Audi->ke14 has made a truly awesome hot hatch->ke304 in the form of the RS3.->ke3198 In fact, XCAR believes that the car is something more than that, and in the video->ke278 here it is proclaimed that the 2015 Audi RS3 is a hyper-hatch. The first reason is obvious: it's very fast, faster than most hot-hatches by a wide margin. And while there might be a few other hatches which offer similar levels of performance, the RS3 makes that performance much more usable than its rivals. Not to mention the RS3's ability to behave civilly when the situation requires it. Very versatile indeed.

Hatchbacks have typically been all about versatility, cars that can haul either people or cargo easily, yet are still small enough for use in the city. Hot-hatches add a certain amount of performance to the equation, but performance has advanced slowly in hot-hatches for a number of reasons. The first of these is cost; a low price point has generally been seen as part of a hatches versatility. The other is that hatches are usually front-wheel-drive, and there is only so much power this setup can handle. But neither of these are issues for an upmarket brand known for its all-wheel-drive systems.

2015 Audi RS3 Sportback

The RS3 isn't wholly unique, as the reviewer in the video mentioned, BMW->ke178 and Mercedes-Benz->ke187 both make hot-hatches as well, and those are also mighty quick. But the Audi's usability is what sets it apart, in much the same way that the R8->ke1440 stands out among supercars->ke177 as being remarkably civilized and easy to drive on regular roads for prolonged periods. It's not a claim to fame that gets you a lot of bragging rights, but it's a big deal when comes to people actually buying the cars. No wonder Audi could barely build the last generation of the RS3 fast enough to meet the demand.

Read our full review here.