RE: 3-door hot hatches are dead: Tell Me I'm Wrong
Discussion
Fetchez la vache said:
I think this is it. 5 doors work better these days as the cars now are so bloody huge.
5 doors would have looked stupid on my 205 gti.
Exactly 5 doors would have looked stupid on my 205 gti.
I started driving in the early 80's had XR3,s Rs Turbo, Golf GTI, GT Turbo, XR2, 205 GTI,
They would have all been ruined with 5 doors
....Except the XR2 that was as crap as it could have ever been made straight from the factory.
I can't say I've ever taken this seriously, but as far as I'm concerned, hot hatches are sporty hatches and having only three doors is sportier. I'm not necessarily big on 3dr hot hatches trying to be coupés because you sometimes end up with something huge and doughy with a tiny back window by doing that, but in general I've always thought that 5 door hatches are for old people and hot hatches just aren't. It's a shame that there's yet another way for manufacturers to dilute actual sportiness, but hey, at least the next Renaultsport isn't a "hot" crossover...
big_rob_sydney said:
I think if the question revolves around the number of doors, then why don't people just buy a coupe? Better yet, if you only have to cart 2 people, why not be even more focused and get a sportsbike?
Surely trolling, no human being can be that stupid to suggest a sports bike as the sole mode of transport for 2 people. People own things, things that they take with them sometimes. The reasons why a sports bike are not viable as the only mode of transport for a couple is endless.g7jhp said:
Three doors work better on the smaller super-mini sized hatches (205, Clio, Mini) and 5 doors work on the standard sized hot-hatches (Golf, A3, Focus. It's more down to the amount of room on the boudyshell.
3 door works
5 door works
Depends on the other aesthetics, such as colour, wheels etc, but 3 door Golfs will always look better imo. 3 door works
5 door works
These especially looked very bland in 5 door
My 2p worth, living with a 3dr Type R having come from a line of 5 doors, I hate it at times.
The lack of rear doors is restrictive when you need to take an extra person or 2 in the back, makes cleaning and hoovering the rear a pain (I like a clean car) and provides no obvious difference when driving on the road to a 5 door body shell.
The 3 door is too compromised IMO and welcome the fact that when I come to change the Type R, I have options to choose from that are 5 door.
Now, if only BMW would slot the M4 motor in to the 4series GranCoupé with a manual gearbox. That would be my perfect car right there.
The lack of rear doors is restrictive when you need to take an extra person or 2 in the back, makes cleaning and hoovering the rear a pain (I like a clean car) and provides no obvious difference when driving on the road to a 5 door body shell.
The 3 door is too compromised IMO and welcome the fact that when I come to change the Type R, I have options to choose from that are 5 door.
Now, if only BMW would slot the M4 motor in to the 4series GranCoupé with a manual gearbox. That would be my perfect car right there.
I can see why they're changing to 5 doors, they're more useable etc, doesn't make sense to make the 3 door that will sell in tiny numbers etc.
But the 3 doors do generally look better for a sporty hot hatch. I'd say the Golf 7 is maybe an exception.
What I don't buy is the argument that people grow up and have families where the 5 doors are needed so will buy a 5 door Megane Sport etc. I went and bought an XFR, but there are plenty of options like 330/340i, S4 where I think people generally move on to when the get older but still want performance.
But the 3 doors do generally look better for a sporty hot hatch. I'd say the Golf 7 is maybe an exception.
What I don't buy is the argument that people grow up and have families where the 5 doors are needed so will buy a 5 door Megane Sport etc. I went and bought an XFR, but there are plenty of options like 330/340i, S4 where I think people generally move on to when the get older but still want performance.
talksthetorque said:
TNH said:
5 doors look naff in comparison to 3 door versions.
I also hate driving 5 door versions of small cars as when I look to the right I get a face full of the pillar instead of glass which you get from the doors being bigger on 3 doors.
This is the main bugbear for me, visibility. Especially on slip roads and the like for the lifesaver check over the right shoulder. I also hate driving 5 door versions of small cars as when I look to the right I get a face full of the pillar instead of glass which you get from the doors being bigger on 3 doors.
Have to have a 5 dr for work though.
Much prefer the longer doors on 3dr models.
I'm a believer that 3-door styling looks much better on a hatch.... and as for the practicality commentary, I call bulls
t!
We raised our little one with a pair of 3-door hatches as our transport and you know what? Not only was it perfectly fine, the cars turned out to be easier to live with than a 5-door. When my wife got given a 5-door Golf company car, our little one was almost 4yrs old and we both complained bitterly about how IMPRACTICAL the Golf was.
The back doors were too small and the angle of entry meant managing the seatbelt around the child seat was a bloody nightmare. In a 3-door car, a simple flick of a switch flips the seat forwards and then you've got perfect head-on access to the back seat to address the child seatbelt.
The Golf has gone now, little one is 6 and wifey has a Mk3 Audi TTS and I can't bear to let go of the Mk2 Focus RS I've had from new. I looked at the Mk3 Focus RS, but simply it doesn't look right in 5-door form (and it's lost the charismatic 5-pot engine, but that's another rant!).
3-doors just look better on a hatchback, in my opinion.... the fact the bodyshells are that little bit lighter, stiffer and for little kids they're easier to life with are all just bonuses, to me
t!We raised our little one with a pair of 3-door hatches as our transport and you know what? Not only was it perfectly fine, the cars turned out to be easier to live with than a 5-door. When my wife got given a 5-door Golf company car, our little one was almost 4yrs old and we both complained bitterly about how IMPRACTICAL the Golf was.
The back doors were too small and the angle of entry meant managing the seatbelt around the child seat was a bloody nightmare. In a 3-door car, a simple flick of a switch flips the seat forwards and then you've got perfect head-on access to the back seat to address the child seatbelt.
The Golf has gone now, little one is 6 and wifey has a Mk3 Audi TTS and I can't bear to let go of the Mk2 Focus RS I've had from new. I looked at the Mk3 Focus RS, but simply it doesn't look right in 5-door form (and it's lost the charismatic 5-pot engine, but that's another rant!).
3-doors just look better on a hatchback, in my opinion.... the fact the bodyshells are that little bit lighter, stiffer and for little kids they're easier to life with are all just bonuses, to me
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