Hot hatches

Our pick S Plus List price £65,395 Target Price £59,395 MPG 30.8 CO2 208g/km For Savage acceleration; immense grip; entertaining handling; quick-shifting automatic gearbox Against Very expensive to bu

Our pick xDrive Competition List price £91,865 Best price £89,845 MPG 27.2 CO2 234g/km For Scorching performance; sharp and entertaining handling; practical boot; comfy cruiser; snappy gearbox Against

List price £45,285 Best price £41,783 MPG 44.8 CO2 144g/km For Great to drive; comfortable ride on adaptive suspension; high-quality interior; decent space in rear seats Against Looks won’t be for eve

You only need to peruse the first-gen AMG A45’s specs to see why it lured so many hot hatch buyers away from segment leaders like the Audi RS3 and BMW M135i. This was Merc’s first crack at a mega-hatc

1 FIAT GRANDE PANDA PRICE: £20,975–£23,975 The Panda was distinctly endangered for a while there (though you can still buy the old petrol one in Italy), but it’s been given a new lease of life with an

List price £80,035 Best price £73,357 MPG 25.9 CO2 247g/km For Sublime handling; GTS’s rich and soulful six-cylinder engine; smooth ride; high-quality interior Against Lacks the level of standard kit