Posted Apr 21st 2007 2:52PM
FCUK do I hate posts that refer to an Automotive News article!!! What's the point of a post when 99% of the readers can't read in it's entirety????
America "hates" the hatchbacks Japanese manufacturers dumped here when they didn't sell in Japan in the 1970s. Those hatchbacks didn't have soundproofing to prevent tire noise in the cargo area and many cheaper hatchbacks now are the same way.
I like the Z3 styling, especially the flared fenders with wide shoulders. Put that kind of styling on a hatchback with power and handling and usable foot room in the back seat area, they'd have a winner. Small cars need four doors to make entry and loading in the back easier for passengers and long cargo, respectively. Ever notice how small the bottoms of the rear doors are regardless of wheelbase length? Why do front doors have to be so large?
"America's hate affair with hatchbacks"??? Where did the AutoBlogger staff get that from? I would love nothing more than another 2 door hatchback like my '89 Civic or '95 Integra. I'd buy a Mazda 3 or Mazda 6 today if it came in a 2 door hatchback, especially if it had the current lines of the sedans. The only time I have a problem with hatchbacks is when it's of the European variety with the obsessively and disproportionately vertical rear window, such as on the Golfs and the disastrous 318ti.
The true problem in the auto manufacturing world is the obsession with all things 4 door. The market is inundated with 4 door sedans and 4 door station wagons. I'd be thrilled if Dodge would take that Charger and make it a 2 door coupe or 2 door fastback/hatchback.
Z3 Coupe is one of the best looking cars ever made. Muscular wheelarches, a long bonnet, a short rear and - in the M Coupe - a lot of grunt, too. But thats not a hatchback like a Golf or something like that.
But it can't be that hard for Audi to put the R36 engine into the A3 Sportback. And that's what the Roadjet in essence was.
btw: It hast to be 'Audi Roadjet ist kaputt.' with two Ts.
kapputt... kapputt please :)
April 22 2007 at 8:18 AM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down ReplyA little clarification:
Many hatchbacks are the same as the sedan, but with a short ass (Golf and Jetta)
Others are boderline wagons (A3)--- Compare a Versa and a Matrix
Missing in this market are roomy, non-stubby 2 door hatchbacks with style --(old Corolla SR-5, new Volvo C30)
The Z3 coupe was a Cinderella's Stepsister of a car.
does anyone else see the irony in the "americans don't like hatchbacks" assertion, and the fact that most SUVs have rear hatches, even the small ones?
How about americans would like hatchbacks, if the hatches were on the back of good cars, and marketed to the hilt, and actually practical, like SUVs were in the 90s and earlly 2000s?
How are small SUVs different than station wagons or hatchbacks with a bit of ride-height and a tall roof?
Why am I so underwhelmed by all the new cars shown on this blog, is it because they look like what is already on the roads and highways? Especially anything Dodge, sheesh, why go back in time. What's so damned great about a Hemi, they've had them for decades? Same bland ideas with LED taillights. Big deal!
April 22 2007 at 1:29 AM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down ReplyWaltzon, the Z3 coupe is by far the most disturbing and disproportionate BMW ever made. It is like pouring acid into my eyeballs. Lust after a real coupe, eg an '03 HSV GTS Coupe. Thats a mans coupe!
More to the topic of the Audi, this machine has more right to production than the disturbing Cross Coupe or whatever. It looks like an Audi A3 had sex with a Range Rover and they decided NOT to have an abortion. If only China's one child policy could have prevented that birth..... The world would be a safer place. Anyway I think this car has potential and it is sad to see her go. Bye bye, odd futuristic Audi!
uhh i like it..i liked the a3 to.. even though the 4door isnt as great as a 2 door...but audi could restart hatch backs here..
April 21 2007 at 9:05 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply
