Best Hot Hatch 2022: Technology

Information and entertainment tech is a key selling point – and a strong area of interest for buyers – with hot hatchbacks, given their performance bent which typically brings a broader range of features than you’d find in mainstream categories.

Or at least, that’s what you could rightly expect from the six contenders for carsales’ Best Hot Hatch 2022.

Hitting a racetrack to enjoy some guilt- and infringement-free fast time is nothing new, but it’s getting more popular and many car-makers are providing incentives in this area with their performance cars.

Beyond specific programs for owners and enthusiasts, the cars themselves are now increasingly fitted with technology related to performance – both vehicle and driver – such acceleration and lap timing, g-force meters and so on.

In this area, the Hyundai i20 N and the i30 N are stand-outs, both offering what’s called the N Performance Driving Data System.

This allows data such as lap timing, acceleration timing, a g-force meter as well as power output, engine temperature, turbo boost, brake pressure and throttle pressure to display on the centre screen.

Other hot hatches on test here will alter their digital graphics display when in Sport mode – including the option of changing to a large central tachometer in the Volkswagen Golf GTI – but you’ll still need a mate to time you at the track.

Screen sizes and functionality are also important considerations, and it’s here that the MY22 Ford Focus ST X impresses with its 13.2-inch screen. The Hyundai i20 N and i30 N both have a 10.25-inch screen, while the Golf GTI is a bit smaller at 10.0-inch.

At the bottom end is the Ford Fiesta ST and Volkswagen Polo GTI, both of which are fitted with a relatively small 8.0-inch colour touch-screen.

Both Volkswagen GTI models feature the additional convenience of gesture control for their centre screens, while all models on test offer voice control as standard.

All the hatches in this comparison also have FM and digital (DAB+) radio, while all except for the two Ford ST models have AM radio tuning.

Perhaps more importantly, there’s a mixed assortment of audio systems in this segment, where good quality hi-fi sound is important to many buyers.

The Ford Fiesta ST and Focus ST both come with a 10-speaker B&O sound system – although note that the initial batch of Fiesta ST cars were only fitted with a Ford six-speaker system – while the Hyundai i20 N has an eight-speaker Bose system.

The other three contenders for carsales’ Best Hot Hatch 2022 have non-branded systems: the Hyundai i30 N and Volkswagen Polo GTI each have six-speaker sound, while the Golf GTI comes standard with seven speakers.

Quick and easy portable device charging is increasingly important to buyers, and this is pretty well covered off in this group.

Wireless smartphone charging capability is standard in all six hatches, while the faster charging capability of USB-C ports (with two in the front and two in the back) is only offered in the Volkswagen hot hatches on test – Polo GTI and Golf GTI.

For those with the USB-A ports, the Fiesta ST has three ports while the Focus ST, i20 N and i30 N have two ports.

Embedded satellite navigation is found in all vehicles on test, with all but the two Volkswagen models also offering traffic alerts.

Only the two Fords have an embedded SIM in their infotainment systems, allowing functions of the FordPass Connect app to operate key features via a linked smartphone.

These include remote locking/unlocking, remote start and fuel level and odometer checks.

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