Hatchback

The world of hot hatches is brimming with sharp-looking, go-fast pocket rockets but as of 2019, there’s one that rules them all. Enter the Mercedes-AMG A45.

Unveiled in the summer of 2019, the Mercedes-AMG A45 introduced the world’s most powerful 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine. Under the hood of the top-spec S model, the M139 mill cranks out 310 kW (415 horsepower, 412 PS) and 500 Newton-meters of twist or around 369 pound-feet of torque. These guys, though, can consideraby improve on those numbers by just tweaking the car’s software.

EV technology is still not foolproof and people still have range anxiety. That is one of the reasons why buyers are steering clear from EVs until the range issue becomes as minuscule as it is in internal combustion cars. Perhaps that is why automakers are focusing on building urban EV commuters where the range anxiety is not the biggest issue.

Fiat is the latest automaker to dive into the urban EV market with its offering, the 500. Although it seems to be the electric version of the 500 hatch, the 500 is actually built new from the ground up.

The Suzuki Ignis is not the smartest-looking hatchback out there, but the company is still updating it on a regular basis to keep it from going obsolete. Suzuki unveiled the 2020 Ignis with few cosmetic changes outside and even fewer on the inside and under the hood. A layman won’t be able to differentiate it from the outgoing model, but once you figure out the changes, you’ll be surprised that they were staring in your face all this while.

Slow Demand put the Audi A3 Sportback in a tight spot, but it’s still popular enough to come back for a fourth-generation in one way or another. This time, however, it will only be offered with five doors, and there’s no hope of the three-door model ever making a comeback. But, that’s okay, as the fourth-gen A3 just looks right in this configuration, and we’re pretty sure the S3 will look even hotter. Changes for 2021 include a revised exterior look, larger footprint, better aerodynamics, a set of engines pulled from other MQB-supported compact cars in VAG’s group of companies. Want more specifics? Keep Reading!

The 2020 Cupra e-Racer is an all-electric race car built by Seat’s high-performance division. The race-spec hatchback is based on the latest-generation Leon, despite not having the nameplate in its official name. Built for the PURE ETCR championship, a race series designed specifically for electric touring cars, the 2020 Cupra e-Racer was unveiled alongside the 2020 Cupra Leon Competicion.

The latter takes part in the standard ETCC series for gasoline-powered cars. The Pure ETCR series will debut in 2020 with just four rounds, two of them included in the WTCC series. Cupra will compete against entries from Hyundai and Alfa Romeo. Let’s find out more about the 2020 Cupra e-Racer in the review below.

Mercedes’ lineup of electric crossovers and SUVs continues to take shape with a fresh batch of spy photos of a model that looks a lot like the Mercedes GLB-Class. Except this isn’t the GLB; this is the GLB’s all-electric alter ego, the EQ B. The spy photos were taken in Sweden where the EQ B is undergoing winter testing. Mercedes hasn’t divulged the juicy details of the EQ B, but it is believed that, among other things, it will largely take the form of the GLB, albeit with a few minor tweaks to reflect is all-electric stature. No timetable has been given on when the Mercedes EQ B will launch, but we do know that the all-electric crossover will not hit the U.S. market until 2021.

Update 2/28/2020: The Mercedes EQB has started to take on its official electrified look in our latest batch of spy shots. Is a debut imminent? Find out what we know in our special “Spy Shots” section below!

Volkswagen took the time to reveal the new Volkswagen Golf GTI, GTD, and GTE before their official debut at the 2020 Geneva Motor Show. Surely, customers have no reason to complain should they want to get a more performance-focused Golf, because VW is offering a hybrid, a gasoline, and a diesel model as alternatives to various preferences or needs.

There’s nothing we can say to further boost the Civic’s (and subsequently, the Type R’s) icon status among car nuts. But times are changing and with the current push for electrification, even such a revered moniker as the Type R is likely to adopt the trend sooner or later.

Recent info in that direction comes from within Honda’s official ranks. Apparently, there are folks over at Honda who believe in the possibility of an all-electric Type R-badged car, especially since the Japanese carmaker should begin mixing its performance-oriented cars with less polluting powertrains.

Honda didn’t forget about those Type R customers that live for track days and track days only, so it came up with a more circuit-oriented, limited-run Civic Type R that can only be had in one body color.

So, if the regular Honda Civic Type R wasn’t light enough for you, then please do check out the 2021 Type R Limited Edition, which Honda dubs as “the ultimate street-legal track-focused variant” of the Civic Type R. Oh, and it’s supposed to arrive on U.S. soil later this year, so hopefully future owners won’t have to wait a lot to get it.

We spied the upcoming Volkswagen Golf GTI once again and this time it was the hotter TCR version.

The TCR will of course have more power than a normal GTI and it will also be more driver focused. Where the regular GTI will have 180 kW / 245 horsepower, the TCR will have a mighty 221 kW / 300 horsepower. And like the old GTI TCR, the power goes via a DSG dual clutch gearbox and a locking differential to the front wheels. No manual option is planned as for now.

The brake discs are drilled and the suspension is lower and more firm compared to a standard GTI. The intercooler hidden behind the front bumper looks slightly bigger than on the standard GTI but we are not really sure.

There will of course also be some optical changes like special wheels and oval exhaust pipes. The rear spoiler on the production ready car will be bigger than on this prototype and the interior will also be special for the TCR.

The last-gen Ford Focus RS was a fantastic car in every way, essentially setting a new standard for the term “hot hatch.” The next-generation Focus RS should have raised the bar even higher with its expected mild-hybrid drivetrain, 400 horsepower, and blistering quick acceleration. All of that has changed now, though, and the new European fleet emissions standards have, at the very least, delayed the next-generation Focus RS and could possibly lead to its cancellation altogether.

Here it is, ladies and gentlemen! It’s been a long road to get to this point, but now we’re finally getting our first look at the next-generation Volkswagen Golf R. A test mule of the big daddy Golf R was recently spotted doing some test runs in the snow, and yes, this particular prototype is wearing nothing but fresh paint.

There’s no camouflage in sight, allowing us to see the next-generation Golf R in all its glory. Specific details in the prototype present clear markings of the Golf R’s DNA so unless Volkswagen has a surprise for us with a different Golf-based hot hatch, what we’re looking at here is the next-generation Golf R.

There’s no set timetable on when the Golf R is expected to arrive, but with the just-as-new Golf GTI expected to debut at the 2020 Geneva Motor Show, Volkswagen could hold off the Golf R’s debut for later in the year. Or it could join the Golf GTI in Geneva. Either way, the all-new Golf R is here.

When Ford introduced the 2016 Ford Focus RS, the hot hatch community was taken by storm. It packed more power than the Subaru WRX STI, Honda Civic Type R, and VW Golf R, along with all-wheel-drive, a manual gearbox, and 350 PS (345 horsepower) and 350 pound-feet of torque to go by.

The new Ford Focus has been out for almost two years now and everybody’s wondering when is Ford dropping the RS-badged derivative. Well, it looks like the Blue Oval still has some work to do as it needs to come up with an emission-compliant powertrain for its compact hot hatch, forced by harsher EU regulations.

As far as premium hot hatches go, this lot here is the creme de la creme. Sure, some might argue that the VW Golf R is not exactly premium, but then again, it is a premium car if we look strictly at its performance credentials, don’t you think?

That said, the only carmaker that didn’t line up a hot hatch is BMW. Although the Bavarians sell the M135i, Carwow’s video features the BMW M2 competition, which, believe it or not, is not the most powerful car here.

The current-generation Honda Civic Type R has been around since 2017. It caused a ruckus when it first arrived, but like all things hyped, the frenzy surrounding the Civic Type R died down. Expectations among fans and customers were satisfied and it wouldn’t be until Honda gave the Civic Type R a mid-cycle refresh that the hype once again started to rise to a crescendo.

Well, that time has come. Honda unveiled the updated Civic Type R at the 2020 Chicago Auto Show with a few notable upgrades on its bodywork and its mechanical components.

Let’s put it this way: the Delta Integrale, in all of its versions, has six consecutive WRC titles under its belt. The race car absolutely dominated the rally realm between 1987 and 1992, sparking that sort of passion that still resides in the heart of every gearhead.

By modern standards, Lancia isn’t the most successful carmaker we’ve known. In fact, the brand’s decline makes us ask ourselves if it will manage to survive for the next five years or so. The Delta Integrale Evoluzione homologation special, though, will keep the Lancia name alive for us. That and this 700-horsepower Integrale Evo ripping a hillclimb course.

The 2020 Seat Leon is the fourth-generation version of the Spanish hatchback and wagon. Built on the same MQB Evo platform as the Volkswagen Golf Mk8, the 2020 Leon is essentially a Golf with a different body and a slightly different interior. But for what it’s worth, the Leon looks notably sportier on the outside and the cabin isn’t far below the premium-like interior of the Golf. Power options are also shared with the Golf, so you can choose between gasoline, diesel, mild hybrid, and plug-in hybrid options. Let’s find out more about the new 2020 Leon hatchback and wagon in the review below.