1982-1990s: Hatch Wars - Episode IV: A new head
But first, a little overview of a few models we didn’t mention before:
1975-1982 Mesaia Van. 2000L of cargo. Able to carry one ton and tow 850kg with the 184S13 1.3L engine mated to a 5 speed manual.
1982-1988 Facelifted Ochlosia Camper. 255R25Mpi 2.5L inline 5, stroked version of the one found in the Coupe, more on that engine later. The van also had an optional 4x4 system with low gearing and lockable diffs made by a third party company, Steer&Push, making it a great offroader on top of a great ancestor of the minivan.
And now for the namesake of the post:
By the end of the 70s and beginning of the 80s, the competition amongst compact hatchbacks grew stronger and stronger, on all fronts: From the shitbox to the high end posh trims all the way to the pocket rockets, every single brand was trying to one up the other. Turbos, double overhead cams, fancy suspension setups, you name it. FAAL took on the fight with confidence, feeling that the Mesaia, their competitor in that segment, was still avantgarde enough to keep on going another decade with just a refresh.
And, there’s the refresh:
On the front, an all new bumper design, license plate higher up, new lower grille arrangement, and new quad headlights. You’ll also notice the more modern mirrors.
On the rear, simplification of the tail light pattern (bigger light/brake combo, one foglight and one reverse light at the bottom), central FAAL deer logo and new hatch handle.
Simple, but efficient. As for the trims, every single engine stayed the same (in the regular offer), except with fuel injection.
-the 1.1 BL becomes 1.1 BLi and gains 8hp with the updated 54hp 133S11Spi
-The 1.3 CL becomes 1.3 CLi and gains 5hp with the updated 65hp 184S13Mpi
-The 1.6 GL becomes 1.6 GLi and gains 9hp with the updated 80hp 184S16Mpi
The BLi was 4 speed only. The CLi was 4 speed with optional 5 speed. The GLi was 5 speed with optional 3 speed automatic. All around, better performance, better response, and better fuel economy. The interior has been revised, too, seeing the light of brand new cassette players and even ABS on the posh, wool seated GLi.
But the fun ain’t there. Oh no.
This time around, the GTI was part of the overhaul from the start. And it was sporting a brand new 16V, though SOHC engine bearing the same structure as the Coupe’s 5 cylinders: the 204R engine.
It was designed for fuel injection from the start. It liked to rev much more than the now 17 years old 184S blocks. And it had so much to prove. Its first iteration (along a tamer 2.0L we’ll talk about in another post) was the 204R16Mpi in the 1982 Mesaia 1.6 GTI2.
At 115hp and 145nm of torque, it was largely sufficient for the light Mesaia, who at 915kg didn’t have the beer belly problems that some other hot hatchs were starting to have. Looking at you, mk2 Golf. In fact, with a 0-100km/h time of 8.6s, a quarter mile of 16.4s, and a standing km of 30.3s, it was better than a mk2 Golf GTI 8V all around.
But even beyond stats, the car was delightfully throwable around corners, the rear wheel on the inside poking off the road whenever your drivers skill get good enough for it to happen. It seemed, though, that FAAL believed more than the public in a true, sports only car, because the radio was optional and almost everybody bought it.
But the competition kept growing. Every single brand was making better versions of their hot hatches, sold alongside the now lesser versions. Fiesta xr2i? How about a Turbo. 205 GTI 1.6L? Yeah okay but 1.9L. Mk2 Golf GTI 8V? mmmm 16V.
Thankfully, FAAL engineered their new baby with that in mind, and the 1.6 GTI2 became the “lesser GTI” in 1985 with the arrival of the 1.8 GTI:
Visually, the 1.8 gets new wheels, and a body coloured rear hatch panel, as well as a few “1800” badges here and there to differenciate the “lesser” GTI from the “better” GTI that the 1.8 was. Because, indeed, it was.
The car gained 20hp and 30kg, now standing at 135hp and 945kg with the new 204R18Mpi engine. The radio was now standard, but that didn’t make performances worse, oh no.
The 0-100 was now 7.74s, quarter mile 15.78s, and standing km 28.95s. Top speed was still nothing quite impressive at 191km/h, but the mk2 Golf GTI16 was once again trump’d by half a second in almost all the other stats. That battle of numbers still didn’t make the Mesaia 1.8GTI any worse to drive, following the path of her 1.6 little sister it was praised for its incredible handling.
The Mesaia III, with that refresh, was bound to stay into FAAL’s lineup until the end of the 80s. So did the Coupe, and so did the Ochlosia. That leaves two cars left:
- One is a dinosaur from the 1960s that god only know how the hell it still sells: the Plebia.
- One is a quirky boi from the 1970s whose design is going to stay in the 1970s no matter how you tweak it: the Foreia.
The designers, of course, were aware of that, and replacements are in the pipes for the next posts.