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Hot hatch

A hot hatch is an informal or slang term for a performance derivative of a European hatchback (in the US, Asian sports hatches are sometimes called Sport Compacts). Vehicles of this class are typically based on a budget, family-oriented automobile, and equipped with improved suspension and a more powerful engine. Front mounted engines and front wheel drive is the most common layout.

Development of the hot hatch

The design most often considered to have started the hot hatch genre is the 1977 Volkswagen Golf GTI, although this is a matter of debate in some circles. The original 1974 version of the Golf was in mass production at this point, and the addition of a 1.6 litre fuel injected engine, sharp handling, and sharper marketing found a huge market for enjoyable yet practical cars.

The Golf GTI enjoyed a short run of almost unparalleled success, but by the early 1980s car manufacturers worldwide were racing to market with their own alternatives. Notable big-sellers in the early days were the Ford Escort XR3 and Vauxhall Astra GTE.

By the end of the 1980s the hot hatch had taken its place across Europe, and was pushing into other worldwide markets. The brief heyday of Group B rallying pushed the hot hatch genre to its limits, and small numbers of ultra-high performance variants were manufactured to comply with the rally rules. These enthusiasts vehicles represented a brief, extreme branch of the hot hatch, and included such notable vehicles as the Peugeot 205 T-16 and MG Metro 6R4.

Pre-History: Hot hatches and compacts before 1980

Until 1980 the VW Golf had the market largely to itself. Competition was limited to non-hatchbacks such as the Mini, and race-inspired enthusiasts' vehicles such as the Vauxhall Chevette HS. However, sub-compacts and superminis had adopted a two-box design ever since the Mini, and, in spite of their small engines, had been adopted by young racing enthusiasts with little money because of their low weight. Thus, even though the Golf was one of the few cars with engines larger than 1.4 L and with more than 100 hp (75 kW), other hatches were on their way to becoming "hot". Also, cars such as the Hillman Imp or the Simca Rallye, while having sedan bodies, were small enough to be considered direct ancestors of the hot hatch.

Alfa Romeo Alfasud TI
Autobianchi A112 Abarth
Austin/Morris Mini Cooper/Cooper S/1275 GT
Datsun/Nissan Cherry 120A
Datsun/Nissan Sunny/B110 1200 SSS
Fiat 600 Abarth
Fiat 127 Sport
Hillman Imp
Renault 8 Gordini
Renault 5 Alpine/Gordini/Alpine Turbo
Simca Rallye /2
Vauxhall Chevette HS
Volkswagen Golf GTI

1980–1990—The first generation

The first generation of hot hatches included the following notable models:

Citroën Visa Crono/GT/GTi/1000 Pistes
Citroën AX GT/Sport
Daihatsu Charade GTti
Fiat Uno Turbo
Fiat Ritmo/Strada 130 TC
Ford Escort XR3/XR3i/RS Turbo
Ford Fiesta XR2/XR2i/RS
Lancia Y10 Turbo/GT i.e.
Lancia Delta HF Turbo/Integrale
MG Metro GTA/Turbo
Mitsubishi Colt GTi
Opel Corsa/Vauxhall Nova SR/GT/GSi/GTE
Opel Kadett/Vauxhall Astra GT/GSi/GTE
Peugeot 205 Rallye/GTi 1.6/GTi 1.9
Peugeot 309 GTi/GTi 16V
Renault 5 Turbo/Turbo II/GT Turbo
Renault 11 Turbo
Talbot Sunbeam Lotus
Toyota Corolla Twin Cam
VW Polo G40
VW Golf GTI/GTI 16v/G60
Volvo 480 ES Turbo

1990–2000—The second generation

With the Golf getting slower, heavier and more expensive to match its target market, space opened for a new breed of hot hatches in the 1990s:

Citroën AX GTi
Citroën Saxo VTR/VTS
Citroën ZX Volcane/16s
Daihatsu Charade GTti
Fiat Punto GT
Ford Escort RS 2000/Cosworth
Honda Civic VTEC/VTi/SiR-II
Mazda 323 GTX 4WD
Mitsubishi Colt GTi
Nissan Sunny/Pulsar GTi/GTi-R
Opel/Vauxhall Corsa GSi 16v
Opel/Vauxhall Astra GSi 16v
Peugeot 106 Rallye/XSi/GTi
Peugeot 306 S16/GTi
Renault Clio 16V/Williams
Renault 19 16V/16S
Renault Megane Coupe 16S
Rover Metro/114 GTi
Rover 220 GTi/1.8 VVC
Seat Ibiza GTi/GT 16v/Cupra
Suzuki Baleno GTi
Suzuki Cultus/Swift GTi
Toyota Starlet Turbo
Toyota Corolla GTi
Volkswagen Polo GTI
Volkswagen Golf GTI/VR6

Hot hatches since 2000

Hot Hatch and "Max Power" culture

The late 90s to today has seen a volley of criticism leveled at the warm and hot hatch market. The so-called "Max Power" culture, similar to American "Import Tuners", has overtaken the lower priced slower models. The higher-end models are also becoming more expensive and heavy. Radical new designs are called for if the hot hatch market wants to avoid blurring into a mass of over-priced, over-stylised modern vehicles. Fortunately, the car manufacturers are feeling the threat, and the future promises new, exciting designs. However in most of Europe the traditional 'hot hatch' is still under threat, with turbo diesel and 8v petrol engined 'warm' hatches becoming more and more popular. This is due to rising petrol and insurance costs. Recent warm and hot hatches include the following models:

Alfa Romeo 147 2.0 TS/GTA
Audi S3
BMW 130i
Citroën C2 VTR/VTS
Citroën Xsara VTS
Citroën C4 VTS
Fiat Punto HGT
Fiat Bravo HGT
Fiat Stilo Abarth
Ford Fiesta ST
Ford Focus ST170/SVT/RS Turbo/ST Turbo
Honda Civic Si/Type-R
Mazda 3/Axela SP23
MG ZR 160
MINI Cooper/Cooper S
Mitsubishi Colt CZT 1.5 Turbo
Nissan Micra 160 SR
Opel/Vauxhall Corsa GSi 16v
Opel/Vauxhall Astra OPC/OPC Turbo/VXR (Also Holden Astra SRi Turbo in Australia)
Peugeot 206 S16/GTi 138/RC/GTi 180
Renault Clio RS 2.0/V6
Renault Megane RS
SEAT Ibiza Cupra R / Cupra Diesel
SEAT Leon Cupra R
Skoda Fabia vRS
Skoda Octavia vRS
Suzuki Swift GTI 1600
Toyota Vitz/Yaris T Sport
Toyota Corolla T Sport
Volkswagen Lupo GTI
Volkswagen Polo GTI 1.8T
Volkswagen Golf R32/GTI/TDI 150

See also

• Sport compact

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