IN the long line of stunning models in the Civic Type R back catalogue, the current FL5 ranks not only as the greatest hot hatch that Honda has ever produced, but one of the greatest by any manufactur

GIANT-killing performance, everyday practicality and at least a hint of loutish appearance; if a car has all three, then there’s a pretty strong chance that it’s a hot hatch. The well trodden formula

It’s probably unwise for a lowly road tester to even attempt a Churchillian tone. Thankfully, I’m only paraphrasing. Have we reached the end for the conventional, established, petrol-swilling hot hatc

THE RS 3 has been one of the most successful and desirable hot hatches of the past decade or so, and that’s because there’s many key things that help it stand out from the crowd. It’s one of the few,

= new entry this month. Cars in italics are no longer on sale. Issue no. is for our most recent major test of the car (D = Driven, F = feature, FF = Fast Fleet). Engine shows details of the car’s comb

IF you managed to flick though the previous 14 pages of our hot-hatch twin test, you’ll surely not mind another couple on one of their toughest and best-established rivals: the Volkswagen Golf R. It’s