Meet The 鈥淢illion Dollar Scirocco鈥?
Remember the Volkswagen Scirocco? Sales of this Golf-based, three-door hatchback ended in Canada in 1989, and we never got the third and final generation (2008-2017) because the company feared it could negatively affect the Golf GTI. Also, the increasing gap between the U.S. Euro made the Scirocco鈥檚 business case hard to justify. We鈥檙e not here today to tell you that the little VW will make a comeback. Not because of what it鈥檚 worth, but because he feels like he has spent a million bucks pulling it apart and changing everything about it over the course of the past decade. Splashed in a rainbow motif, blurred lettering and wild graphics, the sporty coupe is one half drag racer, one half art car and a total head turner. Whipple, who is the co-founder of the California-based wheel company Rotiform Wheels, installed custom alloy rims, swapped the transmission and even hand-built a naturally aspirated 2.0-litre engine that can reach 180 horsepower. 鈥淓verything under the hood is 100 percent custom,鈥?he says. As for the unique body, Whipple literally gave carte blanche to British graphic artist Nicolai Sclater to hand-paint the then all-white vehicle. The crew unveiled their creation last November at the 2018 SEMA Show in Las Vegas. And the buzz around the car has kept growing ever since.
In fact it's hard to believe that this is their first crack at a high-performance variant, given the quality of what Hyundai has produced. The N gets a full suite of electronics as you might expect from the most expensive, flagship version of the i30. Some functions it could do without - like the trigger-happy lane departure warning that chirps away every time you venture close to line markings. Hardly a deal-breaker, but a touch annoying on something that is a true driver's car like this one. There was a time when a week in any Korean car was seen as a bit of a chore. That's not the case these days. In fact, a scheduling blip meant we spent almost two weeks with the i30n in our driveway, which was no chore at all. It's a bona fide performance machine that, dollar-for-dollar and pound-for-pound, makes a case against just about anything on the market. Fast, focused and fabulous, this is a car designed to bring new lustre and cache to the ever-improving Korean stable. It certainly does that. Based on the third-generation i30 hatch, it's impressively roomy and with decent cargo space for a car in this category. Seriously, with a top speed of 250km/h and a 0-100km/h sprint of just over six seconds. It feels even more feisty than that in real life, though. Squeezing more than 200kW out of a four-cylinder turbo engine has to mean some compromise - and the i30N's 8L/100km average consumption is it. 39,990 plus on road costs, it delivers technology, performance and standard equipment to embarrass its rivals. It's an absolute steal.
Both the RS (Rallye Sport) and Type R brands have heritage and loyal UK fans. Type Rs arrived in the nineties, and fast Fords have used the RS badge since the seventies. They now mark the top of each brand鈥檚 performance ranges. The Honda Civic Type R is the new hot-hatch king. A clever new chassis set-up means it鈥檚 more fun than ever without being too stiff for use on the road. Meanwhile, the strong in-gear performance feels more usable than before, and the car delivers sweet steering, slick shifts and incredible grip. It鈥檚 also really spacious and feels more up to date than the Focus RS. The 4WD Focus RS offers something a bit different from the Honda, so there鈥檚 no shame in coming second. It鈥檚 still a bargain considering the huge performance on offer, and it鈥檚 nearly as accomplished as the Civic in terms of handling. The Ford falls behind a little on ride and in-car tech, but you can鈥檛 go wrong with either of these amazing hot hatches. The VW Golf R is still one of our favourite hot hatches, and thanks to its powerful turbo and 4WD, it鈥檚 nearly as fun to drive as our rivals here. It鈥檚 also more practical than either and easier to live with - just not as exciting. It has the same 2.0-litre four-cylinder and 4WD combination as the Focus and Golf, but the A 45 is much more powerful. Performance is incredible and the cabin feels upmarket, but it鈥檚 not as involving as its rivals and costs quite a bit more.
Further up the size scale, the hatchback body is the default choice in the supermini class, and while some superminis are available as saloons in other regions, the hatchback overwhelmingly rules the roost in the UK. You have plenty of choice in the compact hatch class where the cars most regularly referred to as 鈥榟atchbacks鈥?reside. Starting with the likes of the Ford Focus, Honda Civic, and Peugeot 308, then moving up to the Audi A3 and BMW 1 Series at the premium end of things. Moving up in size, there are now hatch versions of the Ford Mondeo, Vauxhall Insignia and BMW 3 Series, and even a racy-looking A5 Sportback from Audi. At the very top of the tree, the Audi A7 Sportback, Tesla Model S and Porsche Panamera are the most luxurious hatchbacks you can buy. SUVs use the hatchback boot style too. Looking for a new car?
MINI(with Car DVD) may need to lose the all caps and add an asterisk to its name. The all-new 2016 Cooper Clubman is the largest car the company has ever made. MINI(with Car DVD) may need to lose the all caps and add an asterisk to its name. The all-new 2016 Cooper Clubman is the largest car the company has ever made. It鈥檚 enormous; a legit compact, hold the sub-. Nearly a foot and a half longer than the smallest MINI, it鈥檚 like a little limousine. That description isn鈥檛 much of a stretch, because the Clubman is built on a longer, wider version of the latest MINI Hardtop鈥檚 platform, itself now available in four-door form. The Clubman beats it on that count, too, as it has six doors. There are four for passengers, and, instead of a liftback, its hatch is accessed through side-opening split doors, just like a massive cargo van.
