Hatch backs are fun, reliable, and perfect for people on the go. Building on the success of this body style in an increasingly urbanised environment, the creation of a high performance sports hatch was inevitable.

The contemporary high performance sports hatch ups the ante with state-of-the-art turbo charged engines, faster gearshifts, sportier driving and next generation parking and hillside assistance; as well as a higher level of safety during night-time or bad-weather driving.

High performance driving

Power and efficiency is expected in a high performance sports hatch.  State-of-the-art four-cylinder engines featuring direct injection and turbocharger technology now deliver outstanding performance along with the lowest possible fuel consumption.

It is this type of engine that has been successfully employed in motorsport activities that now finds its way to the luxury hatchback; making breathtaking acceleration the norm and refuelling stops almost a rarity.

Getting true sports performance out of a luxury hatchback means incorporating not just better engines, but also faster gearshifts. This combines the sportier characteristics of a manual gearbox with the advantages of an automatic.

Dual-clutch gearboxes now come standard with most makes of high performance sport hatch. They allow gear-changes with no appreciable delay by employing one of the two clutches to engage the odd-numbered gears and reverse while the other engages the even-numbered gears.

Exceptional road holding

With all of this extra power built into what is essentially still a hatchback,  better traction during acceleration – especially on slippery road surfaces-  is of exceptional importance. To combat conditions where two-wheel-drive vehicles would normally lose grip, permanent four-wheel drive technology is now available for the luxury hatchback.

The benefit of permanent four-wheel-drive technology is that if the wheels of one axle lose grip and threaten to spin, the drive torque is redirected in the central differential to the other axle, automatically and continuously.  This means that vehicles fitted with such four-wheel-drive systems have greater stability and improved traction allowing for a much higher level of safety in any road conditions.

Parking and hillside assistance

The hatchback is famous for its manoeuvrability and convenience especially where ease of parking is concerned. More is expected from a luxury hatchback these days and sophisticated parking and hillside assistance are where these contemporary vehicles shine.

Parking assistance systems use up to 10 ultrasonic sensors to search for suitable parking spaces beside the road and can do so while driving by at up to 30 kilometres an hour. Once a parking space has been found these sensors can actually calculate the ideal parking path while the driver need only accelerate and break to complete the parking manoeuvre.

Hillside assistance on the other hand allows for easy starts on an incline with zero roll back. A driver can change from the brake to the accelerator and the car will remain stationary by retaining the brake pressure for a moment after the brake pedal is released.

The hatchback has come a long way from its 1930s roots and while technology has improved significantly in the auto manufacturing industry, its reputation for reliability, manoeuvrability and convenience cannot be denied.

The high performance sports hatch is a welcome addition to this automotive pedigree and a sign that this feisty body style with its signature liftgates and fold-down rear seats will continue to be a popular choice in the decades to come.

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