As horsepower continues its steady march northwards, how will the latest crop of hot hatches measure up? And where will the madness end?
This article was originally published in the December issue of Top Gear magazine
Advertisement - Page continues belowTwingo RenaultSport
Small on power, big on fun. More ain't always better
Fiat 500 Abarth SS
1964 500 Abarth SS had 32bhp. New one has more
Advertisement - Page continues belowFiat Punto Abarth SS
New SS gets MultiAir engine, but needs more oomph to take on the big boys
Citroen DS3 R
Debuts next year alongside WRC car. Meet your new whip, Mr Loeb
Clio RenaultSport
Not a turbo in sight, but still our favouritest hot hatch
Alfa Giulietta Cloverleaf
Is hottest Alfa spicy enough to burn its rivals? Click here to find out
Advertisement - Page continues belowPeugeot 308 GT
Most powerful 308. But not a real hot hatch. Imposter!
Ford Focus ST
Next year's ST loses five-cylinder engine, gains four-pot and 22bhp
Advertisement - Page continues belowMegane RenaultSport
For big hot hatches, 250bhp is the new 200. RS is on the money
Vauxhall Astra VXR
Next-gen VXR laughs in the face of massive torque steer
Ford Focus RS500
They said 350bhp was too much for an FWD car. They were partially wrong
Subaru Impreza Cosworth
AWD king of the hot-hatch league table. Will it ever be toppled?
Trending this week
- Car Review
- Long Term Review