coupe vs hatchback

redej6

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u can put a/c and power streeing in the hatch. problem solved..

ok just buy a hatch and coupe..!! than your set!
 

Beelzebubba

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I'm not sure if I'd describe most of those are sporty though. Nor do I think most were ever really popular.
The Mazdas do well in popularity and the Mazdaspeed versions are certainly sporty

The Focus SVT came in a ZX5 form. On paper, it was essentially an EP3 with 2 extra doors. It should have done well. The problem wasn't the EP3. The problem was that the Neon SRT/4 came out at about the same time. Same price as the SVT + 60-70 hp. (and that's a conservative figure. most automotive magazines insist that Chrysler's horsepower figure for the SRT/4 is bit pessimistic) Also Ford's Mazda branch had the Mazdaspeed Protege' so they were effectively competing with themselves.


The Korean cars? Maybe the Elantra GT 5 door is sporty. :what: The Daewoo-zukis are not. The Spectra 5 door looks sporty but again is like driving a CR-V with a loose shifter and the parking brake on.

I don't know why Honda doesn't sell the Civic 5 door here. :what: Maybe it's a Pounds to Dollar thing (why GM is losing money on the German built Saturn Astra) Maybe they don't want to cut into CR-V sales.
 


NOFX

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The Mazdas do well in popularity and the Mazdaspeed versions are certainly sporty

The Focus SVT came in a ZX5 form. On paper, it was essentially an EP3 with 2 extra doors. It should have done well. The problem wasn't the EP3. The problem was that the Neon SRT/4 came out at about the same time. Same price as the SVT + 60-70 hp. (and that's a conservative figure. most automotive magazines insist that Chrysler's horsepower figure for the SRT/4 is bit pessimistic) Also Ford's Mazda branch had the Mazdaspeed Protege' so they were effectively competing with themselves.


The Korean cars? Maybe the Elantra GT 5 door is sporty. :what: The Daewoo-zukis are not. The Spectra 5 door looks sporty but again is like driving a CR-V with a loose shifter and the parking brake on.

I don't know why Honda doesn't sell the Civic 5 door here. :what: Maybe it's a Pounds to Dollar thing (why GM is losing money on the German built Saturn Astra) Maybe they don't want to cut into CR-V sales.
I've only ever seen the two door hatch SVT Focuses. So they're not really popular (not that I see a lot of those ones either though). I see a MazdaSpeed anything once every few months. So again, not really that popular.

While I've seen plenty of Elantra GTs and Spectra 5s and Proteges, they're not one of the more popular bosy styles in the US.

Oh, and every new Saturn right now is an Opel, so I can only imagine what they're paying for that. Granted they are selling more than before.

As far as the Civic five-door, I just don't think it'd do great here. More often than not I hear the old ones described as ugly. The newer ones look much like the three door hatch version, which we also don't get here. I don't think the current three door or five door hatches would do very well here at all.
 


guitar_adam2000

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We got the Focus ST, which i presume is similar. It is a hugely popular 5 door hatch though

 

NOFX

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We got the Focus ST, which i presume is similar. It is a hugely popular 5 door hatch though

Yeah, that looks better and probably performs better than the US counterparts. There are two main Focus branches; the North American version and the international version.

Photos of North America Focuses here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ford_Focus_(North_America)

Photos of the international models here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ford_Focus_(International)

I've been a bigger fan of the overseas cars than the ones we get here. It at least we got some better styling.

The SVT five door hatch was only out for '03-'04. The three door SVT was out from '02-'04.
 

Beelzebubba

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We got the Focus ST, which i presume is similar. It is a hugely popular 5 door hatch though

That's not our Focus. The Euro market Focus is our Mazda 3 and Volvo S40. The US market's Focus is the previous generation of Euro market Focuses (Foci?)

The SVT five door hatch was only out for '03-'04. The three door SVT was out from '02-'04.
I used to see the 3 and 5 door Foc.....whatever the hell the plural of Focus is, anyway, I used to see Focus SVTs, Konas, S2s (which have a little sticker on the side in which the 2 is made to look suspiciously close to a lower case "i". So at a distance it looks like a Honda "Si". Up close you can clearly see it's a 2) all the freaking time.

All I see now is coupes and sedans. :what:

The SVTs must have been really bad in reliability
 

guitar_adam2000

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hmm, its funny, over here the Focus is highly regarded for its reliablility and good handling. And that ST goes like stink. I'm suprised actually, considering ford is a hugely american company, i'd have though that you lot would have benifitted from the best models. I like how this thread has turned into a debate about the Focus.
 

NOFX

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hmm, its funny, over here the Focus is highly regarded for its reliablility and good handling. And that ST goes like stink. I'm suprised actually, considering ford is a hugely american company, i'd have though that you lot would have benifitted from the best models. I like how this thread has turned into a debate about the Focus.
Yep. And the American car companies wonder why they do so poorly here compared to some of the other overseas companies. Try making something that's not so boring and run of the mill and perhaps you'll get some better sales. I'm not asking for somethign mind blowing... just something a little interesting.
 

Beelzebubba

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What GM or Ford 4 or 5 door car isn't foreign based lately?

GM has leaned heavily on Opel and Holden for their designs

Ford uses Mazda and Volvo as well as their own European operations.

The Focus is a British/German Ford design, albeit a badly out of date one.
The Fusion/Edge/Milan/MKX/MKZ are all based on the Mazda6.
The Five Hundred/Taurus/Montego/Freestyle are all based on the Volvo S80

Problem is that Ford takes a perfectly good Japanese or Swedish design and queers it up with Ford nonsense switchgear and blah or tacky styling. (Like the Five Hundred that you so aptly referred to as the "Ford Car" :rolf: )

GM is a little better.

They take an Opel Vectra and make the G6. Think of it as "US Market Opel Vectra Take one"
Then realease the Saturn Aura. "US Market Opel Vectra Take Two"
Then they finally debug all the problems and gripes in the previous 2 and release the Chevrolet Malibu. "US Market Opel Vectra Take Three...CUT! print it." The Automotive press is finally excited about a GM midsize.


Chrysler is horribly damaged by years of Daimler Benz management. German carmakers cannot manage foreign companies. Daimler Benz tried and failed ruining Chrysler. BMW tried. Failed. Cost them 6 billion and their CEO his job. The only success story has been Volkswagen's management of Skoda. (which is a partial failure because the "new" Skoda is surpassing VW in quality. )
 

Jersey8

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this thread has become a plethora of useless information...
 

Beelzebubba

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That's true...

unless you're a real car enthusiast.

If you don't find the state of automotive engineering, marketing, and design interesting then you probably view your car as more of an appliance like a toaster or cel phone rather than an extension and expression of yourself.
 

Jersey8

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well i am a car enthusiast, and im actually in school for mechanical engineering. idk maybe im just too tired and dont feel like reading :lol:
 

guitar_adam2000

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I think the Mondeo is our version of the 500 (again, another outstanding car), the ford KA ("car") is this little turd:
 

Beelzebubba

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The Ka. :rolf:

such a crappy little car that it's not even worth putting the "R" on the end of it's name.
 

J_Uhrig87

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i think the coupe's were target more for the US market and thats why they made them better equipped. I read somewhere that sales for hatchbacks in general in the US are significantly lower than Europe or Japan, guess thats why everywhere else the hatchbacks are better equipped. I know over here they're far more sought after anyway
coupes are more desired over here because we're "fat american's" to the rest of the world. of course hatches are going to be more popular in japan, theres far too many more people for such little spaces, it's more convenient for them in the space they have to live. us Americans are used to everything being Big as s**t so we need cars to fill that space. my example, the extremely large, extremely ugly hummer.
each car has their advantages and disadvantages, it all depends on your daily drive, and what your lifestyle is asking for. me, i'm married with no kids and i'm broke. hatchback all the way because i can still fit my whole livingroom in my hatchback with the seats folded down. and it's better for gas, and i get out of driving road trips in my car because everyone knows comfort in the rear of a hatchback wasn't thought out very well. so if you see yourself driving 2+ passengers around and the randomness of needing a crap load of room to fit a 42" tv than get a coupe. it's not like people buy 42" TV's once a month to need a hatchback all the time to get it in. and if you are buying that many TV's, you can afford both a coupe and a hatch
 

airzi

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i have a coupe. i do like hatches alot more than coupes but not a civic 6gen one. so its a coupe sr for me :D
 

airzi

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coupes are more desired over here because we're "fat american's" to the rest of the world. of course hatches are going to be more popular in japan, theres far too many more people for such little spaces, it's more convenient for them in the space they have to live. us Americans are used to everything being Big as s**t so we need cars to fill that space. my example, the extremely large, extremely ugly hummer.
each car has their advantages and disadvantages, it all depends on your daily drive, and what your lifestyle is asking for. me, i'm married with no kids and i'm broke. hatchback all the way because i can still fit my whole livingroom in my hatchback with the seats folded down. and it's better for gas, and i get out of driving road trips in my car because everyone knows comfort in the rear of a hatchback wasn't thought out very well. so if you see yourself driving 2+ passengers around and the randomness of needing a crap load of room to fit a 42" tv than get a coupe. it's not like people buy 42" TV's once a month to need a hatchback all the time to get it in. and if you are buying that many TV's, you can afford both a coupe and a hatch
do you wanna super size that :lol:
 

DarkCreep

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Get A Hatch.... And keep the Coupe

http://i141.photobucket.com/albums/r46/Gradeless/0621081923b.jpg[/IM]
[IMG]http://i141.photobucket.com/albums/r46/Gradeless/0621081910a.jpg[/IG]
[IMG]http://i141.photobucket.com/albums/r46/Gradeless/0621081913a.jpg[/IG][/QUOTE]

And rice em out!!
 


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