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ROUND2: Match 4: Mazda 3 MPS vs BMW M 135i
So here we ladies and gentlemen, the last Match Up of the Quarter Finals. Can you believe on Monday we will announce the cars which made it through to the semi-finals?? This match up will go the distance and we believe that this is gonna be a close call. Both of the cars in this match up were well tested in the previous round and it doesn’t get any easier for these two today. Enjoy, sit back, relax and get voting.
Mazda 3 MPS
The Mazda3 boasts a real stand-out design. The company’s styling ethos has really developed in past couple of years by various show and concept cars, which is being translated quite directly into production reality. There are swooping swage lines and a very bold facade. The MPS model is made even more in your- face by virtue of the monster air-scoop in the bonnet, which is large enough to make even a Subaru WRX feel shy. It seemingly has the desired effect for a performance car though, as slower drivers clear a path pretty quickly when they view the large “nostril” in their rear-view mirrors. There are 18-inch alloys and a lower ride height to create a squat, crouched down appearance. At the rear there is a double- level roof spoiler on the hatch, and housed below each corner of the bumper is a chrome exhaust tip. It’s a package that really does turn heads.
BMW M 135i
Straight onto the BMW, the performance potential of the BMW M135i as the Mazda is reflected in its individual exterior and interior design features. The front apron is typical of M styling that reflects the car’s secure and responsive road handling, with the large air intake vents needed to meet the cooling demands of a high-performance straight six-cylinder engine, auxiliary units and oversized brakes. The competitive character of the car can also be seen in the three-dimensional flaps on the outer air vents, a detail inspired by automobile racing. These air inlets take up the space reserved for the fog lights in the other versions of the three-door BMW 1 Series. They are separated by horizontal struts in Ferric Grey metallic – a design detail that distinguishes BMW M Performance cars.
BMW has described the shell as “unmistakeable” and the cars will certainly be on the shopping lists of younger buyers, especially with their twin-scroll turbos.
Here are our 3 easy ways to vote
- Write your choice of HOT RIDE in the comments section below each blog post.
- Follow Powerflow Exhausts on Facebook and vote on each individual match-up when we post it, by commenting on your choice of favourite.
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- Follow Powerflow Exhausts on Twitter and vote on each individual match-up when we post it by commenting on your choice of favourite.
Match 8: Ford Focus ST vs BMW M 135i
This shootout pits a firm SA Favourite, the Ford Focus ST against a relative newcomer, the BMW M 135i. The newbie certainly seems to have the upper hand on paper, but it’s how all that grunt gets transferred through the wheels that counts and these two thoroughbreds certainly know how to deliver. Pick your ride and vote!
Ford Focus ST
The sporty, EcoBoost-powered Focus ST is the spiritual successor to the fine-handling SVT Focus. Tuned and tested by Ford’s American SVT and European RS teams, the hot hatch is Ford’s first truly global performance car.
Offered only in practical five-door hatchback form, the Focus ST features a turbocharged 2.0-liter EcoBoost four-cylinder engine that produces 252 horsepower and 270 lb-ft of torque. The peak torque figure is achieved in overboost mode, which adds 15 extra lb-ft for up to 15 seconds when the skinny pedal is mashed to the floor. The only transmission available is a six-speed manual.
BMW M 135i
The BMW M135i is the top-of-the-range version of the BMW 1 Series. This distinctively dynamic vehicle is an integral part of the new product category BMW M Performance Automobile produced by the BMW M GmbH. It is positioned between the most powerful BMW series production models and thoroughbred BMW M vehicles. BMW M Performance power units generally boast a noticeably higher performance than the previously most powerful engines of any BMW series and have M-specific characteristics in terms of suspension setting and visual appearance, though without any limitations in terms of suitability for everyday use.
Please get voting guys!!! This is going to be a close call. Share with everyone you know and encourage them to vote aswell.
Share with your friends, get them involved and don’t forget to cast your vote for your favourite so that they progress into the next round.
Here are our 3 easy ways to vote
- Write your choice of HOT RIDE in the comments section below each blog post.
- Follow Powerflow Exhausts on Facebook and vote on each individual match-up when we post it, by commenting on your choice of favourite.
https://www.facebook.com/powerflow.exhausts?ref=hl
- Follow Powerflow Exhausts on Twitter and vote on each individual match-up when we post it by commenting on your choice of favourite.
Match 6: Audi S3 vs Merc A45 AMG
This matchup is probably the most anticipated match up to date. Both these vehicles perform exceptionally well so your votes are crucial. Get voting so that your favourite doesn’t lose out!!
Audi S3
The 2.0 TFSI in the new S3 opens a new chapter in the history of Audi engines. Redesigned from scratch, the 1,984 cc displacement is the only thing it has in common with its predecessor. With almost neutral handling, the S3 corners exceptionally quickly and can accelerate out of corners faster than previous generations, thanks to the latest traction control wizardry at the wheels.
Mercedes A45 AMG
The A45 AMG doesn’t so much stroll into territory owned by other hatch backs, but rather struts in with swagger and plenty of big-talking. With the most powerful 2 litre turbocharged engine in the world boiling under the hood, the A45 runs with the big dogs. In fact, the big dogs may battle to keep up because with 265Kw and 450Nm screaming through the drivetrain, this monster Merc is not here to play fair. It’s here to eat it’s competition alive!
Get Voting guys!!! This is going to be a close call. Share with everyone you know and encourage them to vote aswell.
Share with your friends, get them involved and don’t forget to cast your vote for your favourite so that they progress into the next round.
Here are our 3 easy ways to vote
- Write your choice of HOT RIDE in the comments section below each blog post.
- Follow Powerflow Exhausts on Facebook and vote on each individual match-up when we post it, by commenting on your choice of favourite.
https://www.facebook.com/powerflow.exhausts?ref=hl
- Follow Powerflow Exhausts on Twitter and vote on each individual match-up when we post it by commenting on your choice of favourite.
https://twitter.com/PowerflowSA
Match 5: VW Golf 7 GTi vs Mitsubishi Lancer EVO
Ok, this is REALLY the last Golf we’re including in this tournament, but what a legendary following the GTi has built up over the years! It had to be included somewhere in this tourney. So we’ve paired it with the other, lesser venerated rally bred terminator, the Mitsubishi EVO. Both immensely capable, but let’s be honest, no longer the stars of the show. You decide which will get through to the next round!
VW Golf 7 GTi
A little more visual flamboyance would have been welcome, but as a driving machine there’s little to fault the seventh-generation Golf GTI. Volkswagen has had nearly four decades of practice to get this car right, and the latest version takes all that was good about the previous GTI and taken it a notch higher. Its refinement and ride quality are polished to almost clinical near-perfection, but a healthy dollop of excitement awaits the racy driver who taps into its dark side.
Mitsubishi Lancer EVO
Famous with rally fans, video game aficionados and driving enthusiasts the world over, the Mitsubishi’s Lancer Evolution is a serious performance sedan that delivers huge grins for a relatively low price. Though based on the humble Lancer economy sedan, the “Evo” stands out thanks to a potent turbocharged engine, all-wheel-drive and incredibly responsive handling.
Fast, fun and raw, the Evolution is powered by a turbocharged and intercooled 2.0-liter inline-four that produces 217 Kilowatt and 406Nm of torque. While those aren’t eye-popping figures, the little sedan is capable of sprinting to 60 mph from a dead stop in less than five seconds thanks in part to a low curb weight. The hood, roof, front quarter-panels and front and rear bumper beams are all made from aluminum in the interest of mass reduction.
Get Voting guys!!! This is going to be a close call. Share with everyone you know and encourage them to vote aswell.
Share with your friends, get them involved and don’t forget to cast your vote for your favourite so that they progress into the next round.
Here are our 3 easy ways to vote
- Write your choice of HOT RIDE in the comments section below each blog post.
- Follow Powerflow Exhausts on Facebook and vote on each individual match-up when we post it, by commenting on your choice of favourite.
https://www.facebook.com/powerflow.exhausts?ref=hl
- Follow Powerflow Exhausts on Twitter and vote on each individual match-up when we post it by commenting on your choice of favourite.
Match 4: Renault Megane Sport vs Honda Civic New
This next pair of rides going head to head are the very latest in technology, with every last kilowatt being rung out of their 2 litre powerplants by the magic wizardry of microchips and quantum-nano super technology.
Renault Megane Sport
Renault’s upped the ante in the past couple of years, especially in the hot-hatch market with its new flagship Megane RS (Sport). VW Golf R drivers beware, the new 195kW Trophy edition has arrived in South Africa! The Renault name has long been synonymous with motorsport. In its 35-year involvement in Formula 1 the French automaker has had eight Grand Prix champions, the most recent of whom was Fernando Alonso.
In 2007 the brand began a revitalisation of sorts, at least in South Africa, to change perceptions and raise its profile through an entirely new line-up of models from the locally built Sandero to the Megane Renault Sport models. Exciting times ahead!
Honda Civic New
As yet unreleased but already creating a storm with the claimed numbers that are being pushed out of it’s powerplant, this Civic is a giant leap forward over it’s predecessors. It’s certainly making big promises for when it does eventually get here, but in the mean time, you’ll have to do the maths and decide if it’s a match for the Megane.
Get Voting guys!!! This is going to be a close call. Share with everyone you know and encourage them to vote aswell.
Share with your friends, get them involved and don’t forget to cast your vote for your favourite so that they progress into the next round.
Here are our 3 easy ways to vote
- Write your choice of HOT RIDE in the comments section below each blog post.
- Follow Powerflow Exhausts on Facebook and vote on each individual match-up when we post it, by commenting on your choice of favourite.
https://www.facebook.com/powerflow.exhausts?ref=hl
- Follow Powerflow Exhausts on Twitter and vote on each individual match-up when we post it by commenting on your choice of favourite.
https://twitter.com/PowerflowSA
Match 3: Mini Cooper S vs VW Golf R32
Our 3rd match up may seem oddly paired, with what appears to be a clear winner in the Golf R32, but don’t be so sure! Remember that power to weight ratio is a closer indicator of the true performance of a car than power alone, and these two are pretty close in terms of that. What the Mini lacks in power, it gains in the weight saving. This choice may be tougher than you think.
Mini Cooper S
With a wheel at each corner (literally), the Mini has always been a great handling car. There’s barely any understeer. And if you lift-off in a corner, the tail is surprisingly easy to keep in check. Any car that reacts so quickly but so predictably, and gives you so many options, and connects you so intimately to its moves, cannot fail to be a bundle oflaughs.
VW Golf R32
Our second Golf in the top 16? (don’t worry we’re not biased). Discounting the squarish designs that dominated autodom until the mid-’30s and the cubism of Borg spacecraft, no manufacturer has mined more glamour and performance from rectilinear vehicles than Volkswagen, at least not in the past couple of decades. It was VW after all, that dignified the econobox back in 1983 with the creation of the first GTI, essentially a Golf with attitude. Now comes the most outspoken version of the Golf lineage, the R32! A GTi so potent that VW refrains from calling it a GTi. So where does it fit in the small-car performance spectrum? You tell us…
Get Voting guys!!! This is going to be a close call. Share with everyone you know and encourage them to vote aswell.
Share with your friends, get them involved and don’t forget to cast your vote for your favourite so that they progress into the next round.
Here are our 3 easy ways to vote
- Write your choice of HOT HATCH in the comments section below each blog post.
- Follow Powerflow Exhausts on Facebook and vote on each individual match-up when we post it, by commenting on your choice of favourite.
https://www.facebook.com/powerflow.exhausts?ref=hl
- Follow Powerflow Exhausts on Twitter and vote on each individual match-up when we post it by commenting on your choice of favourite.
Round2: VW Golf 7 R vs Subaru WRX STi
As we get into our second match up, this will definitely be one of the most interesting head to head match ups we will have. With both these cars having beautiful features, tip top performance stats and generally being at the top of their game. Tough choice!! That’s why we glad you are voting to see who the winner will be.
VW Golf 7 R
For most of us petrolheads, the quintessential hot hatchback is Volkswagen’s Golf GTI – a car that not only pioneered the genre, but also continued to set the standard. Now in its seventh generation, the current GTI is one of the best yet – but as it turns out, one of its most daunting rivals is also a close relation. Meet the VW Golf R.
Yes, the car in question is a standard production model. And yes, it’s Golf. But despite its very obvious performance character, this is not just another GTI. This is the VW Golf R.
Subaru WRX STi
This match up is one for the record books, with the people at Subaru claiming that the WRX- STI is the holy grail of Subaru.
Some motorists view cars as a mode of transport. But we have been told that nothing could be further from the truth with the WRX STI. With its suggestive looks, remarkable comfort, handling and performance of a rally car this sedan most certainly can get you from A to B.
Get Voting guys!!! This is going to be a close call. Share with everyone you know and encourage them to vote aswell.
Share with your friends, get them involved and don’t forget to cast your vote for your favourite so that they progress into the next round.
Here are our 3 easy ways to vote
- Write your choice of HOT HATCH in the comments section below each blog post.
- Follow Powerflow Exhausts on Facebook and vote on each individual match-up when we post it, by commenting on your choice of favourite.
https://www.facebook.com/powerflow.exhausts?ref=hl
- Follow Powerflow Exhausts on Twitter and vote on each individual match-up when we post it by commenting on your choice of favourite.
https://twitter.com/PowerflowSA
Round1: 95 Honda Civic vs Opel Astra OPC Extreme
So it’s finally here, our first match up.
Starting off our match up we have 2 very worthy opponents so make sure you vote so that your favourite goes through to the next round.
I think it’s safe to say that both of these hatch backs need no introduction so let’s give you some info about each car so you can vote.
’95 Honda Civic
So as we all know, these little beauties stole our hearts and imagination from when they first appeared as they drove up to hijack a semi at the beginning of the hit movie Fast & Furious.
Since then these Honda’s have been looked at in a different light. The standard Honda Civic 5th Generation has nothing to write home about in terms of power, but it does have the ability for owners to customize their rides as well as bring a sense of pride to each individual owner. The sky’s the limit, and some people have tuned these rides into true beasts!
Opel Astra OPC Extreme
This is the kind of extremism we at Powerflow like!
Opel’s new Astra OPC Extreme is the fastest Astra ever created and it even looks likely to enter low-volume production.
Not only is this beastly hatch 100kg lighter than the normal Astra OPC (thanks to the widespread use of carbon composites), but it’s also significantly more powerful, with Opel claiming that its 2-litre turbo petrol engine has been tuned to deliver more than 221kW (up from the standard 206kW). What do you think?
So there you have it folks, the first of many posts to go up. FOLLOW this blog, Share with your friends, get them involved and don’t forget to cast your vote for your favourite HOT HATCH, so that they progress into the next round.
Here are our 3 easy ways to vote
- Write your choice of HOT HATCH in the comments section below each blog post.
- Follow Powerflow Exhausts on Facebook and vote on each individual match-up when we post it, by commenting on your choice of favourite.
https://www.facebook.com/powerflow.exhausts?ref=hl
- Follow Powerflow Exhausts on Twitter and vote on each individual match-up when we post it by commenting on your choice of favourite.
https://twitter.com/PowerflowSA
The 16 Hot Hatch Grid is UP!
So here’s the complete grid of our 16 hot-hatches competing for CLASH of the HOT HATCHES Title!
Get familiar with them and choose your winners. We will give you more info about each car in Round 1 which will be open for voting shortly!
Remember to please FOLLOW the blog to be kept up to speed on new Hatch Clashes as they’re posted!
Powerflow Exhausts 