Hot Hatch

Jost Capito joined Volkswagen in May of 2012 as the head of Volkswagen’s motorsports division. Prior to this, Capito worked at Ford, where he was head of its Global Performance Vehicles group, and ultimately the man responsible for products like the Ford Focus RS. In other words, he knows a...

German automakers seem to have two absolute rules: there is no such this as “too complex,” and Americans don’t buy hatchbacks. We can’t comment on the first point, but as for the second, well, that means we miss out on some of the best compact cars Germany has to offer. Case...

While European carmakers are slowly coming around to the concept of releasing their best products in the U.S., there are still a few cars denied to American customers. One of these is BMW's latest hot 1-Series model, the M135i from its expanding M Performance range. Available only in three- and...

When Ford announced it was showing four tuner versions of its new Fusion sedan at SEMA, we were a bit concerned that the automaker had forgotten about its other products of interest to enthusiasts, likes its new Focus ST hot hatch. It turns out that wasn’t the case, since Ford has announced...

Ford’s Focus RS has earned a well-deserved reputation for pushing the boundaries of a factory-built, front-wheel-drive hot hatch. The ultimate version, the RS 500, went out of production in 2010, but set the bar at 345 horsepower from its 2.5-liter, turbocharged five-cylinder engine. Even...

Audi has unveiled the 2014 S3 in a three-door hatchback form, and after seeing it in person we can only be even more disappointed that it won't be coming to the U.S. in this body style. The new S3 is powered by a 2.0-liter TFSI turbo four-cylinder rated at 296 horsepower and 280 pound-feet of...

Volkswagen is calling the 2014 GTI shown at the Paris Auto Show a near-production-ready concept, so don’t expect to see too many changes when the 2014 GTI hits the streets in late 2013. That’s fine with us, since we appreciate the evolutionary styling changes to Volkswagen’s hot...

Enjoy a first look at the 2014 Volkswagen Golf GTI thanks to the unveiling of a virtually production ready concept at the 2012 Paris Auto Show, the same event where the regular 2014 Golf range is also making its initial public appearance. These official images reveal predictable styling for the...

Audi’s latest-generation S3 has finally been revealed, with the initial three-door hatchback bodystyle so far the only version Audi has announced. The German automaker has decided not to bring its new A3 Hatchback to the U.S., so it’s likely this S3 Hatchback won’t be coming...

Abarth, the performance division at Fiat, is out to show that even buyers of humble cars like the 500 minicar can enjoy the kinds of vehicle personalization that we’re accustomed to seeing on supercars. We were given a taste of what to expect with the limited edition Abarth 695 models...

We know that Volkswagen will launch a new version of its GTI hot hatch, based on the Mark VII Golf, sometime after the base model’s mid-2013 debut. Beyond that, we know that a new Golf R is also under development, meaning that enthusiast drivers have something to look forward to across...

The recently revealed MkVII Volkswagen Golf will be making its debut in just a few weeks at the 2012 Paris Auto Show, before landing in showrooms next summer as a 2014 model. However, we’ll have to wait a bit longer until the launch of the potent GTI variant. Today we have new spy shots of a...

We’ve known for a while that Mercedes-Benz is planning a high-performance AMG variant of its third-generation A Class, destined to be the Affalterbach tuner's first hot hatch, and now we have a new batch of spy shots of a prototype, which unfortunately has taken a turn for the worse while...

Following its preview in concept form at March’s Geneva Motor Show, French automaker Peugeot has now revealed the production 208 GTi hot hatch that’s set to go on sale overseas in the first half of next year. Like the Volkswagen GTI, which is essentially a hotted-up version of the...

A completely undisguised prototype for the next-generation Audi S3 Hatchback has been spotted undergoing testing in Europe. Now that the covers have come off the latest version of the regular model, it appears Audi is no longer concerned about masking prototypes of other variants. While the new A3...

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...

Just in case you haven’t read our “First Drive” report on the 2013 Ford Focus ST, let us sum it up by saying we loved the car. Editor Bengt Halvorson praised its performance, handling and refinement before calling it “tough competition” for others in the hot hatch...

If you’ve had a chance to sample the new Hyundai Veloster Turbo, you’ve probably come to the same conclusion that we have: as a sporty car it’s fine, but it’s still not ready to run with the big dogs of the hot hatch world, performance-wise. Put another way, the Veloster...

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...

Volkswagen will be taking the covers off its new MkVII Golf at the 2012 Paris Auto Show in September, though first sales of the car in the U.S. aren’t expected to commence until the fall of next year to coincide with the start of the 2014 model year. Though European buyers will be offered the...