Hot Hatches

That Deserve To Be In India

- Saurabh Gamare

Have you ever wondered why India is always treated like a stepchild by the car manufacturers when it comes to getting the best performance hatches? There can only be one reason, it is because the majority of people in India are concerned about one aspect the most, “How much does it give?” In no way, these hot hatches are going to be frugal to maintain and if at all they make their way to India they will be priced north of 20 lakh rupees. A normal buyer would prefer buying a luxury sedan or an SUV rather than buying a souped-up hatchback in that price range. But for the minority, enthusiasts like me would willingly ditch the practicality factor and wouldn’t mind spending on a hot hatch. Take a look at these hatches that deserve a shot in the Indian market.

FORD FIESTA ST

The only hot hatch that Ford has decided to continue with is the Fiesta as they will no longer be producing the Focus RS. Again, the reason being that it did not sell well. What a shame, the Focus RS would have definitely made it in the list if Ford didn’t pull the plug on it. However, the Fiesta isn’t a slouch, its 1.5-litre three-cylinder EcoBoost petrol engine is capable of delivering 197bhp and 290Nm of torque. It is quite fast for a hatch accelerating from 0 to 100 km/h in 6.5 seconds and has a top speed of 232 km/h. What’s the fun part about this Fiesta? The ST in the Fiesta stands for Sports Technologies as it is developed by Ford Performance and for you to be a Hoonigan like Ken Block in his Gymkhana videos, take it to a racetrack and you will understand.

HONDA CIVIC TYPE R