TOP 5: Hot Hatches still standing

What is the best hot hatch on sale today?

This month confirmed the end of the line for the Ford Focus ST. It joins a growing list of Hot Hatches that have been sent to the big car park in the sky in recent years, as the hatchback itself declines in popularity and the compact SUV continues to rise.

But there are still some great small cars with big performance to enjoy, if that’s your thing. However, the ‘good old days’ of hot hatches being an affordable entrance into the performance car market are gone too. The harsh reality is those that are remaining are all quite expensive, but what they lack in affordability they more than make up for with more power, handling and kerb appeal.

Hyundai i20 N

What it lacks in size it more than makes up for in punch. The 1.6-litre turbocharged engine punches out 150kW of power and 275Nm of torque and it’s paired to a six-speed manual gearbox and sends that grunt to the road via a limited-slip front differential. In other words, it has all the core ingredients for a hot hatch.

But Hyundai has elevated the i20 N, which forms the basis of its World Rally Championship entry, with the addition of extras like the N Mode with live telemetry and pre-loaded track maps so you can save and store your personal lap records at your next track day.

At $35,500 (plus on-road costs) it’s not cheap, but it’s still one of the most affordable hot hatches you can buy today.

Toyota GR Corolla

It’s hard to know whether Toyota has timed its entry into the hot hatch market terribly or whether it’s a brilliant masterstroke. As everyone else is bailing out, the Japanese giant is jumping in, and not with one, but a pair of great hot hatches.

The WRC-inspired GR Yaris is brilliant, but the bigger GR Corolla is the better option thanks to its more stable handling and more generous cabin – because, after all, a hot hatch should be practical as well as fast and fun.

On paper the 1.6-litre three-cylinder turbocharged engine sounds too small for the job, but it pumps out 221kW and 370Nm and with all-wheel drive and now the choice of six-speed manual or eight-speed automatic, the GR Corolla has all the muscle it needs to be a serious performance machine.

Again, though, it doesn’t come cheap, with the range starting from $67,990 (plus on-road costs) putting it into what was luxury car territory not that long ago.

Honda Civic Type R

This list isn’t meant to be a definitive ranking of these hot hatches… but this one is the best. Honda has come as close to perfecting the hot hatch concept as anyone, building the most engaging and dynamic front-wheel drive car on sale today.

The Civic Type R is to hot hatches what the Porsche 911 GT3 is to sports cars – the ultimate driver’s choice.

Its 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo makes 235kW and 420Nm, which is probably at the very limit of what a front-wheel drive chassis can handle. While the six-speed manual transmission is the only gearbox ‘choice’ and it’s one of the best on the market, with a short, crisp throw between gears.

Then there’s the handling, with the kind of precision and poise you would expect from a sports car. It genuinely feels like it is on a higher level than its rivals.

And while it starts at $74,100 (plus on-road costs) which makes it expensive, in the context of the modern hot hatch market, it’s actually competitively priced.

Audi RS3 Sportback

Nearly 300kW of power, 500Nm of torque, the ability to drift and a six-figure price tag – this is the definition of a modern premium hot hatch. Gone are the days of small-car-big-engine, instead brands like Audi and Mercedes-AMG loaded up even their smallest cars with technology and computers.

The updated RS3 Sportback is due in Australia in the near-future (priced from $104,800) and will bring with it even more performance thanks to a raft of software upgrades for its torque vectoring, adaptive dampers and stability control.

Under the bonnet, thankfully, Audi’s glorious 2.5-litre five-cylinder turbocharged engine – which can trace its roots back to the original Audi Quattro – remains and makes sports car-like 294kW/500Nm. It’s paired to a seven-speed dual-clutch transmission and, of course, Audi’s quattro all-wheel drive system.

Mercedes-AMG A45 S

In a classic example of ‘anything you can do, I can do better’, AMG has taken Mercedes’ A-Class and turned it up to ‘11’ in order to beat the RS3 Sportback into its place. Think 294kW is a lot of power for a hatchback? AMG has managed to squeeze a staggering 310kW from the 2.0-litre four pot in the A45. It drives all four wheels via an eight-speed dual-clutch transmission and can launch 0-100km/h in just 3.9 seconds.

Which is all good because at $119,900 (plus on-road costs) the AMG A45 is less a ‘hot hatch’ and more a ‘compact, luxury sports vehicle’ that needs sports car levels of performance to justify that whopping price tag.

If anything, the A45 might actually be ‘too powerful’ with its engine feeling like a caged animal whenever you try and drive it like a hatchback around town. But when you unleash it on a winding road or racetrack you get the thrill and performance to leave you breathless.