Hatchback

On July 6, Mazda Mexico released a video that claimed the Mazda 3 Turbo would have just 227 horsepower and 310 pound-feet of torque. When you consider the fact that we were originally hoping to see it take on the VW Golf R and even the Honda Civic Type R, it was pretty disappointing. Well, Mazda has finally let a few beans overflow from its container of secrets, and the Mazda 3 Turbo is going to post a little more power than we previously thought. Is it good enough to make it competitive? Well, that depends on what you want to compete with.

At the end of June, we broke the news that a turbocharged Mazda 3 was in the works and, while we knew it would lead to a Mazdaspeed revival, we thought it would at least have some performance chops. Unfortunately, thanks to a video posted by Mazda Mexico, we know that isn’t the case at all, and the Mazda3 turbo will be little more than a range-topping hatch will a little bit of daily-driving power. Talk about dropping the ball, huh?

Chevrolet Bolt has been around for less than four years, but it is one of the earliest mainstream EVs to have hit the market. The Bolt hasn’t taken the market by storm, but it is an important product for Chevrolet in the EV segment.

The automaker is constantly updating the little EV, and for the 2020 model, it comes with a few more miles in the battery pack. To put things into perspective, it is the best non-Tesla model on sale today in terms of range. The 2020 Chevy Bolt arrived at TopSpeed’s headquarters recently, and here are our impressions about this urban commuter.

Rumors of a performance-oriented Mazda 3 have finally been confirmed via a teaser released by the company. Unfortunately, there isn’t a lot to tell at the moment, but you can hear some engine noise, and we’ve learned that it will debut on July 8. Will the Mazda 3 Turbo be a real hot hatch capable of taking on the Volkswagen Golf GTI, Hyundai Veloster, Toyota GR Corolla, and the Honda Civic Type R? And, will the Mazdaspeed name finally make a return? Let’s talk a little more about it.

The current Fiat 500 dates back to 2007 when it was introduced as a modern incarnation of an iconic and very successful city car that the Italian firm produced from 1957 to 1975. Developed in an era when Fiat was struggling, the 500 managed to put the Italian firm back on track and eventually in a successful partnership with Chrysler. Frank Stephenson, the man who designed the production version of the 500, recently posted a video in which he discusses how he designed the city car that’s now considered one of the most successful classic car revivals.

Lancia is basically dead as a brand with just one model, the Ypsilon, sold only in Italy, but this company boasts an illustrious past. Before its demise began in the 1990s, Lancia was one of Italy’s most celebrated marques with models like the Stratos, Beta, and Gamma.

The Italian firm started winning races in the World Rally Championship in the 1970s and the 1980s brought even more success. That’s when the Delta, a five-door hatchback was born. Produced from 1979 all the way to 1994, the Delta became a popular car in Europe, but it also spawned one of the most successful rally cars.

Honda’s 306-horsepower, 295-pound-feet hot hatch isn’t that long in the tooth so a replacement might take a couple of years to spring into reality, but there’s already talk about what the current Type R’s successor might bring to the table. And as things look right now, a hybrid powertrain isn’t in the cards.

Lego’s most recent bombshell is the stunning Lamborghini Sián FKP 37 Technic set that left us drooling for a couple of days in the row but if this Lego Ideas BMW Isetta proposal gets the green light, it will definitely sit on the cuter end of the Lego set spectrum.

You know how they say ’respect and honor your elders?’ Well, we can all agree that Honda is doing just that with the Civic and in particular with the Civic Type R.

The nifty hot hatch has remained true to its origins - albeit switching to turbocharging along the way - but that original Type R ethos is still present in modern Type Rs. Don’t believe us? Check out Throttle House’s latest video.

When it comes to Japanese Kei cars, they can be split into three types: boxy, cute, and downright weird. Deciding which is which obviously depends on personal taste, but the Nissan Figaro is definitely of the cute variety. On top of looking like its made from candy thanks to its vintage color palette, the Figaro also looks as if it was designed in the 1960s. And I say "looks" because the Figaro was actually produced in 1991.

The Hyundai Veloster is a fun, affordable car that is positioned securely in the compact hatchback niche and, while it doesn’t rank necessarily high in terms of power, its unique style, performance, and fairly upscale interior is quite noteworthy. Currently a year into its second generation, we decided it was time to get behind the wheel of Hyundai’s fan favorite, and to our surprise, a Veloster Turbo landing in Topspeed HQ’s parking lot. This, my friends, gave us the perfect opportunity to see how the Veloster Turbo holds water against models like the Volkswagen Golf GTI and the Honda Civic Sport Touring. This is our story after spending a week with the one and only Hyundai Veloster Turbo.

Although the 6 Series is no longer in production, having been replaced by the 8 Series, BMW continues to offer the oddly shaped Gran Turismo (GT) model in Europe. The five-door hatchback was introduced in 2017, and it was just revamped for the 2020 model year. Featuring styling cues from the most recent 5 Series model, the 6 Series GT looks crisper and sportier. More importantly, it now packs mild hybrid drivetrains across the lineup.

Ford has been working to dethrone the Volkswagen Golf GTI with the Focus ST for more than a decade now. Needless to say, it wasn’t exactly successful at it, as the Golf GTI is still the best-selling hot hatch in nearly every market. But Ford Performance Europe boss Stefan Meunzinger thinks that the latest-generation Focus ST finally has what it takes to overtake its rival.

Since the Geneva Motor Show was canceled for 2020, Volkswagen was forced to do a virtual debut for the 2020 Mk.8 Golf. During that stream, we learned about the Golf GTI, GTD, and GTE, but a lot of necessary information for the GTI was left shrouded in mystery. Now, despite the fact that the Mk.8 Golf GTI is still a year or so away from landing Stateside, VW company execs have spilled the beans and given us a little something to be excited about.

The Mk. 8 Golf GTI TCR will build on top of an already amazing package to take things to the next level. As a model that’s more oriented toward the driver, it’ll feature a whopping 300 horsepower, all of which will be shunted through an eight-speed DCT. There’s no definite on-sale date as of yet, but it should launch in late 2020 as a 2021 model.

Update 5/12/2020: The Volkswagen Golf GTI TCR was spotted in the wild with almost no camo. Check it out in our special “Spy Shots” section below!

The Volkswagen Golf may have started life as a small hatchback in the 1970s, but it evolved into a multi-model nameplate that included several variants over time. Many of them are no longer available, but the Golf spawned a wagon, minivan, convertible, and even raised crossover-like versions in the past. The first raised Golf was launched in 1989 as the Country and wasn’t successful because crossovers weren’t exactly popular back then. But the Russian folks at Kolesa think that the Golf Country would be popular in the modern era, so they put together a version based on the latest Golf Mk8.

While many automakers are still hooked on offering electric versions of their existing combustion cars, Volkswagen thinks that stand-alone EV models are the best option for the future. Volkswagen design chief Klauf Bischoff says that the brand’s upcoming line of ID models is a better solution than to simply roll out electric variants of models like the Golf, Passat, and Tiguan. He argues that electric car can’t reach their full potential "in the traditional space" offered by a vehicle designed for internal combustion engines.

The Toyota GR Yaris made waves in the Euro market. As a pint-sized hatchback, its 1.6-liter engine is good for an impressive 257 horsepower and 266 pound-feet of torque. It even has a six-speed manual transmission and all-wheel drive. It’s the definition of a perfect recipe for a performance-oriented hatchback. Here in the States, our Yaris is based on the underpinnings of the Mazda 2 – another model that isn’t available Stateside – so a 257-horsepower GR Yaris will never call the U.S. home, unless you build it yourself, of course. However, that doesn’t mean Toyota has forgotten about the U.S. Market altogether, and a recent post on Twitter is clear cut proof that something good is coming our way.

I’ve been told time and again that I should stop using the "hot hatch" catchphrase. It’s a lazy and stale blanket term for every fast small car to come out since the ’80s and we, journalists, as supposed wordsmiths, should enrich our arsenal of words, not limit it. But, after watching the video below you’ll agree with me that the 2020 Mercedes-AMG A45 S is a seriously hot little car!