The best hot hatchbacks 2017: Hyundai i30 N and more

Best hot hatchbacks on the road in 2016

12 August

Mixing the everyday practicality of a family runaround with fun driving dynamics, a hot hatch is a compelling choice.

There's a wide amount of choice out there – so wide, in fact, that the genre has split into a series of mini genres of its own. There are mild hatches based on city runabouts, the bread-and-butter cars built up from family favourites and the new superhatch – premium brands often coming in at more than £40k.

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Here are five different picks the critics think you'll love.

Ford Fiesta ST

Since its introduction in 2013, the Fiesta ST has been a bit of a media darling, thanks to Ford focusing on all the right areas.

It's powered by a 1.6-litre turbocharged four-cylinder, producing 182bhp (recorded as 197bhp on overboost) and mated only to a six-speed manual gearbox, making it good for 0.62mpg in 6.7secs and a top speed of 139mph.

Dynamically, it's very impressive. The Fiesta is already a good car to drive, but this one is fitted with a torque vectoring unit, channelling power to whichever of the front wheels has the most grip and mimicking an open differential. The steering is well weighted and matched to a satisfying shift.

Outside, it gets a neat and tidy body to distinguish it from normal Fiesta. Prices start from £17,745.

SEAT Leon Cupra 290

Stepping up in size and power, the Leon Cupra uses a 2.0-litre turbocharged four with 286bhp, chucking out 258lb-ft torque, sending it from 0-62mph in 5.7secs, when fitted with its standard six-speed manual gearbox, and on to a top speed of 155mph.

Starting at £28,375, Auto Express reckons it offers a hot hatch experience on par with many of the breed's flagship cars, such as the Honda Civic Type R and Volkswagen group stablemate, the VW Golf R. The Leon is "genuinely rapid", adds the mag, and effortlessly composed when it gets twisty.

The driving package comes in for serious credit, but the interior is off the mark compared to rivals.

Overall, it's the choice if you want pure dynamic ability but at a smaller price than many manufacturers will offer their top hatches at.

Volkswagen Golf GTI

Many consider the Volkswagen Golf GTI to be the original hot hatch, after the mark 1 Golf kick-started the genre into life in 1976. Now in its seventh generation, it's still one of the genre's go-to cars.

The Golf GTI is available in three versions, all with different levels of power but using the same turbocharged 2.0-litre engine. The most basic car gets a 217bhp unit and starts from £27,495. Buyers can opt for the performance pack variant, adding 10bhp more, or alternatively pluck for the GTI Clubsport, turning the wick up to 286bhp but with prices starting at £30,935.

In standard 217bhp trim, the Golf does 0-62mph in 6.5secs and a top speed of 155mph. Cars can be equipped with either a six-speed manual gearbox or a dual-clutch automatic unit, plus there are various details inside and out which set it apart from the standard Golf. It's a good all-round performer and one of the best choices for daily family duties.

Suzuki Swift Sport

The cheapest entry on this list, the Swift Sport is a bargain pocket rocket, with prices starting from £13,999.

Power comes from a 1.6-litre four cylinder engine producing 136bhp, married to a six-speed manual gearbox. It's only a mild hatch compared to bigger, more expensive cars, but the 2,300lbs curb weight means it is a "thriller", says Top Gear.

"It drives brilliantly, with bags of composure, and actually harks back to classic hot hatches of old with its tenacity and clean dynamic interaction," adds the magazine.

The Swift Sport gets a generous level of equipment as standard and has a five-star Euro NCAP safety rating. Practicality is the only thorny issue. It's a good price for a fun car, but it is small - boot space is only 211 litres.

BMW M135i

BMW's entry comes in the form of the hottest version of its Golf-rivalling 1-Series. The M135i makes use of a turbocharged six-cylinder engine producing 322bhp and unlike the front-wheel-drive norm, the Beemer sends its power to the rear wheels.

The standard gearbox is a six-speed manual, with which it can do a 0-62mph dash in 5.1secs. An eight-speed ZF automatic can be specced, too, dropping the benchmark time down to just 4.9secs. Top speed is limited to 155mph.

The automatic gearbox – something Evo notes around 80 per cent of buyers will go for – is a £1,500 option on top of the £31,200 base price for a manual three-door version.

The magazine reckons the M135i "is a broadly talented car and would make a fine daily companion, but it's not quite the last word in outright dynamic ability". You're paying for the engine and rear-wheel drive and at £31,200, it shapes up nicely against rival four-cylinder superhatches.

Ford Focus RS

Ford's latest fast creation has been picked out by Auto Express as the magazine's hot hatchback of the year, while the four-wheel drive version is "the firm's most extreme hot hatch yet".

This third-generation Focus RS changes the formula thanks to its a distinct rear bias. As Auto Express explains, while other 4WD superhatches can understeer at the limit, the Focus RS's torque vectoring system can send up to 70 per cent of power to the rear axle. There is even a party piece – a drift-mode setting that makes it easy to get the car sideways in corners and hold it in a slide.

The Focus RS is powered by a turbocharged 2.3-litre Ecoboost four-cylinder engine, with 345bhp and 347lb-ft torque. It can do 0-62mph in 4.7secs - if you can shift the six-speed manual gearbox quick enough - and Ford claims a top speed of 165mph.

The overall package makes for what Auto Express says is "one of the most exciting hot hatch driving experiences money can buy". The Focus RS is seriously rapid and with bags of grip, turning and locking to the road with a sharp, direct and well-weighted feeling.

Despite the hooligan bodykit, the car remains a Focus so it's easy to drive and practical enough to use daily, even if rivals such as the Golf R are a little more forgiving while boasting a larger boot. The RS has the wow factor, though, and it shows in Ford's order books. All 4,000 examples allocated for the UK have sold out, Autocar reports, and the maker is scrambling to put another 1,000 on sale. The RS starts from £31,000.

Honda Civic Type R

Going up directly against the Focus RS is the latest Type R Civic from Honda, one of the most eye-catching hot hatches you can buy thanks to its seriously aggressive body kit, boasting sharp styling creases, air vents, huge flared wheel arches and a massive rear wing and diffuser.

But the Civic is far from all talk and no trousers. Powering it is a turbocharged 2.0-litre VTEC four-cylinder producing 306bhp, which goes against the naturally aspirated engines fans have loved down the years. However, says Evo, while many will lament the loss of the old screaming VTECs, the fatter torque figures – this car produces 400Nm - act as a decent trade-off. Honda has also worked to keep the redline high, with the Type R topping out at 7,000rpm.

Drivers will crack 0-62mph in 5.7secs and go on to a top speed of 167mph. While many hot hatches breaking the 300bhp barrier opt for all-wheel drive, Honda has stuck with a front-wheel setup and it holds the record for fastest FWD lap of the Nurburgring, completing the circuit quicker than the likes of the Lamborghini Gallardo and McLaren Mercedes SLR.

Prices start at £30,000.