from the SVT.

I think you could get a 2.3 hatch in 03 and 04 but they are rare and were only in certain states because they were pzev

Knurled wrote:

G8MikeGXP wrote: How about a Focus ZX3?

Weighs over 1000kg = not really a hot hatch.

You don't realize just how big those things are until you see one beside one of the other cars mentioned. It's not a small car by any means.

failboat wrote: .. . . and my Girlfriend is pursuing her masters in the field.

She is a keeper!!!!

I think most cars in this thread are over 2200lbs ;p

I also 'think' this fact.

As much as I love Yugos, there is no way one belongs on a list of "Hot Hatches".

They are momentum cars, pure and simple. They can corner like a Banshee, but they are not "hot". Dave Benton's 1/4 mile record for a Yugo is 14.7. Most of the fast ones can't get out of the 17's.

I've got a MK1 GTI, a 323 GTX, and a MINI Cooper S.

I'm a bit of a fan of hot hatches!

I've also got a Justy an Impreza Wagon, and a Yugo... Just wouldn't call them "hot".

Here's one you forgot:

Someday, I want to own an R5 Turbo:

I always wanted to import one of these. The son of Godzilla it was calling in one magazine.

I was so disappointed we never got one of these:

^
|

suzuki Swift want located

JohnRW1621 wrote:

dean1484 wrote:

impulsive wrote: Colt/Summit/Mirage

Ohhhhhhh I forgot about those!!!

I like the looks of these, and the predecessors but my guess is that you will be hard pressed to find either in currently serviceable condition.

I have the exact same red car sitting in the garage right now. It has the wrong wheels on it, but it is a cool little ride. Some day it will be an autocross beater.

oldsaw wrote:

Zomby Woof wrote: I quite like these too

I lusted after a Yaris just last week. It was red, lowered, had black mesh alloys with a polished lip and the rear windows were nearly blacked-out with dark tint. It was so tasty I didn't even recognize it at first.

I agree with you and Zomby on this one, but wouldn't it be a hoot with a two liter engine ! Something from the Toyota family must practically fall into place in this thing.

SVreX wrote: Here's one you forgot:

It's a 4 door.

Jaynen wrote: I think most cars in this thread are over 2200lbs ;p

THAT IS WHY IT FAILS

Actually most of the 70s/early 80s cars posted are under 2200lb, many of them under 2000lb. Heck, my GTI was supposedly a hair over 1900lb and it was a porker compared to, say, a Fiesta.

I don't care how much power it has, you can't drive a ZX3 back-to-back with one of the sub-megagram cars and say the Focus is more fun to drive.