Hatchbacks

  • BMW's M135i hot hatch

    We’ll admit it: we’re smitten with BMW’s M Performance hatchback, the M135i. It’s the right size, it offers hatchback sensibility and it looks to be a whole lot of fun on twisty roads. In fact, there’s only one problem with BMW’s hot hatch: it’s not for U.S. consumption. As the story goes, BMW North America was offered the car, but shot it down on the archaic belief that “Americans don’t buy hatchbacks.” Some time later, BMW NA tried to reverse its decision, but was told by Munich that it was too late. Certifying the car to meet U.S...

  • Jay Leno's Fiat 500 Prima Edizione - image courtesy of Jay Leno's Garage
    Jay Leno's Fiat 500 Prima Edizione Hits The Block For Charity: Video

    Last year, Jay Leno took delivery of the second Fiat 500 imported into the United States, and you’ll soon get a chance to bid on that very same Prima Edizione car at an upcoming Gooding & Company auction. Leno is giving the limited-edition Fiat up for charity, with the proceeds from the...

  • The 2013 MINI Cooper John Cooper Works GP tests at the 'Ring
    2013 MINI Cooper John Cooper Works GP Laps 'Ring In 8:23: Video

    If MINI Cooper models were Mexican food, the Cooper would be mild, the Cooper S would be spicy, and the Cooper S John Cooper Works (JCW) would be extra-spicy. The limited-edition MINI Cooper JCW GP would be “Diablo,” with a heat level that required the signing of a liability waiver...

  • 2013 Suzuki SX4 SportBack spy shots
    2013 Suzuki SX4 SportBack Spy Shots

    The Suzuki SX4 in recent years has grown to include a whole family of subcompact sedans and hatchbacks, powered by economical four-cylinder engines, in front-wheel drive or all-wheel drive configurations. Developed together with Fiat, which sells a version of the car overseas labeled a Sedici, the...

  • Why yes, that is 200 mph in a Mk II Golf
    Here's What 200 MPH Looks Like In A Mk II VW Golf: Video

    Volkswagen built it’s second-generation Golf hatchback from 1983 though 1992, in variants as mild as 54 horsepower and as wild as 207 horsepower (in rare Golf Limited trim). At no time, however, did the designers of the Mark II Golf ponder the question, “I wonder if we can make this car...

  • 2012 Mugen CR-Z GT Super GT race car
    Honda To Race CR-Z Hybrid In Japan’s Super GT Series

    The racing version of the Honda CR-Z gets a twin-turbocharged 2.8-liter V-6 and custom hybrid system.

  • 2014 Ford Fiesta facelift spy shots

    Ford’s Fiesta hatchback and sedan has only been on sale in the U.S. for a bit over two years but Europeans have been buying it up since the middle of 2008. Now that it’s 2012 the car is due for a mid-cycle facelift and right on cue prototypes have been spotted undergoing testing around Europe. The lack of camouflage gear on most of the prototype suggests that this will only be a mild update, with only the front-end expected to receive significant changes. We can clearly see a new headlight design incorporating LED detailing and a much sharper look. They will most likely resemble...

  • 2013 Ford Focus ST
    2013 Ford Focus ST: Sound Strategy Goes Brassy, Not Boomy

    If you've ever owned a high-performance compact car or hot hatch, you know that while they can be surprisingly versatile and practical for everyday driving and the commute, there's one thing that can completely sour the daily-driving experience: the exhaust note. Too often, go-fast four-cylinder...

  • 2014 Volkswagen Golf (MkVII) spy shots
    2014 Volkswagen Golf (MkVII) Spy Video

    One of the most important debuts at this September’s 2012 Paris Auto Show will be the new MkVII Volkswagen Golf, a prototype of which recently took to Germany’s Nürburgring for some high-speed testing. Our exclusive spy video shows the prototype as it is leaving one of...

  • 2010 Ford Focus RS (European edition)
    New Ford Focus RS To Share EcoBoost Engine With 2015 Mustang?

    Ford’s silence on the possibility of a new generation of its brutish Focus RS has led to all manner of speculation and conjecture on the matter, and the latest twist in the story is perhaps the most interesting yet. The last we heard, Ford was considering replacing the Focus RS with a Fiesta...

  • MINI Rocketman Concept MkII
    MINI Rocketman Concept Gets Second Life

    With the slow take up of electric cars and a looming economic crisis troubling some parts of the globe, there’s a renewed focus, particularly in the premium sector, on fuel-efficient small cars with conventional technology. Earlier this week we reported that Audi was looking to make its...

  • 2011 Audi A2 Concept
    Audi's A2 Supermini Growing Up For Its Second Generation

    Audi’s original A2 was a “supermini” five-door hatchback, produced from 1999 until 2005. Meant to combat the likes of the Mercedes-Benz A Class, sales of the A2 never lived up to Audi’s expectations. Last year, Audi revealed a concept version of a modern A2, also in...

  • 2013 MINI Cooper spy shots

    A brand new generation of the MINI Cooper is just around the corner, and that means replacements for all the different variants including the sportier S and John Cooper Works trims, as well as new versions of the Clubman, Countryman and all the other bodystyles MINI is now offering. However, according to a new report there may be some changes in store for the upcoming MkIII MINI Cooper range. The biggest change, according to Autocar, will be the introduction of a regular five-door MINI Cooper, possibly as the new Clubman. Aimed at families with small children who still want to own a MINI but...

  • 2013 Hyundai Veloster Turbo
    2013 Hyundai Veloster Turbo Pricing Set From $22,725

    The wait is almost over: The 2013 Hyundai Veloster Turbo is coming to showrooms soon, and now we know how much it'll cost. Hyundai has announced that the Turbo model of this unique hatchback will be priced from $22,725 including destination. For those doing the math on a calculator, that's $4,500...

  • 2014 Volkswagen Golf GTI (MkVII) spy shots
    2014 Volkswagen Golf GTI (MkVII) To Produce 260 Horsepower?

    A brand new Volkswagen Golf is just around the corner, a car whose launch also heralds the arrival of a new high-performance GTI. While we’ve been spying prototypes for the new GTI for more than a year, the only solid details we have on the car is that it, along with the regular Golf, will be...

  • 2011 Fiat 500 Coupe Zagato Concept. Photo by Vitesse Photography.
    Fiat 500 Coupe Zagato Coming In 2013: Report

    There are few certainties in life, aside from death, taxes and the number one rule of automakers worldwide: future products are not to be commented on, ever. There’s logic behind such a sentiment, as building excitement for products that don’t exist tends to negatively impact sales of...

  • Ford Focus ST, launched at the 2011 Los Angeles Auto Show
    Ford Fans Shoot First 2013 Focus ST Commercial

    Ford's the company that wants to be known for doing things differently. One strategy is getting fans involved and letting their voices be heard; and that's just what it did with the first commercial for the new 2013 Focus ST hot hatch. The entire commercial uses footage shot by fans. The first...

  • Han Yue makes parallel parking look easy
    MINI Shows You The Fastest Way To Parallel Park: Video

    Parallel parking is one of the driving skills needed to obtain a driver’s license in most states. Student drivers often spend weeks knocking over cones and garbage cans before perfecting the combination of vehicle positioning and steering angle necessary to produce the desired results. If...

  • Volkswagen's Scirocco GTS

    When it comes to the world’s great auto shows, Leipzig is rarely mentioned in the same breath as Paris, Frankfurt, Detroit and Tokyo. Nonetheless, it’s a significant show for German automakers, especially since both Porsche and BMW have manufacturing plants in the former East German city. Volkswagen is using the upcoming Leipzig Auto Show to introduce four new models, including the CC R Line, the Beetle Fender edition and the “Urban White” CrossPolo concept. Most interesting to enthusiasts, however, is an all new Scirocco GTS. Based on the current...

  • Ford Focus ST, launched at the 2011 Los Angeles Auto Show
    2013 Ford Focus ST Heading Out On Five-City Performance Academy Tour

    If you're amped up about the upcoming 2013 Ford Focus ST, you're not alone--and you might just have a chance to drive one before putting in your order. Ford is planning a five-city Performance Academy tour that will showcase the new Focus ST for drivers in L.A., Washington D.C., Boston, San...

  • Michael Schumacher and the Mercedes-Benz A Class
    Schumacher And Rosberg Shake Down The Mercedes A Class, Play Soccer: Video

    Being a Formula One driver means having every moment of every day during racing season spelled out for you. In addition to constant physical training, there’s testing in simulators (and occasionally on track, FAI rules permitting), debriefings, and the ever-present sponsor appearances. For...

  • 2014 Volkswagen Golf (MkVII) spy shots
    2014 Volkswagen Golf (MkVII) Spy Shots

    This 2014 Volkswagen Golf MkVII will feature a clear emphasis on environmental cleanliness, a theme that will carry throughout the Golf lineup.

  • 2013 MINI John Cooper Works lineup
    MINI’s John Cooper Works Lineup Gets New Engine For 2013

    A brand new generation of the MINI Cooper is just around the corner but the performance flagships of the current range, the potent John Cooper Works models, will have to soldier on for a few more years until they're replaced. To keep them up-to-date MINI is introducing a new engine across its JCW...

  • 2012 BMW 1-Series Hatchback (three-door)
    BMW 1-Series Three-Door Revealed, Includes M135i Range-Topper

    BMW has finally revealed the three-door version of its latest-generation 1-Series Hatchback, which has been on sale in Europe since last year. The car is unlikely to be launched in the U.S. though coupe and convertible variants will arrive in the coming year or so, possibly badged as a 2-Series...

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