Is it worth having a hot hatch anymore

[cupra fan]

Took my car out for a hard drive around the lake district yesterday! EVERY CAR was a diesel doing 70/80 on the country lanes couldn't get past! the straights were to short. when I did find a long straight there was a speed camera van sat there.(gave up and drove home) have noticed all the suburus and mazda 3 mps,focus rs etc are disappearing of the road - road tax/fuel! is it worth having a hothatch anymore?

 

[LeonCR]

Yes

 

[J400uk]

Definitely!

 

[Suicida1 Zombie]

Yes.

 

[richicupra]

Yes

 

[andycupra]

the other cars were doing 70/80 on country roads and they were holding you up?

who's really the ones at fault here?



Also sounds like you were lucky regards the speed camera.


But in all seriousness, the arguments for hot hatches is becoming more and more difficult.
They are also not as fun as they used to be.

 

[betty_swollox]

Just overtake them if you're that arsed lol

 

[cupra fan]

No youre missing the point,modern small/medium diesel engine cars are so good nowdays,you have to go silly speeds to have overtaking fun! and hothatches are getting so powerfull youre asking to lose your licence nowdays! but do you agree hothatches are diminishing in numbers on the roads? and the bigger diesel engines are becoming popular?

 

[J400uk]

I think with the recent 'hyper' hatchbacks they will become even more popular. I mean cars like the new Golf R and Audi S3 with 300PS and 5-sec 0-60 times along with the ever popular BMW M135i. SEAT are chasing after that market too with the new Cupra 280.

 

[lil3520]

Yes. Keep the hot hatch alive !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Suicida1 Zombie]

There will always be a market out there for people who want a car that is faster than most others on the road, I would personally say that the cars aimed at this demographic are getting more and more affordable as time goes on. As J400uk mentioned with the new rapid golf and A3.

People who enjoy and actually take pleasure in driving will always want something that feels a bit 'special' and isn't run of the mill.

Imagine if every car in the UK was a Fiat 500L and one person had a scooby. Think of all the people that would envy that one person, they are the people that buy faster cars. Many peole would be happy with having the same as everyone else but there would be more than a few that want something different.

Sent from my GT-N7100 using Tapatalk

 

[andycupra]

No youre missing the point,modern small/medium diesel engine cars are so good nowdays,you have to go silly speeds to have overtaking fun! and hothatches are getting so powerfull youre asking to lose your licence nowdays! but do you agree hothatches are diminishing in numbers on the roads? and the bigger diesel engines are becoming popular?

i think its clear thats the case. But its also clear the average car is faster than average cars used to be.
older hot hatches were hotter than average cars but still sensible, it was more fun to drive. These days even average cars are quick and handle well, it gets that for a car to be hot it has to be really very powerful and more agressive, not so much fun as they used to be and frankly you cant use cars like people used to now.

What does amaze me is i get less MPG now than i did when driving 205 1.9 gtis and corrado VR6s.. the days when cars were less than or barely over a ton they needed less power, didnt need massive breaks so the wheels were smaller, tyres more suited to the bumpy roads we have and were fun to drive.
They also needed driving, rather than you ask the car to do something now and it decides if it wants to.

oh and also the costs involved on driving have increased massively. < this is the real main issue.

 

[betty_swollox]

No youre missing the point,modern small/medium diesel engine cars are so good nowdays,you have to go silly speeds to have overtaking fun! and hothatches are getting so powerfull youre asking to lose your licence nowdays! but do you agree hothatches are diminishing in numbers on the roads? and the bigger diesel engines are becoming popular?

Ehhhh this is something that really pi$$es me off when people go on about fast cars, you can easily speed in a crappy slow car. I could do 70mph in a 30 zone in a 1.2 Ibiza and lose my license


I agree that they seem less common tho, but I love mine so that's all that matters

 

[richicupra]

Ehhhh this is something that really pi$$es me off when people go on about fast cars, you can easily speed in a crappy slow car. I could do 70mph in a 30 zone in a 1.2 Ibiza and lose my license


I agree that they seem less common tho, but I love mine so that's all that matters

I think he means that they are so powerful now it's very easy to not realise the speed you're doing - I've done it myself just cruising down the motorway and looking down to see 85-90 mph.

The less common part is a plus for me, bit of exclusivity I've seen maybe 10 Cupra/Cupra R in the 2 years I've had mine.

 

[betty_swollox]

I think he means that they are so powerful now it's very easy to not realise the speed you're doing - I've done it myself just cruising down the motorway and looking down to see 85-90 mph.

The less common part is a plus for me, bit of exclusivity I've seen maybe 10 Cupra/Cupra R in the 2 years I've had mine.

Yeah but I bet you've done 100+ on purpose lol

 

[cupra fan]

i think its clear thats the case. But its also clear the average car is faster than average cars used to be.
older hot hatches were hotter than average cars but still sensible, it was more fun to drive. These days even average cars are quick and handle well, it gets that for a car to be hot it has to be really very powerful and more agressive, not so much fun as they used to be and frankly you cant use cars like people used to now.

What does amaze me is i get less MPG now than i did when driving 205 1.9 gtis and corrado VR6s.. the days when cars were less than or barely over a ton they needed less power, didnt need massive breaks so the wheels were smaller, tyres more suited to the bumpy roads we have and were fun to drive.
They also needed driving, rather than you ask the car to do something now and it decides if it wants to.

oh and also the costs involved on driving have increased massively. < this is the real main issue.

I think you've hit the nail on the head - you cant use cars like people used to.
changing times! the road used to be full of subarus,can't remember the last time I saw one!
for me its more about polishing my car and enjoying the drive,rather than trying to use it on road anymore - surprised no diesel fr owners have contributed to this thread? - think they are the new modern majority in fast cars!

 

[big eck]

There's plenty of room for the hot hatches up my way, loads of open roads to play on without endangering other road users. As for the amount of hot hatches on the roads there's a ton of them. Just today I had a very good bit of sport with an STi Subaru.

 

[unsheenashashin]

I think you've hit the nail on the head - you cant use cars like people used to.
changing times! the road used to be full of subarus,can't remember the last time I saw one!
for me its more about polishing my car and enjoying the drive,rather than trying to use it on road anymore - surprised no diesel fr owners have contributed to this thread? - think they are the new modern majority in fast cars!

diesel Fr owner here - couldn't agree more! my car is all about it looking nice (almost always wash and wax it on my days off) and rarely do i max it, if ever.

there is the odd occasion when i have to batter some wee fudd in a corsa, but that's for their own good i think.

 

[robdf2]

Took my car out for a hard drive around the lake district yesterday! EVERY CAR was a diesel doing 70/80 on the country lanes couldn't get past! the straights were to short. when I did find a long straight there was a speed camera van sat there.(gave up and drove home) have noticed all the suburus and mazda 3 mps,focus rs etc are disappearing of the road - road tax/fuel! is it worth having a hothatch anymore?

I think your missing the point of what a hot hatch is.
If your looking for a car which overtakes effortlessly then you need a hyper car.

Hot hatches are all about having a sporty model of your fav car and having fun when you feel like it , that fun doesn't have to be overtaking everything in site or feeling like you have a right to the roads because your in a hot hatch and someone is in a diesel in front of you.
Most of the time I drive my Cupra to and from work in traffic sometimes at pedestrian speed and if the circumstance arises where I can have some fun then it's great , puts a smile on your face and makes you appreciate your car more.

 

[mike0105]

I have been thinking this myself recently. I just got back from a long drive (Brighton to Lincoln) and had to take it steady for mainly financial reasons. In my old car, I would have gotton about 65mpg. Today, i did 38. Driving on motorways, especially now every inch is being watched by big brother's anti speed brigade, is dull and may as well be done in a 1.2tdi. Driving round any major town or city is the same. Power is largely pointless. If i lived near the south coast or drove up an down motorways regularly, i would have an eco box.

However, i live in a very large county that is sparsly populated. There are terrific driving roads near me and i can (safely) enjoy my car. Traffic often bumbles around here so plenty of overtaking at speeds often completely within the law.

One day, there will be no point to it. Not because the fuel will run out, but there will no space and no rural parts left. But i hope to be long gone by then!