Hot hatches- Hatchbacks on steroids

Excitement galore in the Indian hatchback segment these days. Why, you ask? Buyers now have an option to choose more powerful versions of their favourite cars. Such vehicles are meant for Indians who don’t want to simply move from point A to point B, but want to do so rapidly and in a stylish manner.

There is no doubt that sedans look good on the roads- Mercedes S Class, BMW 7 Series, Volvo S60 and others are designed to be stunners. But then, do you always find them convenient to drive in a city? No, right? Unless there is a massive highway starting from a few kilometres away, there isn’t too much point taking out such cars. And that is exactly where hot hatches fit the bill.

Which hatchbacks fit the bill?

Let us explore the options one has in India:

1.     Fiat Punto Evo Abarth T-Jet

2.     Volkswagen Polo GTI

3.    Fiat Abarth 595 Competizione (performance version of Fiat 500)

4.   Maruti Baleno RS

5.   Maruti Swift Sport (expected)'

Punto Abarth	Punto
Power- 145 bhp	Power- 91.7 bhp
Engine- 1368cc	Engine-1248cc

Volkswagen Polo GTI	Volkswagen Polo
Power- 191 bhp	Power- 74 bhp and 90 bhp (petrol and diesel)
Engine- 1798cc	Engine- 1198cc and 1498 cc

For the current buyer, VW India also offers VW Polo GT TSI and GT TDI, which are free-spirited performing variants.

Fiat Abarth 595 Competizione	Fiat 500
Power- 158 bhp	Power- 160 bhp
Engine- 1.4 litre	Engine- 1368cc

In case of the two variants of the Fiat 500, there isn’t too much difference in terms of power, as the engine is almost the same.

Maruti Baleno RS	Maruti Baleno
Power- 101bhp	Power- 74 bhp, 83 bhp
Engine- 998cc	Engine- 1248cc, 1197cc (Diesel, Petrol)

This is the only case where the size of the engine is smaller in the hot hatch, managing to produce greater amount of power

Maruti Swift Sport	Maruti Swift
Power- 148 bhp	Power- 74 bhp, 83 bhp
Engine- 1.4 litre Boosterjet	Engine- 1248cc, 1197cc (diesel, petrol)

Maruti Swift has been a very successful hatchback for the company since the car’s inception in 2014. The 2018 version will have an all new design, similar to that of the 2017 DZire. The Swift Sport is expected to be launched here in 2018. Once that happens, one can easily say- the Swift just got Swift-er.

You can clearly see the performance benchmarks set in the hatchback comparison in India. Enthusiasts in the country will have a lot more to play with!