It’s been discussed, to an exhausting length, that American’s don’t like hatchbacks or wagons. No one really has an answer as to why, but we ‘Mericans just don’t like them. It’s because of this hatred for hatchback vehicles, we don’t get the lovely BMW M135i hatchback, or any of the 1 Series hatches. Many enthusiasts are deeply upset by this, as the aforementioned hatches are considered to be some of the most entertaining BMWs currently on sale. If you’re one of those enthusiasts, don’t fret because BMW actually does sell a hot hatch in America. It just doesn’t have a BMW logo on it — The MINI Cooper S. Owned by BMW, MINI now sells its Cooper S with a B48 BMW engine under its hood. It’s the very same engine, in fact, that will be in the upcoming BMW 330i LCI. Having sampled this engine recently, in the Cooper S 4-Door, I can vouch for its broad powerband and BMW-like refinement. It has more than enough power to entertain and can motivate the Cooper S to 60 mph in 6.4 seconds. That’s plenty quick enough for a hot hatch. The sound it makes is also throaty and aggressive. So the Cooper S is definitely exciting to drive. Full Article - Does BMW Already Sell A Hot Hatch In America?
When I moved here I missed the hot hatch GTI's of Peugeot. I'm still at a loss to why the North Americans don't like hatches....but with the Smart car, Fiat 500 and Fiesta gaining more respect I feel the Mini is not alone.
I don't get why they say we don't like hatches. Every mini van, suv, and cross over is a hatch. Look at the touring/gt things. 4 door hatch just jacked up. Even the most expensive 4 doors are hatches. Porsche Panamera, and Austin Martin Rapide. Not to mention a number of other high end coupes. The saying that we don't like hatches is BS. It's just an excuse not to give the toys others have.
Yes there are some hatches here, but I also feel that most folks consider a hatch to be a cheap shirtbox of a car. Maker's have started not selling hatch versions of their cars here. Not sure Aston's & Porsche's count as hatches anyway. Me I've always loved hatch backs. :yesnod:
Only GTI's :biggrin5::lol::lol::lol: Just pulling your chain. If I didn't have a Mini it would be a GTI.
You had me scratching my head a bit there. It was a complete failure. I didn't see a single one sold. They didn't even have one in the show room. Really really bad marketing. :wink:
This is the Hatch back I remember from BMW, did they import it to here? [ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ld7AsVJoRIY"]BMW 318 Compact - YouTube[/ame]
The one we got here had an anemic 4 pot engine. It was built to a price & the good bits were left off.