hot hatchback

It is not the quickest hot hatchback, but close to the front of the pack.

It's the artful dodger of the hot hatchback class - a sports car disguised as a shoebox.

What set the Tipo apart from the other hot hatchbacks of the Nineties is the fact that it's big.

In order to determine which hot hatchback was the best, the trio were told to bring one to the Italian city of Lucca.

This car combined economy of use and a practical hatchback body, with the performance and driving fun that kicked off the hot hatchback boom.

The 1.6 GTI kicked off a worldwide demand for "hot hatchbacks" which is getting higher all the time.

Buyers were instead being guided to "hot hatchbacks", following a trend set by Volkswagen's Golf GTI in 1976.

The sporty GTI version sparked a huge demand for "hot hatchbacks" in the UK and many other countries.

Hot hatch (shortened from hot hatchback) is a high-performance derivative of a car body style consisting of a three- or five-door hatchback automobile.

Now Mini, the BMW subsidiary that sells the Mini Cooper, the hot hatchback with 1960's echoes, has taken a new approach.

But years from now, long after the latest, greatest hot hatchback has superceded the Tiburon, Hyundai service departments will still be doing free warranty work on the car.

Finally, the presenters had to drive a lap of the Circuit de Monaco during the Monaco Grand Prix weekend in their hot hatchbacks.

Renault dominated the Hot Hatchback category with all three nominees, with the Mégane Renaultsport 250 Cup taking the overall prize.

For hot hatchback fans there will be the renaultsport Clio 172 - which has a 2.0 engine with 172 bhp and a top speed of around 140 mph.

Mazdaspeed 3 ($24,550) In a memorable year for hot hatchbacks, this hot-rod take on the Mazda 3 set a new standard in bang for the buck.

Traditionally used for Grand Tourer cars, the term is now applied to various hot hatchbacks, even though they do not have the luxury traditionally associated with Grand Tourers.

As hot hatches gained more power and performance during the 1990s and 2000s, the term warm hatch started to be used to denote a junior version of a hot hatchback.

The 1.6-litre engined "VTR" and "VTS" hot hatchback models are particularly impressive to drive, and are among the fastest cars ever made in this sector.

The GTI, a "hot hatchback" performance version of the Golf, boasts a 2.0 L Turbocharger FSI Gasoline direct injection engine.

VW introduced the Golf in 1974 in Europe; a revved-up version, the 1984 Rabbit GTI, started the "hot hatchback" category of fast, fun and affordable compacts.

Even the fine new GTI, which recaptures the thrills of America's original hot hatchback, can top $29,000 - some $6,000 more than a formidable rival, the Honda Civic Si.

SUZUKI AERIO SX: It looks like a wagon for the old woman who lived in a shoe, but this hot hatchback can kick up its heels.

Prices of both new and second-hand models of some popular hot hatchbacks such as the Ford Escort XR3i and Peugeot 205GTi have fallen in the wake of insurance increases of up to 70 per cent.

The prices crash has resulted in used hot hatchbacks selling for up to £1,000 less than they were fetching a few months ago, according to Mr Tom Atkins, general manager of BRS Car Auctions, Stoke.

It's the year of the hot hatchback, and a speedy Beetle may appeal to those who cannot get delivery of a Mini Cooper S. VW also hopes to restore some appeal to a car whose sales have plunged along with its novelty value.