Many car segments have stagnated, but not hot hatchbacks, especially the smaller ones. For example, BMW's technology in the MINI Cooper S was top-notch about four years ago when the new generation came out. But now...
Top Gear organized a drag race between the recently updated MINI Cooper S and the Ford Fiesta ST. I know that some of you will argue against the Cooper S being a hot hatch, that it's more like a sporty "girl's car." But this 192 horsepower model has a giant 2.0-liter turbo engine, and it doesn't get much hotter than that. Sure, there's also the JCW, but it costs as much as a Golf GTI or something else from the segment above.
And when it came out, the Cooper S was faster than most of its segment rivals due to it having a much larger engine with more torque. But even though Ford downsized the Fiesta ST a bit, it somehow also made the car a little faster. The 1.5L turbo 3-cylinder makes 18 HP more than the previous 1.6 and 8 HP more than the Cooper S.
However, the real reasons we have a Ford-badged winner are the superior launching characteristics and a better gearbox for the job. Sorry MINI, but flag-themed taillights don't make cars faster. We'd also give the little Fiesta ST points for not trying to look like a 60's car and being significantly cheaper, but that has nothing to do with drag racing.
Speaking of the JCW, back in July of 2018, Carwow did a five-car race featuring it, the hot Polo, Fiesta and Yaris GRMN. The MINI was indeed faster but still lost to a Toyota, while the ST performed admirably.
We're really not trying to put the Cooper S down, but maybe BMW should have added a bit more power during the recent facelift.
And when it came out, the Cooper S was faster than most of its segment rivals due to it having a much larger engine with more torque. But even though Ford downsized the Fiesta ST a bit, it somehow also made the car a little faster. The 1.5L turbo 3-cylinder makes 18 HP more than the previous 1.6 and 8 HP more than the Cooper S.
However, the real reasons we have a Ford-badged winner are the superior launching characteristics and a better gearbox for the job. Sorry MINI, but flag-themed taillights don't make cars faster. We'd also give the little Fiesta ST points for not trying to look like a 60's car and being significantly cheaper, but that has nothing to do with drag racing.
Speaking of the JCW, back in July of 2018, Carwow did a five-car race featuring it, the hot Polo, Fiesta and Yaris GRMN. The MINI was indeed faster but still lost to a Toyota, while the ST performed admirably.
We're really not trying to put the Cooper S down, but maybe BMW should have added a bit more power during the recent facelift.