Hot hatchbacks

The choice of full-sized front-drive hot hatches now doesn’t include the Civic Type R. Can the Cupra Leon VZ take the top spot?

The RS3 has one of the most spectacular engines you'll find in a hot hatch, and the rest is just as good. Is that enough to warrant a £60k+ asking pri…

In the pantheon of great Renault Sport hot hatches, the Phase 1 Clio 172 could just be the sweetest of them all

Skoda’s back in the hot hatch game, albeit not with a full vRS-badged return. Does the new Fabia 130 cut it?

VW were quick to rush the Mk8 Golf into its second phase, but even the Mk8.5 Golf R is underwhelming compared to its distant predecessors

The M135 has lost an ‘i’ and gained chassis revisions and a restyle. Is it enough to make it a benchmark hot hatch?

A few choice upgrades have bestowed the latest Audi S3 with something it’s not really had in its 26 years – actual driver appeal

The Mk4 Focus ST went out as an imperfect hot hatchback, but one with appeal and impressive capability if you don’t mind some rough edges

The Cupra Leon estate is the slept-on AWD cousin to the Golf R and S3, utilising the much-lauded torque-splitter differential

Leicestershire tuning firm ZeroNine has given the last-of-the-line Focus ST a new lease of life with a series of performance upgrades – and Ferrari 59…

Audi’s S1 was the product of an era of hunger for hot hatches and a fine addition to the roster it was too

We were always huge fans of the Mk7 VW Golf R. That its successor has never quite lived up to its high standards has only underlined how good it was

The Ford Focus ST Edition turns an already-capable hot hatch package to 11, and now you can find used examples for much less than they were when new

The limited-run Ford Fiesta ST200 is one of our favourite superminis in its very best form. It's also now an affordable used hero

The Mercedes A-class was thought to soon be discontinued. On the contrary, even the hot A35 soldiers on. It’s still a good hot hatch

The ‘new’ Mini was perhaps motoring’s most anticipated sequel. BMW didn’t get it wrong – quite the opposite, as it transpired

Volkswagen's quintessential hot hatch saw a stunning return to form in Mk5 guise. It’s aged like a fine wine and is an appreciating modern classic tod…

The Clio Williams is seen as the quintessential hot Renault from the 90s, but the earlier 16V was a cracking car in its own right. Here’s what it’s li…

The petrol-powered JCW lives on – for now. But in its latest incarnation, has this supermini survivor become too hardcore?

The Golf GTI Clubsport lifts the Mk8.5 GTI to a higher level, but it’s still not quite a match for the best in class