Small cars are designed to make maneuvering in towns and cities easy and usually come with small, fuel-efficient engines, just powerful enough to make sure one gets to the parking space first. Initially, small cars in the compact and sub-compact category were functional designs to make it as convenient as possible to do the daily mom’s taxi and weekly grocery run. However, as they got more popular, be it due to their size or the economic situation in the late '70s and 80s, automakers adapted their larger-model options to fit their smaller cars with great results.
One of these options included making the engines more powerful and the overall driving experience more sporty, resulting in the niche we all know and love – the hot hatch. French automakers such as Peugeot, Renault, and Citroën introduced the world to the hot hatch, and the Germans perfected it with the original Golf GTI. Since then, almost every car manufacturer has had their go at making a hot hatch, with varying success.
Some of these creations proved so popular that they are still in production today, and manufacturers continuously compete for the Hot Hatch King crown with some insanely powerful engines.
10 Ford Fiesta ST (197 HP)
The Ford Fiesta ST is a sub-compact hot hatchback designed specifically to make city driving more exciting. It comes with a 1.6L three-cylinder turbo producing 197 hp and 214 lb-ft of torque, going to the front wheels via a six-speed manual gearbox. It is a nippy little car, perfect for tackling a back road without breaking the speed limit.
The Fiesta ST won Top Gear’s Car of the Year award in 2018, thanks to its brilliant handling and perky engine. A Fiesta ST costs around $22,000 in the UK, making it a bargain hot-hatch compared to its more powerful rivals.
9 Toyota GR Yaris (257 HP)
The Toyota GR Yaris is a wholly absurd concept put into production which makes everyone glad that it exists. The car is designed specifically for rallying, however in order to follow the homologation rules for this motorsport, Toyota had to sell a certain amount of road cars, and so the GR Yaris was born. It features a 1.6L three-cylinder turbo engine, putting out 257 hp and 266 lb-ft of torque going to all four wheels via a six-speed manual transmission.
The engine in the GR Yaris currently holds the record for most powerful mass-production 3-cylinder engine in the world – all in a subcompact car. Unfortunately, the GR Yaris is not available in the US, but for drivers looking to import, it is a possibility. Prices for the GR Yaris in other countries range between the $36,000 and $41,000 mark, making it quite an expensive toy.
8 MINI Cooper GP (301 HP)
The MINI Cooper John Cooper Works GP is the second generation version of the Cooper GP and features a 2.0-liter inline-four turbo, sending 301 hp and 332 lb-ft to the front wheels via an eight-speed automatic transmission. It does the 0-62 mph sprint in 5.2 seconds and tops out at 160 mph, making it the fastest production MINI to date.
Unlike the less-powerful John Cooper Works model, the GP is designed to set the fastest time possible on a track. The MINI GP costs around $45,000, making it rather expensive for a hot hatch. The reason for this expense is due to the fact that the MINI GP is a limited edition car, which has already been sold out.
7 Honda Civic Type-R (306 HP)
The Honda Civic is the definitive Japanese hatchback and the Type-R is the king of Asian hot-hatches. It comes with a 2.0L turbocharged inline-four engine, a six-speed manual transmission, and front-wheel drive. Technological features in the car include rev-matching to make one feel like a driving pro and a clever front differential to ensure that the car doesn’t understeer off a mountain pass.
The Civic Type-R comes in at $38,000 for the normal one and $44,000 for the Premium Edition. Both have the same power and torque outputs of 306 hp and 295 lb-ft, respectively.
6 Volkswagen Golf R (315 HP)
The Volkswagen Golf sets the standard for all other hatchbacks to follow. The Golf GTi is the undisputed ruler of the front-wheel-drive hot hatch market, but the more powerful Golf R, with its all-wheel-drive, is left a bit lacking amongst its competitors. It does still, however, have a powerful engine in the form of a 2.0L Inline-four turbo, producing 315 hp and 310 lb-ft of torque going through a seven-speed DSG transmission.
Gone are the days when one could get a Golf with a cleverly packaged VR6 six-cylinder in the front, like in the Golf Mk5 R32. The Golf R Mk8 comes in at around $43,000 – on par with its competitors – however, it is almost twice the price of a base Golf.
5 Ford Focus RS500 (346 HP)
The previous-generation Ford Focus RS was an awesome car with its 305hp going to the front wheels only, courtesy of a 2.5L turbofive-cylinder from Volvo. But then Ford made an even crazier version in the form of the RS500, producing 346 hp and 339 lb-ft of torque, still going to the front wheels.
The RS500 got some special matte black paint, black RS wheels, and a retuned limited-slip differential on the front axle, to help reign in the potentially-understeering horses. At the time of production, the RS500 was the most powerful production hot hatch ever made, making even more power and way more torque than an E46 BMW M3 – all going to the front wheels. The RS500 cost a whopping $35,000 back in 2010 – the same as a similar year 6-cylinder BMW 3-Series.
4 Ford Focus RS (350 HP)
When the last generation Ford Focus RS was launched, it was the best of the super-hot hatches on the market. It ditched the 2.5L turbo-five in favor of a 2.3L Ecoboost turbo inline-four, which produced slightly more power than the previous RS500. The big difference between the two cars was that the new RS had a clever all-wheel-drive system which, when used in the correct mode, could make the car drift easily.
Due to the increased power and the new drivetrain, the Focus RS could do the 0-62 mph in a time of 4.7 seconds and topped out at 165 mph. This makes it as quick as some high-end sports cars or lower-end supercars. Overall, the Focus RS got good reviews, however, long-term owners criticized the reliability, as the head gasket would wear prematurely, causing expensive repair bills – this all on a car already costing more than $41,000.
3 Audi RS3 (400 HP)
The new Audi RS3 promises to be the best RS3 to date. To the surprise of everyone, Audi kept the 2.5L five-cylinder turbo, but this time with more power and torque. The entire drivetrain has also been overhauled to offer a more involving and satisfying driving experience. Audi has also made the RS3 more fun by adding a ‘Drift Mode’ as with the Ford Focus RS and Mercedes A45S AMG.
Audi has redesigned the looks of the new RS3 to be more in line with the other RS cars’ styling, meaning more black trim, bigger wheels and exciting exterior colors. This all comes at a price though, as the estimated cost for the new Audi RS3 is expected to start above $60,000, making it one expensive hatchback.
2 BMW M2 Competition (405 HP)
The BMW M2 is the smallest of the M-cars in BMW’s line-up. The normal M2 came with a 3.0L turbocharged straight-six engine, mated to one’s choice of either a six-speed manual or an eight-speed automatic transmission.
The M2 proved incredibly popular and so BMW upped the ante and created the M2 Competition – a more M-focused version with most of the drivetrain and handling parts taken from the larger M4. The biggest change though is the engine. It uses the 3.0L twin-turbo straight-6 from the M4, producing 405 hp and 406 lb-ft of torque – all in a car less than an inch longer than a Porsche 718 Cayman. All these changes come at the hefty price of $60,000 compared to the normal M2’s $53,000.
1 Mercedes-Benz A45 S AMG (421 HP)
Although the Golf GTi is the definitive hot hatch, the Mercedes-Benz A45S AMG is the king of the hot hatch segment in terms of outright speed, power, luxury, and cost. It holds the records for both the most powerful four-cylinder and the most powerful mass-production 2.0L engine in the automotive world. The car produces 421 hp and 369 lb-ft of torque sent to all four wheels through an eight-speed DCT gearbox.
This propels the car from 0-62 mph in a blistering 3.6 seconds and is electronically limited to 155 mph. This makes it more powerful than a 4.0L V8-powered BMW M3 E92! These records do come at quite a substantial price – the equivalent of $68,000 in the UK, as it is not for sale in the US and is only being produced in European specification.