Alpine has unveiled its first ‘lifestyle’ model – the concept for the much-anticipated A290. The exciting new car made its debut at an historic hangar in Bristol – birthplace of Concorde, the Anglo-French supersonic airliner. Alpine’s Formula one drivers, Esteban Ocon and Pierre Gasly, who are helping to develop the […]
We put the latest incarnation of Honda’s hot hatch through its paces – on the road and on track… There are a handful of new cars worthy of a genuine fanbase, and the Honda Civic Type R is one of them. With a pedigree stretching back to 1997, it’s become […]
We drive the Volkswagen ID.3’s stylish Spanish cousin, named after the cool El Born district of Barcelona… I have to be honest, this is a painful article for me to write because I really like the Cupra Born – I just don’t think I could live with it. Let’s start […]
Honda’s next-generation Civic Type R has set a new lap record for a front-wheel drive car at the iconic Suzuka Circuit in Japan. The hot hatch lapped the 5.8km track in 2 minutes 23.120 seconds, 0.873 seconds faster than its predecessor, the stripped back 2021 Honda Civic Type R Limited […]
When Ford launched the fourth generation of its best-selling Focus in 2018 it was immediately clear that this was a superbly engineered package with huge potential. Now, the sporty ST version is proof positive that the Focus is back in the hot hatch game, ready to do battle with the […]
Find out what happened when top precision driver Paul Swift was given the keys to Vauxhall’s new Corsa GSi and access to a closed test track… Naturally, Paul pushed the 148bhp pocket rocket – with VXR sports suspension and grippy Michelin rubber – to the limit.
Volkswagen, the company that gave us the first GTI in 1975, has decided to sprinkle some magic dust over its up! city car to create a pint-sized hot hatch… What is it? The up! has been around since 2011 and has spawned near-identical sister models; SEAT’s Mii and Skoda’s Citigo. […]
Acts don’t get much harder to follow than the outgoing Suzuki Swift Sport – a near-legendary pocket rocket. Well, we’re pleased to report that the much-anticipated third generation Swift Sport doesn’t disappoint. Based on the standard five-door supermini launched last year, the new Swift Sport is quicker, lighter, lower and […]
There’s a real buzz surrounding the new i30 N – the first car from Hyundai’s new ‘N’ performance sub-brand – but is it just hype or can it mix it with established hot hatch rivals? What is it? Based on the underrated i30 hatchback, the i30 N is front-wheel drive […]
More than a quarter of a century on from the original, Honda’s Civic Type R is hot hatch royalty. The latest version is based on the distinctive 10th generation Civic which is longer, lower and wider than ever. What’s more, the new Type R is no afterthought. It was factored […]
