Have warm hatches been replaced by diesels

Relentless81

Relentless81

Relentless81

Soldato
Joined
18 May 2010
Posts
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Warm hatches dont seem to exist anymore, if its a nippy hatch back you want then the choice seems to be an all out hot hatch or a diesel pretending to be a hot hatch

What happened to the warm hatches, around 160-200BHP petrols with sport suspension, fun to drive but not quite the ownership costs of the end models, everything seems to have gone power mad when it comes to petrol performance cars

What cars are coming out that are around 200BHP and not powered by devil urine?

I can only really think of the Veloster which isnt really a hatch more like a hatch/coupe and the rumoured Nissan 1.6 DIG-T to go in the RS Clios but thats still a rumour, what else is there and why dont manufacturers see this gaping hole in the market or have I got it wrong?
 
I would say the warm petrol hatches are making a return. The last few years people nave certainly been getting an erection over a small car with a 1.9PD engine in it, but with these new small petrol turbo engines we will soon have diesels where they belong, in a car no smaller than a focus.
 
There are loads- Focus Ecoboost 180 bhp, Golf TSi 170, Corsa VXR, Mito/Giulietta 170, DS3 1.6 155 DSport, Punto Evo 1.4 Turbo Abarth (161hp), Mini Cooper S, 308 1.6 Turbo, Leon TSi 210, Astra GTC 1.6T...there's never been so many warm hatches around.
 
OpenToSuggestions said:
I would say the warm petrol hatches are making a return. The last few years people nave certainly been getting an erection over a small car with a 1.9PD engine in it, but with these new small petrol turbo engines we will soon have diesels where they belong, in a car no smaller than a focus.
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True, as someone mentioned in a similar thread a while ago, fuel saving technology from diesels is making its way over to petrols now. So the large improvements in fuel economy will come from petrol for now. Hopefully this will make sporty petrol engines an attractive buy again.
 
since mps and focus provide 260bhp...

now obviously you have a fiesta in you're Sig and you'll no doubt kick up a fuss if anyone doesn't praise the fiesta but its warm not hot compared to the big boys in this new league of powerful hot hatches.
 
Kenai said:
Is this the part where we all argue over what particular arbitrary numbers and stats define a car as hot or warm?
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probably :D


The Running Man said:
since mps and focus provide 260bhp...

now obviously you have a fiesta in you're Sig and you'll no doubt kick up a fuss if anyone doesn't praise the fiesta but its warm not hot compared to the big boys in this new league of powerful hot hatches.
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nothing to do with having a Fiesta. A Clio 200 is the same, still a good hot hatch. FocusST's are good in a straight line, thats about it. Saying that its only good in a VERY long straight line at that, the extra speed i can carry through a corner takes time for the barge to catch up down the straight.
 
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Fiesta ST= hot hatch

A 147bhp car that would put a lot of 200bhp cars in its place on the bends. We all have are own opinion on what a hot-hatch is. Though i know mine is right :)
 
for abit of "on topic" i dont think a diesel could replace a warm hatch, a smaller petrol car with abit of poke can be buckets of fun where as a smaller diesel will just be a headache.
 
Philz0r said:
for abit of "on topic" i dont think a diesel could replace a warm hatch, a smaller petrol car with abit of poke can be buckets of fun where as a smaller diesel will just be a headache.
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I reckon the 2 main things which stop diesels being fun are:

1. DAG
2. theres no separation of driving styles with the diesels. When you want to have fun in a petrol, you keep the revs up around 4-6000 rpm to get the power. With the low down torque of diesels, peak power is much lower, so your normal sort of driving is in the same area of sporty driving = no fun.
 
I'm not so sure ill go with no on the basis that a twingo rs, Suzuki swift sport and fiesta zs are all petrol in their proper form. But theres definatly more of them. Trend started by the turbo diesel 306s and fabia vts
 
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