All-weather hot hatches | Six of the Best
It's going to rain pretty much solidly for the next three months - here's half a dozen ways to make the best of it
Audi RS3, 2011, 104k, £13,440
The rise of the all-weather, AWD hot hatch seemed a long time coming when you consider that everyone's favourite go-faster segment has been alive and kicking for at least half a century. Of course, for a long time the concept was hamstrung by the cost implications: manageable when selling homologated WRC specials, not so much elsewhere. But the influx of JDM imports in the mid '90s, and the astonishing gains made in performance, no matter what the conditions, left a deep impression on the European market. Audi launched the S3 in 1999; a decade later, it broke the glass ceiling with the inline-five RS3. The former proved the effectiveness of on-demand AWD in a hot hatch; the latter showed what oodles of sonic pleasure and power could do for the quattro format. The concept has gone way quicker in the intervening years, but an original RS3 will still go places in the real world that beggar belief. And for not much money either.
Toyota GR Yaris, 2021, 38k, £26,495
Smash cut forward another decade and you get all manner of things - but arguably nothing as ‘out there’ as Toyota’s inimitable take on a fire-breathing supermini. The Yaris was originally intended to go rallying, though it was the firm’s standing start (it having had precisely zero recent experience of hot hatches or performance AWD) and its preparedness to basically remake the standard model almost beggared belief. You’ll hardly need reminding that what resulted was an instant legend: the GR being fun and furiously quick in nearly equal measure. Popularity has kept prices firm, but also means there are plenty to choose from - though none as alluringly cheap as some others listed here. Still, you’re almost certainly looking at one of the last great combustion hatchbacks. It’s a premium well spent.
Ford Focus RS, 2016, 45k, £22,899
Though Toyota did not reference the Focus RS specifically when it launched the GR Yaris, it seems impossible that it did not provide some kind of spiritual reference point. We say this because even though Ford’s own rallying heritage is unimpeachable, the last RS felt like it had been cooked up in a lab. One staffed by hooligans with GKN tattoos and unmodulated Haribo addictions. Easy to forget now, but the torque vectoring system was pioneering - and modestly controversial at the time. Certainly the hatchback it was mated to was no model of handling perfection (generally speaking, its predecessor was nicer to drive) though once it was under your skin, the RS tended to go straight to your head. Also, since the furore has long since died down, they now look like vaguely decent value for money - especially if you find one of many that has been treasured by a confirmed Blue Oval fanatic. Which is what this one looks like.
Mercedes A45 AMG, 2014, 52k, £16,475
Of course, if the Focus’s shenanigans sound about as appealing as eating cardboard for breakfast, then you could spend significantly less on the cleverly buttoned-down A45. Built specifically to challenge the RS3’s ascent to greatness, the original model had no right to be as good as it was: AMG, after all, had no more claim to automatic greatness than Toyota would a decade later. But it promptly figured out how to get a terrific amount of power from a humble four-pot, and how to make it work engagingly well with a 4MATIC all-wheel drive system. Arguably better in fact, than Audi had managed at the time - which was some trick when you consider how naff the underlying A-Class was to drive. Moreover, to begin with at least, Mercedes didn’t go mad with the bodykit, meaning you can have one that almost qualifies as a Q car. For less than £17k. Bargain.
Subaru Impreza WRX STI 330S, 2009, 52k, £16,589
Though Subaru unequivocally helped kick off the surge in four-wheel-drive performance cars - and produced some of its finest examples - by the time it launched the third-generation Impreza in 2007, it had been caught and overtaken by a number of European rivals blessed with deeper pockets and cleverer design departments. Nevertheless, there was still much to like about its inimitable flat-four and the idiosyncrasies of symmetrical AWD - especially if you manage to track down one of the rarer STI 330S examples breathed on by Prodrive. Granted, modernity and creature comforts are not in the Impreza’s wheelhouse - but if you like earthier sensations and no shortage of seat-of-your-pants speed, there really is nothing like it. This one hasn't moved tremendously far in the last few years, which ought to mean there's an opportunity to chivvy away at the asking price.
VW Golf R (Mk6), 2011, 29k, PH Auction
Last up, a legend - though not the one you see on every corner. Other like-minded cars came before the Golf R - not least VW's own six-cylinder forbears - but possibly none of them cemented the concept of a usable, all-weather hot hatch like the suspiciously affordable Mk7 did. There was a period where it seemed to be the daily driver for practically everyone with access to more exotic things in the garage. Its immediate predecessor, while not quite as quick, laid all the groundwork for that quaffable goodness, and is considerably rarer - especially in low-mile, one-owner condition like the one about to go under the PH hammer. It won’t be to all tastes dressed head to toe in black, but it’s been cherished like a member of the family and has years of life left in it yet. At the right price, a Christmas miracle.
(Assuming I could squeeze a couple of pairs of skis in there)
However, they they feel highly effective rather than fun. I can't imagine wanting to get up early to go for a drive in any of these.
However, they they feel highly effective rather than fun. I can't imagine wanting to get up early to go for a drive in any of these.
The Golf is the wrong version, the RS3 is 13 years old so no doubt will start needing heavy maintenance, the Merc interior is creaky plastic, the Ford doesn’t do it for me and the money, the Yaris is probably the best to me but I can’t help think there’s some hefty depreciation still to come (mind you I thought that about the S1 when I owned it).
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