Hot hatches don’t need to be crazy fast, but they do need to be sporty and fun to drive. Here's our list of North America's best hot hatchbacks of all time.
Hot Hatchbacks: Party in the Front, Business in the Back
The “hot hatch” concept sporty but practical, with plenty of horsepower is being swallowed by (what else?) S.U.V.s.
The Mazda CX-30 Turbo, a recent entrant to the fading “hot hatch” segment.Credit.Mazda
April 15, 2021, 6:00 a.m. ET
For the longest time, the defining features of a true “hot hatchback” didn’t necessarily include the hatch. A hot hatch, then, was measured by its fun factor: agility, responsiveness and engine power that punched way above its weight.
There was more to like. Economy at the dealership, economy at the gas pump. Practicality, with four doors typical and a trunk that held more than a golf bag if you folded down the rear seats. Overachieving rubber on oversize wheels with oversize brakes. Outrageously bright, show-off color palettes (Magma Orange, anyone? Ginster Yellow?) that perfectly decorated a compact car that rarely extended past 170 inches. Hot hatches were Hot Wheels for gro