 2006 US-spec Subaru Impreza WRX STI A sport compact is a high-performance version of a compact car or a subcompact car. They are typically are front engined, front-wheel drive coupés, sedans, or hatchbacks driven by a naturally aspirated straight-4 gasoline engine. Typical sport compacts include the Acura Integra, Honda Civic Si, Acura RSX, Toyota Celica, Volkswagen GTI, and, more recently, the Dodge SRT-4. The name for any sport compact in a hatchback form is a hot hatch. Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ...
Peugeot 205 GTI A hot hatch is an informal or slang term for a performance derivative of a European hatchback (in the US, Asian sports hatches are sometimes called sport compacts). ...
Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (1001x511, 73 KB) [edit] Summary [edit] Licensing File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): Subaru Impreza WRX STI Metadata This file contains additional information, probably added from the...
Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (1001x511, 73 KB) [edit] Summary [edit] Licensing File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): Subaru Impreza WRX STI Metadata This file contains additional information, probably added from the...
The Rambler American introduced in the late 1950s was an early compact car. ...
AMC Gremlin, the first American subcompact A subcompact car is an automobile in a vehicle size class smaller than a compact car but larger than a city car (and known as superminis in Europe). ...
In Automobile design, an FF, or Front-engine, Front wheel drive, layout places both the engine and drive wheels at the front of the vehicle. ...
Front-wheel drive is the most common form of engine/transmission layout used in modern passenger cars, where the engine drives the front wheels. ...
A naturally-aspirated engine (NA - aspiration meaning breathing) refers to an internal combustion engine (normally petrol or diesel powered) that is neither turbocharged nor supercharged. ...
The straight-4 or inline-4 is an internal combustion engine with four cylinders aligned in one row. ...
Gasoline engine (also referred to as petrol engine or Otto engine) invented at the end of the 19th century by German engineer Nikolaus Otto is a type of internal combustion engine which is often used for automobiles, aircraft, small mobile vehicles such as lawnmowers or motorcycles, and outboard motors for...
This article is about the North American Integra. ...
The Honda Civic Si is a sport compact/hot hatch version of the compact car Honda Civic built by the Japanese automaker Honda. ...
The Acura RSX is an automobile sold by Honda. ...
The Toyota Celica name has been applied to a series of popular sports cars made by the Japanese company Toyota. ...
VW Golf Mk. ...
See also the Dodge Caliber SRT-4. ...
Peugeot 205 GTI A hot hatch is an informal or slang term for a performance derivative of a European hatchback (in the US, Asian sports hatches are sometimes called sport compacts). ...
The design philosophy of a sport compact sharply contrasts with those of 'true' sports cars. Sports cars are designed with a performance-oriented philosophy, often compromising cargo space, seating, gas mileage, (daily) driveability, and reliability. A sport compact is usually designed with a practical design philosophy and profit in mind. This philosophy has led to several compromises when it comes to performance, such as front wheel drive, conservative engine design, and platform sharing. Electronic control units are also programmed for optimal gas mileage. In automotive electronics, an electronic control unit (ECU) is an embedded microcomputer that controls one or more of the electrical subsystems in a vehicle. ...
Performance-oriented sport compacts focus on improving handling and increasing engine efficiency, rather than increasing engine size or conversion to rear-wheel drive. For example, the Celica GT-S and RSX Type-S are both sport compacts that produce 100 hp/ L of displacement, and have handling superior to their stock trims and other cars in its price range. Rear-wheel drive (or RWD for short) is an engine/transmission layout used in automobiles. ...
Classification and debate
The exact definition of a sport compact remains a subject of debate. Some believe that any 4-cylinder compact car falls into this category, clearly placing cars such as the Nissan 240SX or Acura Integra in the sport compact category. However, the Lotus Esprit was offered with a 4-cylinder engine that produced greater than 100 horsepower per litre engine displacement -- a feat achieved only by exotic supercars at the time. Today, its performance is largely eclipsed by high performance versions of compact cars such as the Subaru Impreza WRX STi or the Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution. As in most automotive jargon, the category "sports compact" is not precise. The Nissan 240SX was a car introduced to the North American market by Nissan in 1989 and sold there until 1998. ...
The Honda Integra is an automobile manufactured by Honda. ...
Lotus Esprit Turbo 1981-1986 1993 Lotus Esprit S4 The back of a 1993 Lotus Esprit S4 1987 Lotus Turbo Esprit HC The Lotus Esprit was a sports car built by Lotus from 1976 to 2004. ...
The Subaru Impreza WRX STI (formerly STi, officially changed in 2006)[1] is the highest standard-edition trim in the Subaru Impreza line. ...
This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ...
Nevertheless, the designation of the "sport compact" is generally reserved for the higher-performance versions of common, lower-performance compact and economy vehicles. A car that is specifically designed to be a performance automobile (a sports car such as grand turismo or an exotic supercar) may also be compact in size, but is clearly delineated from an ordinary compact by manufacturer's performance intent. Thus, a "sports car" is a car specifically intended to provide elevated vehicle performance. The "sports compact", on the other hand, is a compact car that has been improved (by owner or manufacturer) to provide an elevated degree of vehicle performance over the base version of the car.
Note that the debate is often confused by arguments of power, since engine power is a clear indication of straight-line acceleration performance. However, categorization by number of engine cylinders, the addition of forced induction, or even an arbitrary horsepower reference does not provide clearer categorization. This is due to the rapidly advancing performance capability of new sport compact cars as compared to yesterday's supercars. Cars such as the Toyota Supra, Acura NSX, Lotus Elise, and the Nissan Skyline clearly fall into a different market segment than even the highest performance production versions of the Honda Civic and specifically prepared post-production-tuned automobiles. Forced induction is a term used to describe internal combustion engines that are not naturally aspirated. ...
The Toyota Celica Supra was a sports car/grand tourer produced by Toyota Motor Company from 1979 to 2002. ...
A 1991-2001 Honda NSX A 2002 Honda NSX The Honda NSX (Acura NSX in North America) is a sports car automobile made by Honda. ...
The Lotus Elise is a roadster conceived in early 1994 and released in September 1996 by the English manufacturer Lotus Cars. ...
The Nissan Skyline is a mid-size car produced by the Japanese automaker Nissan since 1957. ...
The Honda Civic is an automobile manufactured by Honda. ...
Despite this, Sport Compact Car Magazine often contains articles on the Toyota Supra, Nissan 350Z, Honda S2000, Lotus Elise, Ford Mustang, Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution, in addition to other sport compacts. The Nissan 350Z is a coupé and roadster built by Nissan. ...
The Honda S2000 is a roadster manufactured by the Japanese automaker Honda Motor Company since April 1999. ...
The Lotus Elise is a roadster conceived in early 1994 and released in September 1996 by the English manufacturer Lotus Cars. ...
The Ford Mustang is an automobile produced by the Ford Motor Company, originally based on the Ford Falcon compact. ...
This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ...
Tuning -
It has become fairly popular to modify or customize a sport compact, commonly referred to as tuning. This has given rise to the term "tuner" for the owners of modified sport compacts (and other vehicle classes), and by extension, their automobiles. As with trucks and other vehicle categories, there is a large market for performance-enhancing equipment designed to fit small cars. Unfortunately, "tuning" is a term that is also symbolized by cosmetic and non-performance related vehicle modifications. It is the subject of some controversy whether to recognize a compact "tuner" car that has been modified to offer lesser vehicle performance than a "sport compact". It has been suggested that this article or section be merged into Car tuning. ...
Restoration of a Japanese import to its JDM specifications (or J-Spec) has become a fairly popular modification for many tuners in North America. It is quite common for Japanese automakers to produce or export less powerful versions of their models to the North American market. The common exception to this is the 1993-1998 Toyota Supra which recieved a more powerful engine for US export due to the "Gentleman's Agreement" in Japan. Such modifications usually involve swapping engines and transmissions. Popular examples include the conversion of Nissan 240SX into a Silvia, or a Honda Civic into a Civic Type-R. These modifications can also be cosmetic, such as the replacement of the front fascia or rear spoiler with its JDM counterpart. The term JDM Japanese domestic market (JDM) is used to describe Japans economic market for Japanese-brand goods, chiefly automobiles and parts. ...
The Toyota Celica Supra was a sports car/grand tourer produced by Toyota Motor Company from 1979 to 2002. ...
(Redirected from 240SX) The Nissan 240SX was a car introduced to the North American market by Nissan in 1989 and sold there until 1998. ...
The Silvia series of cars are one of Nissans low-priced rear wheel drive (RWD), front mounted engine sports coupes on the Nissan S platform. ...
Type R Honda automobile models are special performance editions of their respective model families. ...
Motorsport Small cars with high power ratings can be formidable racing vehicles. The Sports Car Club of America SCCA has long hosted races for compact cars. More recently, sport compacts have become so popular that the National Hot Rod Association NHRA (http://www.nhrasportcompact.com) and the Australian National Drag Racing Association (ANDRA) (www.andra.com.au) now have special classes for sport compact racing. The SCCA could be considered the grass-roots level of auto racing in the United States. ...
The National Hot Rod Association, known as the NHRA, was founded by Wally Parks in 1951 in the State of California to provide a governing body to organize and promote the sport of drag racing. ...
ANDRA has no less than 7 dedicated classes catering for the popularity of Sport Compact Drag Racing: 1 - Pro Rear Wheel Drive 2 - Sport Modified 3 - OZ Modified 4 - Front Runner 5 - All Motor 6 - Sport Rear Wheel Drive 7 - Sport Front Wheel Drive
All these classes are officially sanctioned by ANDRA and are recognised through a series of successful events and National Records (www.andra.com.au)
Some highly modified sport compact dragsters can accelerate from 0-60 mph in less than four seconds.[1]
Sport compacts are fairly popular for autocross competitions. The Acura Integra, Toyota Celica, and MINI Cooper are some of the more successful sport compacts within their classes. Autocross course with Mazda Miata Autocross is a form of motorsports that emphasizes safe, low-cost competition and active participation. ...
This article is about the North American Integra. ...
The Toyota Celica name has been applied to a series of popular sports cars made by the Japanese company Toyota. ...
The BMW or New MINI is a car produced by BMW since 2001. ...
It is also worth noting that sport compact cars have been the backbone of the latest motorsport discipline to emerge - drifting - since its beginnings.
Market trends Sport compacts remain one of the largest segments of the performance car market in Europe and Japan, and is seeing a resurgence in North America after declining sales in the 1990's.
Manufacturers such as Honda, Toyota, Mazda, Mitsubishi, Nissan and Subaru have continued to release new generations of modestly priced sport compacts, such as the Honda Civic Si, Toyota Corolla XRS, Mazdaspeed 3, and the Nissan Sentra SE-R Spec V. This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ...
This article is about the multinational corporation. ...
Mazda Motor Corporation ) (TYO: 7261 ) is a Japanese automotive manufacturer based in Hiroshima, Japan. ...
Mitsubishi Logo The Mitsubishi Group ), Mitsubishi Group of Companies, or Mitsubishi Companies, all refer to a large grouping of independently operated Japanese companies which share the Mitsubishi brand name. ...
Nissan Motor Co. ...
For other uses, see Subaru (disambiguation). ...
The Honda Civic Si is a sport compact/hot hatch version of the compact car Honda Civic built by the Japanese automaker Honda. ...
The Toyota Corolla ) is a subcompact/compact car produced by Toyota of Japan, known worldwide for its reliability, conventional engineering and low fuel consumption. ...
Mazda3s 5-door hatchback The Mazda3 is a compact automobile manufactured by the Mazda Motor Corporation. ...
The Nissan Sentra is a compact car made by automaker Nissan, and is generally a rebadged export version of the Japanese Nissan Sunny. ...
United States automobile manufacturers, which have traditionally offered more vehicle options in the truck and utility vehicle markets, added more models in the sports compact car market segment with the slowing of the truck market in the mid-2000's. General Motors has responded with the Saturn ION Redline and the Chevrolet Cobalt. Ford offers performance versions of the Ford Focus. General Motors Corporation (NYSE: GM), also known as GM, is an American automobile maker with worldwide operations and brands including Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet, GMC, Holden, Hummer, Opel, Pontiac, Saturn, Saab and Vauxhall. ...
The Saturn ION is a compact car sold by General Motors Saturn marque. ...
The Chevrolet Cobalt is a compact car introduced by Chevrolet in 2004 for the 2005 model year. ...
It has been suggested that this article be split into articles entitled Ford Motor Company and Ford (vehicles). ...
This article or section is not written in the formal tone expected of an encyclopedia article. ...
European manufacturers have long offered multiple high-performance compacts, the most popular in the hot hatch segment. Peugeot 205 GTI A hot hatch is an informal or slang term for a performance derivative of a European hatchback (in the US, Asian sports hatches are sometimes called sport compacts). ...
See also Tuned Kia Rio, with bespoke alloys, spoiler and tinted glass Car tuning (or car modding) is both an industry and a popular hobby, in which a car is modified in order to improve its performance and handling and better suit the owners driving style. ...
It has been suggested that this article or section be merged into Car tuning. ...
The Rambler American introduced in the late 1950s was an early compact car. ...
Engine tuning or engine building is the adjustment, modification or design of internal combustion engines to yield more performance, either in terms of power output or economy. ...
Peugeot 205 GTI A hot hatch is an informal or slang term for a performance derivative of a European hatchback (in the US, Asian sports hatches are sometimes called sport compacts). ...
The Import scene or Import racing scene refers to the subculture that revolves around modifying imported brand cars (commonly referred to as imports), especially those of Japanese brands, for street racing in the United States. ...
It has been suggested that rice rocket be merged into this article or section. ...
This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ...
External links Image File history File links Nuvola_apps_important. ...
Drag racing - NHRA Sport Compact Series
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