GTPNewsWire
Contributing Writer
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- GTPHQ
This is the discussion thread for a recent post on GTPlanet:
This article was published by Andrew Evans (@Famine) on July 5th, 2018 in the Automotive News category.
New Emissions Rules Are Pouring Cold Water On Hot Hatches
- Thread starter GTPNewsWire
- 24 comments
- 2,684 views
- 27,387
- Toronto
- NewAesthetic
- SlipZtrEm
I'd say a bigger contributor to "back-to-basics fun" would be the tire selection, more so than the power output. The rubber on some hot hatches is seriously grippy, and that contributes to this general "issue" — if we want to call it that — of cars not really coming alive until well over most national speed limits.
It's a tough nut to crack, though; people like numbers. They're easily digestible. If VW released the mk8 GTI with less power, less weight, less outright grip, but sold it as being more fun, I'm not entirely sure people would bite, at least in terms of sales compared to what it replaced. About the only car that bucks that trend consistently is the Miata — and even it's getting more power.
It's a tough nut to crack, though; people like numbers. They're easily digestible. If VW released the mk8 GTI with less power, less weight, less outright grip, but sold it as being more fun, I'm not entirely sure people would bite, at least in terms of sales compared to what it replaced. About the only car that bucks that trend consistently is the Miata — and even it's getting more power.
- 11,802
- Marin County
My Mazda2 was a total hoot to drive. It only had 100hp, but it made it in a sort of snorting and energetic way. The car was also very light at around 2200lbs....and that was with a decent amount of equipment, 4 doors, 7 air bags, abs, tc, and modern crash structures. That car would have been magnificent with only 140hp or so, and a well-ratio'd 6 speed manual (the gearing of the 5 speed wasn't really optimal).
- 86,797
- Rule 12
- GTP_Famine
Under WLTP, the up! GTI is 14% worse on emissions than under NEDC.
Mazda still uses them. In fact, of all the mainstream European manufacturers that cater to the A/B/C/D segments, it's the only one that doesn't use forced induction petrols (it does use turbodiesels though, which is sort of a given). The stated reason for this was real-world emissions over lab tests, and it's not wrong.
- 10,811
- Plymouth, UK
- motorforum
- 50,832
- Australia
- SpacedustDaddy
Cool. Bring back the days of the GLI 16V 1.8L 123hp, 1000kg.
Look at the Swift Sport, Ignis, i20, etc. Also the kei car segment. There's plenty of fun to be had. Time for engineers to get creative again.
Glad I've got my 1.6 EK1. 120hp/1006kg is more than enough.
Look at the Swift Sport, Ignis, i20, etc. Also the kei car segment. There's plenty of fun to be had. Time for engineers to get creative again.
Glad I've got my 1.6 EK1. 120hp/1006kg is more than enough.
- 40,757
About time. Manufacturers pretending that they'd cracked some mysterious barrier of "all the power of a 6 for the penalty of a small 4" because the drivetrain was good for bench tests was annoying enough when it was just Ford doing it, nevermind when the industry immediately homogenized even among brands that were supposed to be premium. As much of a have their cake thing as the diesel mess, even if not as malicious.
At least "big engine with just off-idle highway RPM" was a configuration with results easily replicated.
At least "big engine with just off-idle highway RPM" was a configuration with results easily replicated.
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- 1,233
- Patra
- Rotorist
And now Mazda who was ridiculed for a long time for having weak NA engines is proven future-proof having the "cleanest" vehicles with the lowest consumption and not need to lower their power at all. And with their upcoming next gen engines they will save the face of petrol engines for the next few decades maybe.
- 15
- United Kingdom
- Donald1959
Are people really that lazy that they can't be bothered to change gear in their daily driver anymore? I think I'm not alone in thinking that automatic gearboxes remove a lot from the driving experience. Also, the dsgs aren't good for modifying as they can't take nearly as much power as the manuals in the Mk7s.
I personally agree with you on automatics; they're frustrating at worst and numb the driving experience at best. Manual is very clearly superior for my preferences, and a strict requirement for my car shopping.
However, it's untrue and unconstructive to accuse anyone of being lazy or not a "real enthusiast" for opting against a manual. At the end of the day, it's a preference. Just enjoy what you and I consider to be a more engaging drive and let them enjoy theirs.
- 15
- United Kingdom
- Donald1959
Yeah you're definitely right that automatics have their audience - including(but not limited to) disabled people. However vw not taking away the option of a manual is really disappointing for me as this is a car I want to own at some point. There will always be r's from the last 4 or so years available on the market, but it is a shame that vw is moving this way and I really hope they backtrack on this decision.I personally agree with you on automatics; they're frustrating at worst and numb the driving experience at best. Manual is very clearly superior for my preferences, and a strict requirement for my car shopping.
However, it's untrue and unconstructive to accuse anyone of being lazy or not a "real enthusiast" for opting against a manual. At the end of the day, it's a preference. Just enjoy what you and I consider to be a more engaging drive and let them enjoy theirs.
- 24,612
- Anoka, MN
If anything I'd be surprised if more manufacturers didn't follow suit. The traditional stick shift is on it's way out for performance models now that dual clutch transmissions are becoming cheap enough to put in non-super cars. Plus their ease of use and automatic mode means the possible market is bigger.
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