Best Hot Hatch 2022: Comfort and convenience
It takes careful planning to maintain a hot hatch’s sporting intent while also including must-have mod-cons, and not every brand succeeds…Achieving the right mix of specifications in a hot hatch is a high-wire act, where getting it wrong could result in plummeting sales. Car-makers need to include key comfort and convenience gear without ending up with a performance car that’s too expensive and too heavy. Other standard equipment commonly perceived as a convenience item, such as an electric park brake, might seem a negative to a hot hatch owner planning skid pad or motorkhana time. Heavily bolstered sports seats are essential, but do buyers really want the extra weight that comes with electric adjustment? We’ve tailored our criteria for carsales’ Best Hot Hatch 2022 to suit this genre, and the results may surprise you…
We have assembled the very best examples of hot hatches available in Australia to determine which is best in all areas, including a crucial component: comfort and convenience.
What defines comfort and convenience in carsales’ Best Hot Hatch 2022 is much the same as other classes of vehicle – but there are some exceptions.
Just like any other automotive segment, buyer expectations set the scene for the right blend of features.
That means we’re not focusing here on towing capacity or climate control in the back stalls like we do with utes and SUVs, but the premium positioning of these hot hatches and their broad remit as a versatile car fulfilling a variety of duties sets up an expectation of a well-rounded, but clearly sporty, package.
None of the pocket rockets on test here are in the bargain basement, and indeed half of them – the Hyundai i20 N, Ford Fiesta ST and Ford Focus ST – are the only variants available in the model line, showing how hot hatches are really the last bastion of traditional small passenger cars for an increasing number of brands.
Of course, there are sporting overtones across the features list of every bona fide hot hatch, and the six models in this Best Cars comparison all come with heavily bolstered front sports seats and alloy sports pedals.
If having a manual handbrake is important for your motorsport activities, then only the Ford Fiesta ST and Hyundai i20 N have this feature, leaving our other four contenders with an electrically operated park brake.
The Ford Focus ST X and Fiesta ST both have the convenience of launch control and a performance shift indicator, but the Hyundai i30 N and i20 N are in a league of their own in this department.
As well as offering launch control, the Hyundai i30 N has ‘N Grin Shift’, which allows extra power on turbo overboost for 20 seconds, while the i30 N includes automatic rev matching.
Both Hyundai N cars also have active variable exhaust systems that are not found on their rivals.
When it comes to small things that make any car easier to live with, all six contenders for carsales’ Best Hot Hatch 2022 are well specified.
Items fitted standard across the board include keyless entry, push-button engine start/stop and dusk-sensing automatic headlights that also automatically dip their high beams for oncoming vehicles.
Side mirrors in each car are heated and all have power-folding capability. Ambient interior lighting, which adds a premium feel and can assist visibility in the cabin, is also included everywhere we turn.
But push higher up the scale and other differences come to the fore.
Cruise control is fitted to each of our six contenders, but only three of them offer the advanced functionality of active cruise control with a stop-and-go function – the Ford Focus ST X and the two Volkswagen GTI models, Golf and Polo.
If you want the convenience of leading vehicle departure alert, only the Hyundai i30 N Premium offers this feature among this cohort.
Park assist, where the car automatically steers for you as you reverse into a parking space, is only included standard with the Golf GTI, although it’s also listed as an option for the Polo GTI.
A full digital instrument display is standard in all the hot hatches here except for the Hyundai i30 N, which makes do with a small 4.2-inch digital display nestled between analogue dials.
A head-up display is only offered in the Focus ST X as standard, but it’s optional in the Golf GTI.
Most of our contenders have manual-adjust front seats, with only the Focus ST X fitted with electric adjustment. The Golf GTI can also be optioned with electric-adjust seats at extra cost.
Manual seat lumbar adjustment is standard in the Fiesta ST, Polo GTI and the Golf GTI.
You’ll find cloth trim on the seats of the two Volkswagen GTI models and the Hyundai i20 N, leaving the other three hot hatches – the two Ford ST cars and the i30 N – with a combination of leather and cloth upholstery.
The comfort of heated front seats is standard on the Ford Fiesta ST, Focus ST X and i30 N Premium, and is optional on the Golf GTI.
Both the Fiesta ST and i30 N also have a heated steering wheel for those brisk winter morning starts.
The Golf GTI has three-zone climate control, the Focus ST X, i30 N and Polo GTI have two-zone and the Fiesta ST and i20 N have climate control over just a single zone.
Only the i30 N and Golf GTI provide air vents for rear seat passengers, and only the i30 N has a rear centre arm rest.
Finally, a panoramic sunroof is standard-fit for the Focus ST X and i30 N Premium, and available as an option on the Volkswagen GTI twins.
Best Hot Hatch 2022 contenders:
Ford Fiesta ST
Ford Focus ST X
Hyundai i20 N
Hyundai i30 N Premium
Volkswagen Polo GTI
Volkswagen Golf GTI
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