Compact Cars

Spanish automaker Seat revealed its performance-oriented brand Cupra a couple of years back. The cars look good, come with a load of niceties, and of course, are strong performers. But, no amount of power or mods are ever enough and that is essentially what’s keeping the aftermarket companies running.

ABT Sportsline, the company which is known to work on Audi cars, and by extension, Volkswagen products, is here with its own version of the Cupra Formentor – a subcompact crossover SUV. The ABT Formentor comes with new wheels, a power boost, and a new exhaust system that makes it a different beast.

Volkswagen has brought back one of its most famous colorways for a one-off showcase that’s sure to delight — and somewhat disappoint — fans who have lived long enough to remember the famous color scheme. Twenty-five years ago, Volkswagen launched the Polo Harlequin — it was called the “Harlekin” in Germany — to tremendous fanfare. The Polo Harlequin ended up being such a big hit that Volkswagen turned it into a limited-run production model.

Fast forward to 2021 and Volkswagen Netherlands decided to tap into the old magic well, bringing back the Harlequin name and colors on a one-off 2021 Volkswagen Polo.

The Abarth 595 is a pocket rocket that makes you grin every time you drive it. If you are someone who prefers driving a slow car fast instead of a fast car slow, this needs to go on your bucket list. And, it looks like Pogea Racing understands that. The company has brought out a Hercules version that doesn’t just look sinister, but also comes with a significant power boost that will plaster a wide smile on your face.

The world of hot hatches offers a what’s what of some of the finest pieces of automotive engineering in the world. For cars so small to offer so much performance potential, hot hatches are the Lord’s gift to those who want to satisfy their need for speed without bleeding their pockets dry. These days, the hottest among the hot hatches is the Toyota GR Yaris. This 257-horsepower juiced up critter is arguably one of the best cars Toyota has ever produced. It is, in many ways, a car that was developed to be more than just a hot hatch, but a testament to the performance capabilities of these pocket rockets that compels people to pay premium prices for the best ones.

The Toyota GR Yaris is on its way to becoming one of the best hot hatches in the world — if it isn’t there already — but before we can officially crown it as the best of the lot, it’s going to have to go through said lot, beginning with another hot hatch that punches way above its weight class: the Mini John Cooper Works GP. What better way to size up these two than in a good old-fashioned drag race, presented to all of us by YouTube channel Carwow.

The 2021 Hyundai Kona N is an upcoming high-performance version of the company’s subcompact SUV. Launched in 2017, the Kona has become so popular in just three years that Hyundai is pushing it into high-performance territory. The Kona is the brand’s first SUV to feature an "N" badge, joining cars like the i20, i30, Veloster, and Elantra. Is the 2021 Kona N just as powerful as Hyundai’s N-badged cars and will it come to the U.S.? Let’s find out in the review below.

Ignore the "official" spy photos provided by Hyundai. Ever carmaker is in that game today, as lame as it may be. However, it shows that the Koreans are hard at work trying to ready the spicier Kona N for its debut. To keep the hype up, they’ve published the said set of pictures and new spec-related details.

Since 2017, Lancia has been selling just one car, the Ypsilon, in Italy. The iconic brand is pretty much dead outside its home country and its future remains uncertain. But even though Lancia has been struggling in recent years, its heritage is still remembered thanks to nameplates like the Delta.

Famous for its rallying success and its high-performance Integrale street versions, the Delta is arguably the most legendary vehicle Lancia has built in since the 1980s. And now you can own an incredible and rare Delta HF Integrale Evo II version for just $100,000.

Jeep Compass has been in the market for over a decade now and has become a staple moniker in the segment now. This two-row SUV is one of the rare models in this segment that can actually be taken off the roads without doubting its abilities. Of course, it’s no Cherokee, but it does a lot better than its rivals in this aspect. Although it features a heavy 2.4-liter engine, the power outputs aren’t that great and the nine-speed automatic gearbox makes the whole drive even more lethargic. However, it comes with a nice interior setup, decent tech features, and aesthetics that will please all and offend none. So, should you pick the Jeep Compass over the Honda CR-V or the Ford Escape?

Smart, the Daimler AG subsidiary known for the tiny Fortwo and Forfour models, is working on its first-ever crossover. There’s no specific timeline as to when it will be unveiled and released to dealerships, but we do know that it will be an all-electric vehicle. Confirmed by Daniel Lescow, the brand’s vice president of global sales, on LinkedIn, the upcoming crossover was described as the new alpha in the urban jungle.

The Land Rover Defender needs no introduction. After a long run, the company sent it on a hiatus in 2016, only for it to return in a freshed, modern avatar to keep up with the competition. It came out looking a little less old-school, but still as rugged as ever.

This time, it wasn’t just the sturdy build that made it a compelling off-roader, but also the modern gadgets and gizmos that could put the other off-roaders out there to shame. The top trim is dangerously close to the six-digit price territory, but will that stop people from buying it? Or will customers look at other cheaper alternatives, like the Toyota 4Runner and to an extent, the Jeep Grand Cherokee?

Nissan has revised the Kicks compact crossover for the 2021 model year, and while it’s just a facelift, it’s hard not to notice how different it looks. In short, the 2021 Kicks is more aggressive and sleeker than before with a new, larger grille, revised exterior lighting, and improved interior amenities that pushes the compact crossover closer to the premium segment than ever before.

This is a Mercedes-AMG A45 S, or at least it used to be. Don’t be fooled by what you see here; It still looks like the AMG A45 S, but underneath that bright yellow paint, black decals, and gimmicky taxi lamp on the roof lies a different beast altogether - one that’s going to rip your heart out the second it gets the chance. This used to a Mercedes-AMG A45 S. Now it’s called the Posaidon A45 RS 525, and best be warned, “mercy” is not in this hot hatch’s vocabulary.

The fourth-generation Mazda3 looks hotter than its predecessor, but it’s also available with a selection of updated SkyActiv engines. But the really big news is the 2.5 Turbo trim, which features a beefed-up 2.5-liter four-cylinder that puts the Mazda3 into hot-hatchback territory. Much like the Mazdaspeed3 did more than 10 years ago. But is it powerful and fast enough to take on the market’s most popular performance compacts? The folks over at Throttle House hosted a three-way drag race to find out.

Last week was a big one for Honda and its followers alike. There’s always great buzz whenever a new generation Civic is announced and Honda’s unveiling of the 2022 Civic prototype made no exception.

Now, we’ve already learned what we had to learn from the Japanese carmaker’s PR talk, but it’s time to delve deep into the 2022 Honda Civic topic with a little help from Gary Robinson, Head of Product Planning at American Honda.

Remember earlier this year when it was revealed that the Toyota Supra actually produced more power than Toyota advertised? Well, it looks like it isn’t the only Toyota that’s more powerful than we thought.

A recent dyno test conducted on the GR Yaris revealed that Toyota’s firecracker of a hot hatch comes with a 1.6-liter turbocharged three-cylinder engine that produced more than Toyota’s claimed output of 268 horsepower and 272 pound-feet of torque. A video of the GR Yaris getting tested on a dyno shows just how much more power the turbocharged three-cylinder can crank out, and without dumping any spoilers, it’s a lot of extra power that we didn’t think the GR Yaris had at its disposal.

The auto industry has changed a lot in recent years. Once the leaders of the premium market, BMW, Mercedes-Benz, and Audi are now being given a run for their money by brands previously known to produce cheap and uninspiring cars. Like Kia and Hyundai.

BMW was also known for being THE driver’s car, but this feat has been diluted as well. Recently to the point where the so-called uninspiring brands deliver vehicles with matching or even better performance. Before you say that a Kia can’t be as good as BMW (you’re probably going to quote driving dynamics), you need to look at a comparison by AMCI Testing, which reveals that the new Kia K5 out-performs the BMW 330i.

The Kia Seltos is the newcomer to Kia’s lineup. It’s been in production since 2019, but 2021 marks the first year that it will be available on U.S. soil. It has just recently made it into dealerships as Kia begins to roll out its 2021 crop of vehicles, and it’s poised to make quite the disruption in the subcompact crossover market. Of course, let’s be clear, this still isn’t Kia’s smallest model – it’s the model designed to sit between the Soul and the Sportage. Highlights of the Seltos include better-than-expected cargo room, a Bose audio system, and the range-topping engine that’s good for 175 horsepower. What might be even more impressive, though, is the Seltos starting point of around $22,000.

Performance and practicality are two words that rarely go together. More often than not we talk about the perfect compromise between the two, rather than the perfect blend. That doesn’t stop manufacturers from trying to give us the best performing version of a normal car.

Station wagons, in particular, seem to be making a comeback and currently, Volkswagen is rigorously testing a more practical version of its Golf R – the Variant. Regardless of which version we talk about, the people’s car from Germany has always been a good all-rounder, but does the Golf R Variant still has what it takes to compete?

After a five-year run with the 10th generation model, Honda has unveiled the prototype of the 11th generation Civic on Twitch. The car looks smart with a fresh face and derriere, and comes with better technology and safety features. This new design will be seen on the sedan, hatch, the Si, and Type-R models. Honda said the 2022 Civic will arrive something in late spring of 2021, which means we could see the actual production models in a few months from now.