Hot hatches

The VW Golf GTI may have popularised the hot-hatch genre, but the Subaru WRX and Hyundai i30 N are keeping the spirit alive. The hot hatch class is in crisis. What used to be a reasonable step up from ...

New Alpine R5 hot hatch to be previewed by A290_β concept

This is our first official look at the all-electric Alpine hot hatch in concept form

More driving range AND more affordable than a Tesla Model 3? Cupra secures 'unrestricted' supply of the 2023 Born electric hatchback

Cupra’s Born offers more range for less money than the popular base Tesla Model 3, as well as additional supply. Cupra Australia has confirmed additional supply for its Born hatchback, which it says is off to a roaring start ...

Fast Fords and Volkswagens for Australia! British tuner Mountune officially comes Down Under with facility in Tasmania

Mountune is well-known in the UK for its work with Ford and VW, especially in regards to hot hatches. British tuning company Mountune, best known to Australians for a recent partnership with Ford for the Focus and Fiesta, is ...

Will Honda go all SUV and ditch nameplate legends like Civic and Accord in Australia?

Honda says long-lived names like Civic and Accord still resonate with buyers despite SUVs like the ZR-V being way more popular. Honda says it will continue to offer traditional family-orientated passenger cars like the iconic Civic small car and ...

New Hyundai Ioniq 5 N: hot hatch to make Goodwood debut

Hyundai’s latest N model will be based on the all-electric Ioniq 5 and will borrow technology from the Kia EV6 GT

Honda Civic Type R breaks Nurburgring lap record

Honda reclaims hot hatch record on the Nordschleife

New Cupra Leon 2023 facelift spied testing on the Nurburgring

Cupra is giving the Leon a refresh this year in a fresh attack on the hot hatch market

The last new petrol Hyundai N car? 2024 Hyundai i30 Sedan N revealed, with new Subaru WRX rival confirmed for Australia

A next generation for the Hyundai i30 N hatch and Kona N SUV are in serious doubt, but the i30 Sedan N has just been facelifted. The last of the petrol-powered N cars from South Korea may be upon ...

Return of the king! 2023 Volkswagen Golf GTI returns to Australian showrooms after supply halted the Hyundai i30 N rival

The Golf GTI has been on hiatus as the variant with a rear view camera wasn’t being produced. The historic hot hatch icon, the Volkswagen Golf GTI, has been absent from Aussie showrooms for some time, but the brand’s ...

The small car that paved the way for the Volkswagen Golf and Mazda3 turns 50 - and we rank each of its 11 generation from best to worst

The original Civic from 1973 was the first supermini ever sold in Australia, and set the template for generations to come. How do you define success? If it’s through actions that lead to sustained changes, which in turn helps ...

Honda Civic Type R 2023 expert review

What we like Far-more elegant design inside and out Scintillating performance/steering/handling/grip Newfound refinement and improved ride comfort What we don’t Road noise Now at least $12,000 more expensive than before Four-seater only configuration What we like Far-more elegant design inside ...

The small car that paved the way for the Toyota Corolla, Volkswagen Golf and Mazda3 turns 50 - and we rank each of its 11 generation from best to worst

New 2023 Hyundai Ioniq 5 N: latest on performance EV

Hyundai’s latest N model will be based on the all-electric Ioniq 5 and will borrow technology from the Kia EV6 GT

New 2023 BMW 1 Series: sporty M135i hot hatch version spied testing

BMW is set to bring hybrid power to the facelifted 1 Series alongside updated interior technology

Should you buy a Toyota HiLux, van, hatchback, sedan or sports car now or wait for the redesign or facelift? Life cycles for Australia's best-seller, as well as Camry, Corolla, Yaris and more detailed

2023 Toyota Corolla 2023 Toyota Corolla Models like the popular Toyota Corolla and HiLux have been around for a long time now, so how long will they remain current? When is the best time to buy a Toyota? With ...

Volkswagen R cars: history, brand ethos and the best models driven

We mark two decades of VW’s performance sub-brand by driving some of the models that have worn the blue R since it all started with the Golf R32 back in 2002

New Hyundai Ioniq 5 N prototype review

We get a first taste of the new Hyundai Ioniq 5 N performance EV in the Swedish snow

New 2023 Volkswagen ID.3 GTX: electric hot hatch latest

The ID.3 will gain a new Golf GTI-rivalling model with the GTX badge

Hyundai Kona N could go electric: High-riding hot hatch rival will ditch petrol power but electric car version to battle Tesla Model Y, Polestar 2 and Volkswagen Tiguan R is possible

The petrol-powered Hyundai Kona N will disappear soon, but could make an electric return. Rumours of the demise of the Hyundai Kona N may have been exaggerated. In late 2022 Hyundai N chief architect, Albert Biermann, appeared to close ...

Would you pay $100 per litre for fuel to avoid an electric car? Synthetic fuels can save petrol-powered cars but more car companies need to support Toyota and Porsche's 'eFuels' to make them cheaper

eFuels could save the internal combustion engine, but right now it’s prohibitively expensive. Toyota wants to save the internal combustion engine and believes synthetic fuel is the answer – but not at the current price. Speaking at the launch ...

Just change the name first! The new FPV-like Ford sports hybrid crossover that could shake up the small SUV market in Australia against 2023 Mazda CX-3 sTouring and Toyota Yaris Cross GR Sport

Like its shrunken Aston Martin-like nose and sporty proportions suggest, the Puma ST is a driver’s SUV with real fizz and spunk. Ford has just unveiled a new addition to our favourite-driving small SUV/crossover, and it has Australia written ...

New Cupra Born V1 2023 review

The V1 is the cheapest version of the Cupra Born, but it certainly doesn't scrimp on quality

Green light for Red! 2023 Cupra Formentor VZx Rojo edition is available in any colour, as long as it's red

It’s the first time the Cupra Formentor VZx has been available in red, and only 30 are on the cards. Cupra Australia has gone to great lengths to make sure at least one of its customers is happy with ...

Shift change: Toyota GR Yaris and GR Corolla to get automatic transmission option

The Toyota hot hatch pair are about to be offered with automatic transmissions. Toyota has all-but-confirmed that an automatic transmission is coming to its hot hatch duo – the GR Yaris and newly-launched GR Corolla. Both models launched with ...

Australians love performance cars - but do we love them too much? Why car companies are at risk of flooding the market with too many sporty variants like Hyundai N-Line, Toyota GR Sport and more | Opinion

Mercedes-AMG’s C43 sedan looks pretty similar to a C300 AMG Line. As the famous fable tells us, don’t kill the goose that lays the golden eggs. But it seems that lesson is being lost on car company executives who ...

New Abarth 500e electric hot hatch: prices announced

The 152bhp Abarth 500e is the firm’s first electric hot hatch, and UK customers can purchase one of 1,949 Scorpionissima editions for £38,695

Got a $30,000 limit? Don't want an MG3? Revealing and rating every affordable new car, SUV and ute for canny buyers on a budget from Suzuki Swift to Mazda CX-3 and Toyota Yaris Cross

Models like the Suzuki Swift, Toyota Yaris Cross Hybrid, Nissan Juke and Haval Jolion make smart sub-$30,000 new-car buys. Congratulations. You’ve secured $30,000 and need a new car. Some people are saying that, right now, there’s never been a ...

Toyota GR Corolla 2023 review

The new hot hatch king? What we like Extra grunt from the engine Great handling on road and track More practical than GR Yaris What we don’t Limited small item storage space Cramped rear seats for adults Limited supply ...

Are you good enough to buy a Toyota GR Corolla? Why Toyota is vetting its hot hatch buyers to make sure its Honda Civic Type R rival gets into the right hands

The GR Corolla is one of the most hotly anticipated models from Toyota in years. Toyota will undertake unprecedented checks on customers looking to buy its new GR Corolla hot hatch in order to ensure each of the 700 ...

Bonus supply: 2023 Toyota GR Corolla pricing confirmed with even more cars coming that expected, but is it cheaper than a Honda Civic Type R?

The GR Corolla follows the GR Yaris in Toyota’s hot hatch stable. Toyota Australia has managed to secure an additional 200 examples of the new GR Corolla hot hatch than originally expected, with 700 confirmed for the first year ...

Honda's horror year in 2022, but 2023 will be the true test for CR-V, HR-V and new ZR-V

The ZR-V will slot in between the HR-V and the new larger CR-V. Last year we asked if Honda’s new way of selling cars could change the way every brand went about dealing with customers. And the answer is… ...

Au revoir! French hot hatch bids adieu as 2023 Renault Megane RS Ultime pricing and features confirmed

The Ultime gains some visual flourishes to differentiate it from the regular Renault Megane RS. If you’re after a spicy turbocharged petrol-powered hot hatch in Australia, your options are becoming increasingly limited. And they are about to be even ...

Fiat 500e delayed but pricing info finally drops

Fiat says the 500e will initially only be offered in a well-equipped ‘La Prima’ grade, though other versions are expected later. Fiat has finally revealed pricing of its highly-acclaimed 500e electric vehicle (EV), undercutting obvious rivals like the Mini ...

Skoda Octavia vRS (Mk1, 2000-2006) icon review

The sporty Mk1 Skoda Octvia vRS showed how far the Czech brand had turned itself around

Specs up! 2023 pricing for BMW Australia's new cars adjusted with updates across the range

Updates across BMW’s 2023 range mean some models are better equipped but also more expensive. BMW Australia has put into effect a price adjustment across many of its new cars, with popular model prices up by thousands. The pricing ...

No hybrids in sight! Wait times for 2023 Honda HR-V and Civic blow out as industry continues to be hit by supply shortages

Honda’s important new hybrid models are experiencing long wait times in 2023, but not as long as its Civic Type R hot hatch. Honda Australia has confirmed that is is struggling for stock of some of its most important ...

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