Top 10s: New Hot Hatches

[svgallery name="Top 10 Hot Hatches"] By John LeBlanc Driving enthusiasts are well aware of the Hot Hatch Formula. Made popular during the first Oil Crisis in the early 1970s, which saw the neutering of the American muscle car and the near-extinction of the V8 engine, the idea of adding a bit of performance to a run-of-the-mill, errand-hopping hatchback made a lot of sense to a lot of people. Here we are, then, over three decades later. Suffering again from high fuel prices and a down economy, it looks like it’s deja vu all over again for hot hatches. Here are my 10 favourites  you can buy new: 10. 2011 Fiat 500 1.4 Sport After spending some time in an Italian-market 500 last fall, I’m going to take an optimistic flyer on the Fiat hatch that’s scheduled to go on sale in Canada early next year. Especially if Fiat can deliver the front-wheel-drive, four-passenger Cinquecento under $20,000 and offer the same, perky 100 hp 1.4-litre four-cylinder model I drove. A hotted-up version of Fiat’s Panda, the 500 offers a Zesty Italian driving experience, boutique styling and top-notch build quality in an urban-friendly package. Fiat is even considering offering an even hotter 500, a 130-hp Abarth model. 9. 2010 Honda Fit Sport Since its debut in 2006, and a subsequent refresh two years after that, the five-door, five-passenger Fit has been one of the most fun-to-drive small cars you can buy. The Sport version doesn’t offer any more power than the regular Fits, making do with a 117 hp 1.5-litre four and a five-speed manual. But its over-$4,000 price premium abover a $14,480 base model does add 185/55 R16 rubber instead of the narrower 15-inchers, front and rear stabilizer bars, leather-wrapped steering wheel inside, and some spoilers outside. The result? The Fit Sport feels sports-car light and responsive when attacking a sinewy road or zipping through city traffic. Heck, it even rides decently over lousy pavement. 8. 2011 Mazda2 GS Backed by a larger marketing budget, Ford’s new Fiesta is getting a lot of kudos right now as a Euro-bred, driver’s hatch. But its lesser-known platform counterpart, the five-door, five-passenger Mazda2, is easily the more driver-oriented hatch. From its Eurocentric cockpit, quick electric power steering, lighter curb weight and sportier suspension setup, the 2 rivals the $6,000 more expensive Mini Cooper in the grins-behind-the-wheel department. Despite a 20 hp deficit, the 2’s 100 hp 1.5-litre four makes the lighter Mazda feel a lot peppier than the heavier Fiesta. You can get a subcompact Mazda for under $14,000 but, trust me; the $18,195 GS model (with driver goodies like alloy wheels, fog lights and a leather-wrapped tiller) is a hot hatch steal. 7. 2010 Mitsubishi Lancer Sportback Ralliart Mitsubishi’s hottest hatch is the $33,698 Lancer Sportback Ralliart, essentially a detuned, five-door version of its Evolution street-legal-rally-car. Shaving $8,000 off the Evo’s starting price means the Ralliart doesn’t get the Evo’s active yaw control that distributes torque between the rear wheels. And the nose-heavy Mitsu isn’t nearly as willing to leap into corners as the GTI or Mazdaspeed3. However, with a 237 hp version of the Evo’s 2.0-litre four-banger, AWD and a dual-clutch automatic gearbox, the Ralliart is quick: naught to 100 km/h takes only 6.2 seconds. 6. 2011 Volvo C30 T5 R-Design While former parent Ford took its time selling off its Swedish brand to China’s Geely, you may have forgotten that Volvo makes a hot hatch: the 1970s P1800 ES-inspired C30. The 2+2 three-door hatch is a shorter and lighter than Volvo’s compact S40 sedan upon which it’s based, but is a lot more agile, combining flat cornering without a brittle ride. For 2011, the C30 gets a few visual tweaks, and; all models now get the smooth and eager 227 hp 2.5-litre turbo version. While the $ 39,995 C30’s R-Design model is mainly an appearance package, stiffer springs with firmer shocks and bushings, a faster steering ratio, and bigger wheels with stickier tires make it the driver’s pick in the C30 lineup. 5. 2011 Audi A3 2.0 TFSI Quattro S line The most luxurious hot hatch on my list, Audi’s compact, five-door A3 is still a hoot to drive, but only when properly specced out. Case in point: For 2011, if you want an A3 with all-wheel-drive (if not, see VW GTI below), you have one choice: the $36,900 fully-decked-out 2.0 TFSI with its slick-shifting S tronic twin-clutch gearbox and S line package. With Audi’s excellent build quality considered, and a gutsy 200 hp and 207 lb.-ft. of torque 2.0-litre turbo-four, leather sport seats, and a magnetic-ride suspension (that when set to Sport, delivers body control, ride quality and balanced handling never before experienced in an A3) the five-passenger Audi can keep both the driver and the sybarite in the family happy at the same time. 4. 2010 Mazdaspeed3 Updated for 2010 with new bodywork shared with its cooking siblings, the sportiest Mazda3 is the hell-raiser of hot hatches. Comparatively, the $32,995 Mazdaspeed3’s 263 hp and 280 pound-feet of torque from its direct-injected, turbocharged and intercooled 2.3-litre four-cylinder definitely shifts the sports compact power paradigm up a notch or three. Unlike the older all-wheel-drive Mazdaspeed6 sedan or CX-7 crossover — which are also powered by the same turbo four — the Mazda compact, five-passenger hot hatch is front-wheel drive only. Play word association with “263 hp” and “front-wheel drive” and the first thing that comes to any enthusiast’s mind is “torque steer.” At least increases in spring and shock rates, electro-hydraulic steering system and larger rubber has lessened the Mazda’s understeer. A bit. 3. 2011 Subaru WRX 5-door Since the introduction of the third-generation Impreza, Subaru has been making incremental improvements to the rally-bred WRX. There was the bump in horsepower in 2009 to 265 hp from its turbocharged 2.5-liter flat-four, and for 2011 it gets big brother STI’s more aggressive bodywork, gaining wider tracks and 17x8-inch wheels wrapped in 235/45R17 rubber, and firmer rear subframe STI bushings. Only 40 hp shy of the top-line $39,995 STI, the $5,000 less expensive WRX goes from 0-to-100 km/h in only 5.4 seconds — just 0.2 seconds slower than the heavier STi. And with a more accurate five-speed stick, the WRX is a much more livable daily driver in cut-and-thrust urban manoeuvres than the more trying STi with its sloppier six-speeder. 2. 2010 Mini Cooper S John Cooper Works The cooking $29,900 Cooper S is already one of my fave hot hatches; quick, nimble, a real driver’s car. But for an additional $6,700, the John Cooper Works (or JCW) model turns up the heat on this three-door, four-passenger hatch even higher. Inspired by the classic Minis that won the 1964 Monte Carlo Rally prepared by Mr. Cooper, the mightiest Mini only needs a vinyl number on its doors to go racing. Drivers will relish in the JCW’s track-ready suspension, huge brakes and lighter alloy wheels. And the fact parent BMW has found even more juice from its tiny 1.6-litre four is a mere bonus. Now with 208 hp and 192-lb-ft of torque (a 36 hp and 15 lb-ft jump from the S), the JCW can scoot from rest to 100 km/h is just 6.5 seconds. 1. 2010 Volkswagen GTI 3-door I like the current GTI even with a slushbox. But my favourite among VW’s hot hatch models is the most basic: the $28,675 three-door with the stick. I’ll admit, the GTI isn’t as sharp in it’s handling as the hyper Mazspeed3. The VW’s extra height and weight are the main culprits here. But the GTI’s more compliant suspension conjures up a good compromise when you’re not Mini Cooper hunting. And you still get the front-drive, five-passenger VeeDub’s turbocharged 2.0-litre inline-four it shares with the much-pricier A3 is a carryover. It produces a 6.9 second 0-100 km/h time, matching the more furious Mazda3. Complaints? More horsepower would be nice. But that may get rectified if VW Canada decides to import its 270 hp, all-wheel-drive, Euroweenie-only Golf R model.

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