The world of mild and hot hatches has never been more exciting. Cars manufacturers from around the world continue to fight it out in this much-loved segment of the automotive market and customers have more choice now than ever.
To see how a handful of current hot hatches perform, the team over at Carwow pitted fiveof them together for a series of performance tests.
The cars featured are the BMW M140i, Mercedes-AMG A35, VW Golf R, Audi S3, and the Ford Focus RS. Tests included in the video are a drag race from a standing start, a rolling race and a brake test.
In the drag race, it was the Audi S3 that came out on top. That came despite the fact that its 2.0-liter four-cylinder turbocharged engine is shared with the VW Golf R and produces less power than the Focus RS.
Next up was a rolling race in third gear from 50 mph (80 km/h). This time it was the BMW M140i which came out on top. That’s not particularly surprising as it’s the only vehicle in the group with more than four cylinders.
Last, but not least, was a braking test from 70 mph (112 km/h). Since they can get up to serious speeds quite fast, they need to be able to come to a halt as quickly as possible – and the good news is that, while the Mercedes-AMG A35 comes out on top, all five perform very well.
Now, you can view the tests in the video right below, but if you could pick one of these to take home with you, which would it be?