The 1980s were boom time for the hot hatchback market, with every manufacturer desperate to throw their hat in the ring. For the 2020 Classics World Christmas Special, Paul, Phil and Jeff pitted three hot hatch icons head to head: the genesis that was the Golf GTI Mk1, the iconic Ford Escort XR3i and the often forgotten underdog, the MG Maestro 1600. Which will win?
Proudly supported by Lancaster Insurance – get a quote on YOUR classic car insurance here: https://www.lancasterinsurance.co.uk/car-clubs/classics-world-tv/
– Music –
• Aries Beats – Night Ride: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AOvr_57BMZo
• Aries Beats – The Countdown: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lAVYmC8qFbE
• Aries Beats – Turbo Rush: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yIVBlwx1H5o
Classics World is a family of brands that includes ten classic publications plus many souvenir bookazines. Check out great offers on these and more on https://shop.kelsey.co.uk/publications/classic-motoring
More classic car news and reviews online. Stay up to date with our weekly newsletter – register today at https://classicsworld.co.uk/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/classicsworlduk
• Instagram: @classicsworlduk
• Twitter: @ClassicsWorldUK
All content on this channel is – unless otherwise stated – the opinion of the given party and any offence caused is severely apologised for. Any and all third-party content is credited and referenced to the best of our ability and all externally-created content is entirely the legal property of its original and rightful owner/s. All rights respected.
Chapters
0:00 – 1:03: Intro
1:04 – 4:24: Escort XR3i
4:25 – 8:12: Golf GTI
8:13 – 11:28: MG Maestro
11:29 – 15:18: Conclusion
My son had an 1800 Golf driver which felt solid, but I nearly bought a used 2.0 efi Maestro and boy did that go in comparison. Trouble is it wouldn't go into reverse so I walked away!
Thank you for this great video. I had an f reg 2.0 maestro efi. Absolutely loved it. Was a bit of a boy racer back in the day and I thrashed it mercilessly but it pulled like a train, handled well, and was pretty tough. Happy days. Worst point was rust. Was made of paper mache. Great car nonetheless…
Take a look at that white MG and the door trim alignment, says it all really.
Loved the mg maestro turbo
Great Video, definitely should have an Astra GTE in an 80s Hot Hatch line up. Probably a better competitor to the Golf than the XR3i
Ford absolutely killed it with the 3i must have been the like shelling peas selling them .
The MG Maestro was not three door, and not really a boy racer car unlike the Escort XR3i and Vauxhall Astra SRI and GTE. Had a better interior with red carpets and seatbelts.
I was a teenager in the eighties, had some good cars, but never took to the over priced / over rated vw brand / golf.
Maestro is the nicest to have. Be Blessed ! OPEL GTE'S I felt in the day they were all driven by lunatics ? Really.
GTi No1 hands down………..Maestros were seen as a joke back then.
Holy! How is this channel not extremely popular????? Subscribed immediately! Hello from northern Minnesota, USA! Keep it up guys, thanks
Has there ever been a prettier hot hatch than the XR3i? Would love to find a clean Koln German built one and import to the states.
What about the Astra GTE?????
Such a shame the government are trying to remove classics from our roads. We need to stay aware of this in the classic movement.
I'd certainly have the Maestro. I've always wanted an XR3i but they're just too expensive now for what they are & I daren't touch a Golf GTi because I've be worried if they're overhyped & not as good as I was expecting (I'd definitely have a Peugeot 205 GTi over the Golf) so as a left field choice & a car that could surprise me in a good way, definitely the Maestro
My uncle had the MG MONTEGO,after 3 months or so he pulled the speaker off the voice box, "Bloody thing nags more than the Mrs."
Astra gte is missing was far better than all of these
The Golf is the better car, but it looks so plain and boring. The Maestro looks odd. That Escort was THE hot hatch from my youth. Here in South Africa, you were either a Chev or a Ford fan, and I was solidly in the Chev camp, but secretly I thought the XR3 looked great and it is still the prettiest by far of this lot.
I've got a BRG MG Maestro Turbo project!!! I had 3x turbos bitd and luckily I bought the current one just before the prices went mental!
Probably the MG Maestro Turbo for me. However, I owned a two-year-old Mk 3 Escort back in the day, and have driven a few. I remember them as being decent to drive and reliable, even the diesel. I also seem to recall that even the 1.1 three-door could do almost 100mph and was pretty stable. Back in the day, I would say that the XR3i was the most desirable of the three. Today, I think all three have aged reasonably well, and if you could get a mint example of any it would still be desirable to those of us that are of a certain age. Never had a Maestro or a Golf, but the Maestro is the one that for some strange reason is the most visually appealing to me now, and the one I would probably choose if I had to choose between a mint example of each of these.