5 Excellent hot hatchbacks
Hot hatchbacks are created when manufactures take their humdrum family runabouts and turn them into pocket-rockets. On the right roads they can be excellent fun to drive and in the right hands they can embarrass some serious performance machines. In this article we’re going to take a look at five of the best hot hatches on sale today.
Hyundai i30n
As first attempts go the Hyundai i30n is up there with Lewis Hamilton’s F1 debut season. That’s to say it was a brilliant performance but falls just short of wining first time out. It’s an achievement in itself that the Korean brand’s first stab at a hot hatchback makes it on to our list and it’s completely deserved. It looks great, its razor sharp in the corners yet it’s easy going enough to live with every day. Put the exhaust in snap, crackle and pop mode and it’s one of the most anti-social hot hatches on sale.
Renault Megane RS
Unlike Hyundai, Renault have been one of the top cherries in the hot hatch scene in over 30 years. The Megane RS is their latest creation and while it can’t quite live up to the brilliance of some of its predecessors it’s still an exciting machine nevertheless. It’s in its best when in the extreme Trophy R spec where the weight saving regime makes it one of the fastest front wheel drive cars ever made. If you manage to get your hands on one then try not to curb the carbon fibre wheels as they cost £12k a set!
Ford Focus ST
The Ford Focus ST sticks to a pretty simple hot hatch formula. So, it takes a humble family car and whacks a great big engine under the bonnet. In this case the engine is a 2.3 litre turbo with 276 brake horse power (bhp). They then send all this power to the front wheels tie it to a 6-speed manual gearbox, tweak the suspension and wheels and simply hope for the best. To their credit it works brilliantly. The latest ST is a class all-rounder that’s agile enough to thrill you on a twisty road but sensible enough to cope with all the simple everyday stuff too. In addition to all this you can also get it in orange and even as an estate with a great whopping boot – what more could you want?
Ford Fiesta ST
Next on the list is the brilliant Ford Fiesta ST. It may have dropped a cylinder when compared to the old model but the 1.5 litre turbo-charged triple is more than up to the task of firing a tiny Fiesta along the road at an alarming pace. It’s in the corners where this car really shines. Super-mini hot hatches feel so right on UK roads and a light narrow Fiesta is just an absolute riot whether you’re on a twisty B-road or a race track. Also, it’s an absolute bargain!
Honda Civic Type R
We really have saved the best until last. In our opinion there can only be one King of the hot hatches and that’s the Honda Civic Type R. This car pops out a whopping 316 bhp and is by far the most potent front wheel drive hatch. It’s also much lighter than its four-wheel drive rivals too so on all but the most sodden roads it’s pretty much unbeatable. It really is the way that this car feels that matters the most. The gearbox is sublime, the steering gives you huge confidence in the front end yet it’s still more playful than its rivals when you want it to be. Unlike its predecessor it’s genuinely comfortable on the road too. We appreciate that the Optimus Prime styling isn’t to everyone’s taste but if you look past this then there really isn’t any other top hot hatchbacks that are more thrilling or more engaging as the Civic is to drive.
