hot hatch


Renault Mégane Renaultsport 250 drops on unsuspecting Brits

We're not really fans of yellow cars, but every once in a while we come upon a butter-colored coupe and think, "Oh, that's not bad..." The Mégane Renaultsport 250 is just one of those cars, and makes us say again – in case we haven't said it enough – why can't we Americans have one of these? The next evolution in the Mégane Renaultsport line, the 250 has been relentlessly fettled to provide a driver with more thrills. It comes in two versions: a race-ified Cup model, and regular. The former gets just about all ... Read more →

REPORT: Ford passes on bringing current Focus RS to America Jonathon Ramsey

UPDATE: Ford just wrote us to clarify that while the all-new Focus RS just introduced in Europe won't be for sale in the U.S., "Ford intends to bring some new RS' to the US (as we've already seen in ...

Renault unveils updated Clio Renaultsport 200 hot hatch Noah Joseph

200. That's a mighty big number for such a tiny car, but it's the horsepower figure that Renaultsport's latest hot hatch packs beneath its bonnet. And while it may be only three measley horses more ...

Ford Focus RS heads to 'Ring in search of a class record Jonathon Ramsey

Pretty soon, it seems like the start of Nürburgring lap time season will take its place on motorsports calendars the same way you find with Formula 1 and NASCAR. The 'Ring season officially ...

REPORT: Renault to relaunch Gordini performance brand in 2010 Chris Paukert

While it may seem like an inopportune time to exhume a performance marque, that's just what Renault is up to, says Car. According to the U.K. glossy, Renault will relaunch the Gordini brand in Europe ...

Ford Focus RS starting abroad at 24,995 11 months ago on Autoblog

The 2009 Focus Rallye Sport has a price: £24,995 when it goes on sale in the UK in March. That will put you about £4,000 over a Focus ST3, but for that extra money you get a car that could be much closer to Ford's WRC competitor than it is to its ST3 sibling. The 300 horses and 325 ...

First Drive: 2008 Ford Focus ST (Euro-spec) 1 year ago on Autoblog

Save the hot hatch for last. That's what we kept telling ourselves as we wandered the Belgian countryside looking for Ford's Lommel Proving Ground. As it turns out, the facility, located next to an air force base – restricted airspace, you know – is so secret, our hosts at Ford could ...

Review: 2008 Volkswagen R32 1 year ago on Autoblog

The scraping as I pulled into the church parking lot worried me. I'd only had one of the rarest of VeeDubs for a few hours and I might have already nicked it. An unholy shame for sure, since for two weeks I had looked forward to blasting down I-20 at the wheel of an R32. For two weeks I had ...

Spy Shots: Fiat Punto Abarth 2 years ago on Autoblog

The Fiat Punto Abarth -- the tarted up version of the Punto by Fiat's in-house tuning arm -- has been seen on the roads of Turin, and it's hot hot hot. The car looks every bit as good as the concept, perhaps even better, having swapped the white mirrors for red ones. It will have a turbocharged ...

Paris Preview: Peugot 207 GT 3 years ago on Autoblog

Peugot will be taking the wraps off its newest hot-hatch at Paris: the 207 GT. While anticipation had been building for a road-going production version of the 207 Super 2000 rally car (hinted at with the 207 RCup concept shown at Geneva), the latest information indicates that this will be the ...

575-HP HPA R32 - the hottest hatch of them all 3 years ago on Autoblog

HPA Motorsports has applied its turbo prowess to the latest and greatest of VW hot hatches, the Euro-only (for now!) R32. In stock form the R32 produces 250 bhp from its 3.2-liter V6, but after HPA gets done adding its FT575 package, the car produces an astounding 575 horsepower. With that kind of ...

Mitsubishi launches Colt Ralliart Version-R 3 years ago on Autoblog

Mitsubishi launched its newest Ralliart variant in the Japanese market this week - the Colt Ralliart Version-R. Powered by a 1.5-liter, DOHC 16-valve, four-cylinder MIVEC turbo under an EVO-esque hood vent, the little FWD pocket racer is motivated by 154 hp, turning 16-inch alloys clad with 205/45 ...

Renault launches new Clio Renault Sport 3 years ago on Autoblog

The European market is blessed with a host of hot hatchbacks, and this latest addition ratchets the competition up a notch. Renault's new Clio Renault Sport is distinguished by "Formula 1-inspired" aerodynamics, notably front fender extractor vents and a first-in-class functional rear diffuser. The ...

Spy Shots: Honda Civic Type-R 3 years ago on Autoblog

World Car Fans has a gallery of new spy photos of Honda Motor's Euro-Civic hatchback, apparently in Type-R trim. The lightly disguised Civic looks like it should be a worthy competitor in the european market's hot hatch wars. Although WCF reports that all models of the new hatch will get sportier ...

SEAT debuts new Leon FR, intelligent lighting system 3 years ago on Autoblog

Volkswagen subsidiary SEAT is showing off its latest and greatest at its hometown Madrid Motor Show this week. Highlighting the company's announcements is its new Leon FR model. The sporty hatchback is powered by either a new 200 hp 2-liter TFSI gasoline engine or SEAT's 170 hp 2-liter TDI diesel. ...

Rabbit, Run: It keeps going... and going... 3 years ago on Autoblog

Given Volkswagen's recent announcement that it is pulling a Rabbit out of a hat Golf, and that Easter has just fallen off the calendar, we thought we'd remind readers that they can still purchase something very close to VeeDub's original bad bunny. That is, provided you call South Africa home. In ...

Volkswagen launches new Polo GTI 3 years ago on Autoblog

VW continues its new model push with a performance version of its Polo. The company borrowed heavily from the Golf GTI to come up with its new Polo supermini, which hits selected markets this spring, after having debuted at the Tokyo Motor Show in late 2005. A significant step up from the last Polo ...






Autoblog Podcast #154: Gobbling up the News

Chris, Sam, and Dan kick out a podcast just in time for the long holiday drive.

 
 

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