Best Hot Hatch 2022: Driving performance

With the six cars in contention for carsales’ Best Hot Hatch 2022 lined up for some direct back-to-back track and road time, we were able to pick and pull apart the best these firecrackers have to offer.

Being enthusiast vehicles after all, we have prioritised dynamic ability over everyday comfort, but if you’re just after a quick car to commute in, read the comments and make your own judgement accordingly.

Another important point is that each manufacturer pairing of hatches has its own distinct personality, which we’ll expand on further, and needs to be taken into account as the final order could shift depending on your personal priorities.

Except for the turbo three-pot in the Ford Fiesta ST, all models lined up here have turbocharged inline four-cylinder engines, all driving through the front wheels.

There are six-speed manual gearboxes only in the Fiesta and the Hyundai i20 N, a seven-speed auto in the Ford Focus ST X (which is mechanically identical to the superseded ST-3 we have driven here), while the Hyundai i30 N, Volkswagen Polo GTI and Volkswagen Golf GTI have dual-clutch autos (eight-speed for the i30, six-speed for Polo and seven -speed for Golf).

In these days of high fuel costs, everyone has a keener eye on fuel consumption figures. The Fiesta ST has the lowest claimed figure with a 6.3L/100km average, while the highest belongs to the Focus with 8.8L/100km.

Not far behind the Focus is the i30 N with 8.5L/100km average, then the Golf GTI at 7.0L/100km, the i20 N at 6.9L/100km and the Polo GTI averaging 6.5L/100km.

Never mind the fuel costs, think of the fun. The good news is that whichever one of these six you choose, you’re guaranteed to enjoy yourself behind the wheel.

If you care about driving and driving alone, then the Hyundai i30 N is the best car here.

It is phenomenal, one of the quickest and most engaging hot hatches there’s ever been. The pre-facelift car was great, but the updated version lifts it to another level.

A significant upgrade to its 206kW/392Nm 2.0-litre engine has given the latest i30 N much more grunt; it comes on stronger earlier and lasts longer at the top end, fixing one shortcoming of its predecessor. The dual-clutch gearbox makes best use of the new power, but the six-speed manual has also been improved and is well worth considering.

Regardless, the i30 N achieved an as-tested 0-100km/h figure of 5.395sec. It might have gone even quicker, too, with more time to experiment with the launch control system.

Of all our hot hatch contenders, the i30 N offers the most configurability, with multiple modes for the engine, gearbox, differential, steering, suspension and stability control. Finding your own personal sweet spot will take some experimentation but two favoured combinations of settings can be saved to the ‘N’ buttons on the steering wheel.

Set to its mildest modes the i30’s ride is nicely compliant and the throttle is dulled to make it an undemanding companion, though the steering always has a fair bit of weight to it. Be warned, the Hyundai’s turning circle is abysmal, however, so three- (or four-) point turns will become the norm.

Turn the wick up and the i30 N reveals its true nature and the superlatives begin to tumble out: fantastic traction, great brakes, incredible grip, communicative steering, the ability to adjust the car mid-corner and mould it to your style, rather than being forced to drive a certain way.

It’s not only the quickest car of our six but provides the most feedback, increasing confidence and enjoyment. We’ve docked it a mere half-point as it could be a little more refined, but this is splitting hairs, for where it really counts the i30 N is almost impossible to fault.

Next up is the larger of our two Fords. The Focus ST X is a superbly polished package, to the point that driven in isolation its excellence isn’t immediately apparent, as no attribute necessarily stands out above the rest.

Only when driven against its competitors is it clear that everything the Focus does is at a very high level. Its 206kW/420Nm 2.3-litre engine is very strong, it rides well, the seven-speed automatic is smoother in traffic than any of the dual-clutch cars, it has strong brakes and great traction and yet it’s the handling that really shines.

Driven up to a certain point, the Focus feels pretty normal – grippy and accurate. Beyond that point, however, it becomes playful and incredible fun.

If you’ve ever been curious about the phenomenon of front-wheel drive oversteer then the Focus will teach you everything you need to know. There’s enough grip that it rarely rears its head on the road and if it does then the stability control quickly mops it up, but in the appropriate environment the Focus will shake its tail wide with little provocation.

It’s an unusual set-up in this health and safety-obsessed time we live in, but for older hot hatch fans it’ll be a welcome throwback to icons like the Peugeot 205 GTi that were famous (or infamous) for being playful almost to a fault.

The Focus shines by being a melting pot of the other contenders’ best attributes. It’s as involving as the Fiesta, very nearly the equal of the Golf GTI for useability and almost as good as the Hyundai i30 N to drive. Almost, but not quite.

The Focus, as tested in ST-3 form, is a quick car, clocking 0-100km/h in 5.996sec, a little slower than its 5.7sec claim.

Next up in the pecking order is the Ford Fiesta ST. There’s no doubting the excellence of the 147kW/320Nm 1.5-litre turbo three-cylinder engine in the Fiesta. The recent update boosts torque by a further 30Nm but, to be honest, it’s difficult to really feel it.

Nevertheless, the torque increase does the Fiesta ST no favours against the clock as it was already heavily traction-limited from a standing start. Its 7.066sec 0-100km/h time substantially trails both the Polo (6.482sec) and i20 N (6.542sec) but once rolling it’s every bit their match with a cracking short-ratio gearbox to match.

Despite the engine’s excellence it’s the chassis that really shines – there’s magic in the way the Fiesta ST drives. It is quite brisk when driven to its full potential but if ever there was a car where cornering speeds or lap times were completely beside the point it’s this one.

Every corner is a joy, the driver possessing the ability to adjust the car’s balance with the steering, brakes and throttle – often just for the sake of it – and the straights are fun, too, the three-pot thrumming its way keenly to redline.

It can’t match the Polo for everyday manners but it improves on the i20 N, its clever frequency-dependent dampers providing a firm ride but soaking up bigger hits when required.

The Fiesta ST’s only shortcoming is in the braking department, which might sound fairly alarming, but while they are fine for everyday and adequate for twisty roads, heavy use, such as a long downhill stretch or track use, quickly finds them wanting.

Ford carried over the previous-generation car’s brakes into a faster, heavier package, so they were always going to struggle.

Hot on the heels of the Fiesta ST is the Hyundai i20 N. Essentially, the Hyundai i20 N wants to be driven as hard as possible at all times and if you’re a bit uncomfortable in the process then tough luck. Harden up.

The ride is very, very firm, to the point that its resolute focus on body control results in involuntary ‘oofts’ escaping over larger bumps as the air is knocked out of you. To some this will prove tiring, but to others it’ll be a small price to pay for absolutely phenomenal handling.

As is the Hyundai N way there is still plenty of configurability, but given the suspension is passive (ie non-adjustable) you might as well just stick the engine in its angriest mode, select the steering weight that works for you (Normal already has plenty of heft) and drive the i20 like that 24/7.

Hyundai’s baby hot hatch sets new standards for its class in cornering performance. With heat in the tyres it feels almost Velcroed to the road yet never dull, its light weight and compact dimensions making it extremely agile.

It manages that special trick of never feeling flustered no matter what the driver throws at it, which is the quality that separates it from the Volkswagens.

The only chink in its armour is under the bonnet. The 150kW/275Nm (304Nm on overboost) 1.6-litre turbo engine is effective but uninspiring. Adequate is probably too harsh a description but while there’s decent power it fades above 5500rpm, there’s some turbo lag and the noise is fairly tuneless.

Thankfully, the six-speed manual gearbox is a delight to use, with flawless rev-matching if your heel-toe skills aren’t up to par.

Next up is the Volkswagen Golf GTI, with an identically-sized 2.0-litre turbo-petrol engine as its small sibling, the Polo GTI, but one that produces more power and torque (180kW and 370Nm) and has a higher rev limit, as well as a closer-ratio seven-speed dual-clutch gearbox.

Despite being a larger car, it is certainly a car capable of greater feats of athleticism than its little brother.

As such it’s much quicker, hitting 100km/h in 6.074sec (against a 6.3sec claim), but its true strength is the beautifully broad spread of power that’s available. It piles on speed in a relentlessly effortless manner and the chassis can use this grunt thanks to the standard-fit limited-slip differential, a feature that used to be restricted to special Performance models.

It's one of a few features that makes the Mk8 the quickest and most capable standard GTI yet by a reasonable margin. Whereas previous Golfs would ‘do a Polo’ and begin to feel the heat when driven with serious verve, this latest version hunkers down and refuses to relinquish its grip on the tarmac.

The standard Sport mode is well judged, but Individual allows each mechanical part – steering, engine, differential, suspension and more – to be tweaked and a favoured combination saved, including 15 different damping selections, if you’re the type who likes to fiddle.

This enhanced performance comes at little cost to everyday comfort, the fast front-drive Golf remaining arguably the archetypal automotive Swiss army knife, its fifth place driving ranking more evidence of the outstanding abilities of the vehicles above it than any deficiency on the Golf’s part. After all, a score of 17.5/20 is nothing to sneeze at.

Even the lowest scorer here, the Volkswagen Polo GTI, manages a solid 16/20, a reflection of its broad talents.

As is typical of Volkswagen’s hot hatch offerings, the Polo GTI excels at the daily grind. The two-mode adaptive dampers offer impressive comfort in Normal and are easily tolerable, if obviously firmer, in Sport, the steering is nicely weighted and the combination of the torquey 147kW/320Nm 2.0-litre turbo engine and self-shifting dual-clutch gearbox makes for painless progress. Big tick.

At a more enthusiastic pace the Polo continues to hold its own. The detuned Golf GTI engine still delivers plenty of performance – our 6.481sec as-tested 0-100km/h time easily besting the 6.8sec claim – and the chassis is sharper than ever, hanging on tenaciously in the turns.

It’s undeniably enjoyable, but the Polo GTI trails its competitors due to having the lowest dynamic ceiling of all the cars present – it runs out of ideas when the others are just beginning to hit their stride.

The engine is powerful but the gearbox up-changes automatically at 6000rpm. This relatively low limit, combined with the wider ratios of the six-speed dual-clutch (compared to the seven of the Golf and eight of the i30 N), often results in down-change requests being ignored when braking for corners, too.

Attempt to really get the best out of the Polo and instead of coming alive it starts to get scrappy, with greater body movement, less traction and lower outright grip levels than its rivals.

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