Next year for hot hatches

[SamP97]

Good afternoon,

Just read that AMG plan to add another hot hatch into their lineup. It will be a more affordable alternative to the A45, likely to rival the S3's, Golf R's, M140's etc.

I'm guessing this is so that they can move forward with their pursuit of being king of the now hyper hatches and topple the RS3.

I can't imagine them going any smaller than a 2 litre four pot, so could this, A35??? Take the platform of the A45, while the A45 goes after a larger block to get that 400bhp mark? If they did I think it's a good thing, a little healthy competition for the RS3 may cause Audi and their bloated ego to step back down to reality with pricing somewhat?

As for the new one, the Audi/VW may have to step up their game as it's no secret, the handling/driveability of the A45 is a million miles better than the S3/Golf R, so if that's available in a more wallet friendly package, I could finally see myself justifying something other than an Audi...

Exciting times ahead I believe, which is especially good considering all this scare mongering over the future of combustion engine cars these past few months

 

[kevpuk]

I do like Mercs, just out of a CLS which was fab for 3yrs nearly, but I think the A3 is a markedly 'bigger' car than the A-class.....for me, I wanted a smaller car when looking to replace the CLS, wanted a decent 5dr hatch with a return to my 80s hot hatch fun (mid life crisis?!) rather than exec barge......but discounted the A45 instantly as I found the A-class 'too small' inside

That said, all for some competition in the sector, and will certainly consider MB in around 2.5yrs time

 

[SamP97]

Yeah I do agree with that point! I'd just like everything to get a little more heated ha! I desperately wanted something other than an Audi coming from an A3 (change it up and all that) but felt like the only other somewhat sensible alternative was a VW, if you could even call that an alternative!!

Im adamant I won't be getting an Audi again next time around, to the point where I have said I'd probably end up moving away from hatchbacks due to the lack of punching power from the rivals, but if this happens, it could all get exciting again, remember, BMW will be updating the 1 series around that time, and I have a feeling they will be under immense pressure to pull something special out of the bag.

One thing to note though is despite being the same calibre of vehicle

 

[wab172uk]

Good afternoon,

Just read that AMG plan to add another hot hatch into their lineup. It will be a more affordable alternative to the A45, likely to rival the S3's, Golf R's, M140's etc.

I'm guessing this is so that they can move forward with their pursuit of being king of the now hyper hatches and topple the RS3.

I can't imagine them going any smaller than a 2 litre four pot, so could this, A35??? Take the platform of the A45, while the A45 goes after a larger block to get that 400bhp mark? If they did I think it's a good thing, a little healthy competition for the RS3 may cause Audi and their bloated ego to step back down to reality with pricing somewhat?

As for the new one, the Audi/VW may have to step up their game as it's no secret, the handling/driveability of the A45 is a million miles better than the S3/Golf R, so if that's available in a more wallet friendly package, I could finally see myself justifying something other than an Audi...

Exciting times ahead I believe, which is especially good considering all this scare mongering over the future of combustion engine cars these past few months

I think more like MB pricing the new A45 AMG at around the RS3 price. Don't think Audi are struggling to sell (lease) them.

But a lower tune S3 rival could be a good thing.

Don't forget MB are about to launch an A3 Saloon rival. The concept looked fantastic, but I doubt the finished product will look anything like it.

Huge Horsepower, Huge retail prices are all getting a bit boring to me now. For hot hatches, I'm more interested in the upcoming Megane RS, and later the Trophy version. In the dry, it'll be more fun and faster than and S3, Golf-R, or MB. The only problem is driving them on days like today. Cold, wet, and slippy. Was out in the S3 today, and full power whenever I needed it. They are all round great cars.

I'll be interested to see what the next all new A3 will look like. It's going to be bigger (as we all really want our A3 to be bigger for some reason) and heavyer. I'd consider waiting for the next S3, but I fear it'll be just as remote to drive as the current one, and no doubt will be Auto only.

 

[Jassyo06]

I wouldn't be seen dead in a Merc there interiors are the height of chintzy Del boy like design, exterior wise there lighting design is all a bit too fussy..... Bit Japanese like, the C class coupe for example looks as if they used a massive jelly mold as a design inspiration......the rest of model line up are the same Mercs have only one going for them and it's there expensive flagship AMG models as Audi are dragging there heels with the introduction of the new RS7 and RS6 which seemingly are a few years off especially the new RS6....

 

[Audi Bairn]

I dislike Mercs generally in terms of their styling and find the A-Class to be fugly.
However I agree that the more competition the better. So hopefully it means Audi's march up the pricing scale slows somewhat (but I doubt it).