Picking among three of the most compelling hot hatchbacks->ke304 in the segment can get a little tricky, even for well-heeled individuals who know their way around these cars. Fortunately, the fine folks over at Carfection are here to give us a little helping hand. In this episode, they lined up an American pocket rocket in the form of the Ford Fiesta ST, a French performance savant disguised as the Renault Clio RS 220 Trophy, and a retro-styled British maven that we’ve come to know as the Mini John Cooper Works. The objective? See which of these three hot hatches are worth your time, and more importantly, your money.

As different as these three cars are, they also have some things in common. That’s precisely why picking which of the three is the “best” really boils down on what you want from your hot hatchback. The Fiesta ST,->ke1170 for instance, gives you the purest performance and it’s also the cheapest of the three. Then there’s the Clio RS 220 Trophy,->ke1021 which notwithstanding its ridiculously long name, gives you more power than the Fiesta ST, resulting in a faster 0-to-60 time and a higher top speed. Finally, there’s Mini’->ke57s JCW->ke629 hot hatch, which tops at 152 mph. Pretty tricky, right?

The numbers say it is, but once you get behind the wheel of these cars, those numbers take a backseat to the minutiae of how they drive and how they handle on the road. There’s no better indicator of an awesome hot hatch than its ability to make you think that you’re driving a sports car. That’s what Carfection sought to find out and for what it’s worth, their verdict is pretty much in line with mine. Go check it out, even if the entire episode runs a little north of 17 minutes. Trust me, every minute is worth it.

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Read our full review on the Ford Fiesta ST here.

Renault Clio RS 220 Trophy

Read our full review on the Renault Clio RS 220 Trophy here.

Mini John Cooper Works

Read our full review on the Mini John Cooper Works here.