Definition of a hot hatch?
Discussion
Cotty said:
wombat172a said:
I'll try and define hatchback here:
I agree with that. Hot hatches tend to be more upright (for want of a better word) cars with more power than lesser models. The hatch should have a 45 ish degree angle. Too sloping a hatch = coupe, too upright = estate- 3 or 5 door car including a rear door as a hatch (door is hinged at top, near the roofline).
- The rear part of the roof line, before it stops dropping away needs to be in the same area of the rear wheel arch. If this point is further forward it is a coupe, if it is further to the rear then it is an estate:
However how would you rank these using this rule (hatch, coupe or estate)?hatch
estate
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coupe
As said before, anything that is a direct competitor to a Golf GTI, or is a Golf GTI. Why the Golf? Because it's the car that the term "hot hatch" was coined for, and the current version still pretty much serves the same market as the original did.
When does it move from "hot hatch" to a coupe with a hatchback? I suppose when the rear hatch is installed at a shallow enough angle that it eats into the rear passenger headroom and the car becomes a 2+2 rather than comfortable seating for four. Or, to stop arguments about that ruling out Bentley coupes, when the car's accomodation becomes unimpressive compared to its overall size because interior space became secondary to a sleek, sporty looking exterior.
So, what about when Renault decide to compromise the rear passenger accomodation by dumping the rear seats and filling the back of the car with a roll cage? Well, frankly they've got me there. It looks like a hot hatch, it performs like a superb hot hatch, but it wouldn't be on my shortlist if a hot hatch is what I needed. So, perhaps it's just a lousy hot hatch because it's great at the "hot" part and rubbish at the "hatch" part.
When does it move from "hot hatch" to a coupe with a hatchback? I suppose when the rear hatch is installed at a shallow enough angle that it eats into the rear passenger headroom and the car becomes a 2+2 rather than comfortable seating for four. Or, to stop arguments about that ruling out Bentley coupes, when the car's accomodation becomes unimpressive compared to its overall size because interior space became secondary to a sleek, sporty looking exterior.
So, what about when Renault decide to compromise the rear passenger accomodation by dumping the rear seats and filling the back of the car with a roll cage? Well, frankly they've got me there. It looks like a hot hatch, it performs like a superb hot hatch, but it wouldn't be on my shortlist if a hot hatch is what I needed. So, perhaps it's just a lousy hot hatch because it's great at the "hot" part and rubbish at the "hatch" part.
300bhp/ton said:
Cotty said:
wombat172a said:
I'll try and define hatchback here:
I agree with that. Hot hatches tend to be more upright (for want of a better word) cars with more power than lesser models. The hatch should have a 45 ish degree angle. Too sloping a hatch = coupe, too upright = estate- 3 or 5 door car including a rear door as a hatch (door is hinged at top, near the roofline).
- The rear part of the roof line, before it stops dropping away needs to be in the same area of the rear wheel arch. If this point is further forward it is a coupe, if it is further to the rear then it is an estate:
However how would you rank these using this rule (hatch, coupe or estate)?I think I'd still call that a hatch, it certainly isn't a coupe or anything definitive
estate
I think this might actually be a "shooting brake", a 3 door estate
coupe
If you lose the halfords spolier, the remaining silohette is pretty much a coupe.
I fail to see whya a hot hatch has to be fwd,what has the drivetrain layout got to do with the body shape/layout?
as thats what the term hatch is referring to.
I`d agree that 4WD specials,escort cossie,integrale etc. are not `hot hatches` because they are generally not based on the same floorpans etc as their more common brethren but you can`t exclude such cars as the Chevette HSR or Lotus Sunbeam just because they have the engine and gearbox round the right way,as did their standard counterparts of the day.
They are definitely hatchbacks and `hot` versions of hatchbacks so where is the definition laid out that a hot hatch must be fwd?
as thats what the term hatch is referring to.
I`d agree that 4WD specials,escort cossie,integrale etc. are not `hot hatches` because they are generally not based on the same floorpans etc as their more common brethren but you can`t exclude such cars as the Chevette HSR or Lotus Sunbeam just because they have the engine and gearbox round the right way,as did their standard counterparts of the day.
They are definitely hatchbacks and `hot` versions of hatchbacks so where is the definition laid out that a hot hatch must be fwd?
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