Best hot hatchbacks: top ten
We round up the best hot hatchbacks on sale in a top ten list. GTI, ST, RS or GP - which comes out on top?
Hot hatchbacks are a performance car staple. They’re both a natural first rung on the fast car ownership ladder and a legitimate alternative to some established sports cars, and thus they appeal to drivers of all ages.
Previous hot hatch greats have included the VW Golf GTI, Peugeot 205 GTI, Renault Clio Williams and Ford Escort Cosworth; each defined their era and was easy to select as the best of the breed.
Now, in 2013, it’s less easy to pick a winner, with three distinct sizes and classes of hot hatch (roughly split into below-150bhp, 150-215bhp and 215bhp-plus) boasting a multitude of talented cars among them. Nevertheless, we’ve three-wheeled, lift-off oversteered and yanked the handbrake on the lot of them to provide a top ten rundown. Let us know what you think by debating our list on Facebook or Twitter.
1 - Renaultsport Megane 265
Renault has been at the top of the hot hatch class for a number of years now, and with the naturally aspirated Clio 200 Cup – a true hot hatch legend – now out of production, its bigger brother, the Megane 265, nips straight into the limelight.
Combining a coupe side profile with the genre’s most focused chassis (as well as a properly punchy 261bhp 2-litre turbo engine), the Megane makes a case for being a true all-rounder if you can tolerate a firm ride. Experience its mechanical limited-slip differential in action and we’d wager your £25,000 won’t go anywhere else.
2 - BMW M135i
‘If you’re looking for the most sophisticated, best-quality hatch then the BMW wins hands down,’ we said when the M135i and Megane 265 clashed earlier in 2013. The Renault edged it for thrills, but there’s no denying the Beemer is a more luxurious item.
Its engine has two more cylinders for a start, its 316bhp 3-litre straight-six turbo serving up the best noise and some of the most potent pace in the class. It drives the rear wheels, too, offering a finer balance than its more traditional, front-drive rivals. It’s a class act, whether you stick with a six-speed manual or choose the slick eight-speed automatic. And priced from a smidge over £30,000, it’s something of a bargain too.
3 - Ford Fiesta ST
Fast Fords have long been a staple of the hot hatch class, and in the ‘medium’ hot hatch class, the new champion wears a Blue Oval. The departing of the old Clio Cup has led to a real shake-up, with none of the new turbocharged crowd able to match its high-rev thrills, but the Fiesta comes closest.
‘This is just how a junior hot hatch should be,’ we said in our five-way hot hatch group test. The Fiesta ST mixes a punchy 179bhp 1.6-litre turbo engine with a properly chuckable front-drive chassis that also manages to serve up plenty of grip and precision. And with a £16,995 price tag, it’s also nearly £2000 cheaper than its key rivals.
4 - Mini John Cooper Works GP
The mk2 Mini GP is hyped-up, aggressive and quite a lot to hang on to on Britain’s bumpy roads, but its uncompromising style of performance is the very core of its appeal. It’s an extreme hot hatch reminiscent of one of the class’s all-time greats, the Renaultsport Megane R26.R.
It only has two seats, while at £28,790 it costs nearly as much as the 100bhp-healthier BMW M135i. Yet the Mini GP also boasts rarity – just 200 made it to the UK – and a 150mph top speed. And at its best the GP is about the most exciting front-drive car you can imagine. ‘Angry and urgent like a wasp in a tin,’ Richard Meaden said…
5 - Suzuki Swift Sport
Our favourite of the sub-150bhp, mini hot hatch pack, the Suzuki Swift Sport manages to be a heap more fun than its 134bhp peak and modest £13,749 price tag might suggest.
Its 1.6-litre engine has no turbo attached to it and loves to be revved, while the sharp steering and slick six-speed manual gearbox are both a joy to use. The Swift also boasts an uncanny amount of ride comfort, making it less of a handful than the Renaultsport Twingo 133, a car it edges to small hatch glory.
6 - Audi A1 quattro
We need to ignore costs a little here, as the A1 quattro is the same price as a Porsche Cayman, wearing a £41,020 sticker. It justifies its exceedingly steep price with a supremely limited run – just 333 overall, 19 of them sold in Britain – and a rorty 253bhp 2-litre four-cylinder turbo engine that sounds great and endows the little four-wheel-drive Audi with a 5.7sec 0-62 time and a 152mph top speed.
The best news is it’s a true drivers’ Audi too, with your only option being a six-speed manual gearbox. While it’s left-hand drive only, it sits alongside the R8 supercar as one of our favourite Audis.
7 - Ford Focus ST
Ford doesn’t make a hardcore Focus RS at the moment, but the 247bhp, 154mph ST puts in a good appearance in its absence. It entered the market aiming for the Golf GTI’s all-rounder honours, and in our twin-test against the (now superseded) mk6 GTI last summer, it stole them.
Ford has successfully trodden a very fine line with the Focus ST – dynamic enough to be genuinely interesting and sensible enough to justify itself as everyday transport. And like the Fiesta, it comprehensively outdoes its rivals on price, starting at £21,995. There’s even a Focus ST Estate…
8 - Peugeot 208 GTI
A return to form? Just a bit. Launched at the same time as the new Renaultsport Clio 200 Turbo – a car whose predecessors had the equivalent Peugeots comprehensively covered – the 208 GTI proved victorious and is the only car of the pair to make it into this top ten.
Its 1.6-litre turbo engine produces 197bhp and 203lb ft, enough for a 6.8sec 0-62 time and a 143mph top speed. And unlike the Renault, it comes with a six-speed manual gearbox, rather than a paddle-shift ’box. It’s also arguably the prettiest car in its class. It’s great to have a Peugeot we can champion again.
9 - VW Golf GTI mk7
The all-new Volkswagen Golf GTI moves the game on considerably from its predecessor, mating the VW Group’s trick new MQB chassis architecture to a host of gadgets, including super-sharp new Progressive Steering.
Balance, grip, poise, agility – it has it all. It might not be the most outright fun hot hatch, but it’s certainly one of the classiest and most polished. Its 2-litre turbo engine has 217bhp as standard, but an extra £980 buys the Performance Pack, which adds another 10bhp plus bigger brakes and a proper limited-slip diff.
10 - Renaultsport Twingo 133
Our top ten is rounded off by one of the smallest hot hatches you can buy, but also one of the most fun. The Twingo might not ride the best (it’s pretty bouncy, especially if you pick the firmer Cup chassis) or cosset the most (its interior is a parade of plastic), but it will make you smile more often than many cars four times its price.
Your £13,770 buys a four-seat hatchback with a 131bhp 1.6-litre engine, a five-speed manual gearbox and an 8.7sec 0-62 time. And despite its entry-level price point, Bluetooth, cruise control and air conditioning are all standard.
A armada italiana já deu início aos protestos:
dominik025 at 8:08 AM July 9, 2013
Sorry i cant find any italian hot hatch... Alfa Giulietta 1.8Tbi ???? Alfa Mito 1.4 Turbo? Abarth Punto Abarth 500
Sorry i cant find any italian hot hatch... Alfa Giulietta 1.8Tbi ???? Alfa Mito 1.4 Turbo? Abarth Punto Abarth 500
O que acham? Concordam? Discordam? Aceitam? A Evo não percebe nada disto?
Digam de vossa justiça...
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