Volkswagen Golf GTi
It’s the one question everyone in the office has a different answer to: what’s the best hot hatch?
Read which cars the editorial team picked as their favourite hot hatches – and nominate your hot hatch of choice in the comments.
Andy Goodwin, Junior Writer – Volkswagen Golf GTi
My favourite hot hatch of the moment is the Mk6 Volkswagen Golf GTi. It might not look like it’s about to tear the tarmac at the Nürburgring to shreds, but that’s not what the GTi is all about. You can drive it anywhere in comfort and style, and when you do decide to drive quickly you know it has the pedigree to shine.
Volkswagen Golf GTi Mark V review
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Dominic Sacco, Junior Copy Writer – Fiat Grande Punto Abarth
My hot hatch of the moment has to be the Fiat Grande Punto Abarth. It’s not as dinky as the 500 or as large as the Bravo – it’s just right. The styling is gorgeous with its white body kit, silver alloys and red racing lines, plus it has an instant power button which raises the torque peak to 170lb ft at 3,000rpm. You’ve got to love power buttons.
Vijay Pattni, Junior Writer – BMW 130i M Sport
It’s got a 3-litre straight six engine made out of aluminium and magnesium. It’s got 265bhp. It can do 0-62mph in six seconds. And it looks astonishing…my fave hot hatch has to be the BMW 130i M Sport.
Keith Collantine, Assistant Editor (Trade) – Renault Megane Renaultsport 230 F1 Team R26
Ignore the tongue-twister name and peel off the silly stickers: the R26 is a stunningly capable car that simply handles better than anything else in its class. Its not the extra few horsepower over the other hot Meganes that make the R26 stand out – it’s the limited slip differential. By channelling more power to the wheels that have the most grip the R26 changes direction with astonishing ease and precision.
Crucially, it’s also a car you can live with day-to-day – you couldn’t say the same of the hardcore R26.R, stripped of its rear seats in a banzai effort to shed weight.
Adrian Hearn, Senior Writer – Volkswagen Scirocco
The VW Scirocco. I’m not sure if it’s a hot hatch or sports coupe but it’s going in anyway. It’s the best looking car on the market with a classless design, great handling and all at a very respectable price. I feel sorry for the rivals because as a liveable, all-round hot hatch Volkswagen has cornered the market by build two of the best; the Scirocco and Golf GTI
Stuart Milne, Deputy Web Editor – Ford Focus ST
My favourite hot hatch is the Ford Focus ST, thanks to its ‘don’t mess with me’ appearance and sonorous five-cylinder 2.5-litre engine. But it’ll only be my favourite until next summer, when the 300bhp, 160mph-plus Focus RS hits the streets. Its got something called a RevoKnuckle which will allow all that power to get to the front wheels, so should be good for a 0-62mph time of around six seconds.
Hot hatch gallery
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- BMW 1 Series M Sport
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- Fiat Grande Punto Abarth Esseesse
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- Ford Focus ST
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- Honda Civic Type R
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- Renault Megane Renaultsport 230 F1 Team R26
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- Vauxhall Astra VXR
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- Volkswagen Golf GTi
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- Volkswagen Scirocco
Who’s right and who’s wrong? Were we wrong to leave out the Honda Civic Type R, Audi S3 and Astra VXR? Vote for and name your favourite hot hatch below. If your favourite hot hatch isn’t on the list, you can add it.
Looking for a cheap hot hatch? Check out our guide to half-price hot hatch heroes
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EP3 Civic Type R by was the best back in its day and still is the best and always will be the way cars are going these days. You can never get bord of Vtec.
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over 600 owners cannot be wrong!
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263bhp
0-60 = 6.0sec
0-100 = 16sec
Top speed = 155
280 lb.-ft of torque
Nurburgring 8min39secs
£15K on the road
Pound for pound the best Hot Hatch – Mazda 3MPS
yes ,agree wit wils35 , naturally since im a honda civic EP3r JDM FL version fan. another im considering is the mk6 gti. why?
cuz these both cars has the performance n the mean look to go with. as mch as the rest r equally great, but given a choice, id wan my car to look nice and with a mean bumper n minor aesthetic mod to the EP3r, the rest is completely unmatched especiall for low cc , for my liking, nt even the mk6 and a 2L ivtec amazing fuel efficiency for daily ride makes the ep3r civic type r the best hothatch
The Civic Type R EP3 (one before the new one) has to be the best hot hatch!
The civic type r has a 200bhp 2.0 16v naturally aspirated engine which when gets put up against the 2.0 16v turbocharged focus which only beat the civic type r by 1 second on the top gear track driven by tiff needell then i think that speaks for itself.
The ep3 civic type r has the same torque as my 138 bhp peugeot 206 gti!!! Ok fair enough the standard 206 gti 138 bhp 2.0 16v engine is a high torque engine as standard but a when you see the torque figure of a 2.0 turbo focus then you realise how much more torque it has than a civic type r yet the type r is only 1 second slower on the track mentioned above driven by a proper driver that tells me how balanced and well made that ep3 civic type r is.
But the price of the car as new was unbeatable for £17,000 when all the others in its class where £20,000.
I would rather save the £3,000 yet still have the honda reliability and well made motor then with that £3,000 supercharge the civic type r or turbo charge it then its a 2.0 turbo same as the ford or mk5 golf gti but i can promise the civic type r will then eat them 2 for breakfast.
Thats why i think the ep3 civic type r is the best hot hatch even to todays date regardless of having 20- 40bhp less than its turbo charged rivals its up against now days.
Hear hear
Where is the Leon Cupra, a fine hot hatch having driven quite of the few in the list on the road and on the track, my money was spent on the Leon as I found it to be the best all rounder and it’s often overlooked.
I’d choose the Ford Focus ST, simply because I know that a 2.5 litre 5 cylinder engine in a little hatchback like the focus just has to be a riot. Especially if you compare it to one of it’s predecessors the XR3, XR3i, RS Turbo etc. There’s half a 5 litre V10 in the ST!
The Honda Civic Type-R has to be the best Hot Hatch. Ask the owners how they feel to drive. I also love the Toyota Corolla T-Sport Compressor which is faster than the Volkswagen Golf GTI, Ford Focus St and the Honda Civic Type R.
Only 250 were made for the UK so it is a very Rare sight.
Grande Punto is by far no hot hatch its an italion mess wheres the fiesta >?