2018 Volkswagen Up GTI Driven: A Pint-Size Hot Hatch

– In the summer of 2015, from a Volkswagen perspective, the automotive world seemed largely okay. The factories were humming, and engineers were working on high-performance projects such as the Golf R400 and luxury models like the next Phaeton. Then the diesel scandal struck, and Volkswagen was turned upside down. The fallout saw a strategic […]

2018 Audi S5 Sportback, Tested in Depth: Fast Hatch with a Slight Catch

– The four-door hatchback Audi S5 Sportback combines the comfort and convenience of the S4 sedan with the sleek looks of the S5 coupe. The S5 Sportback is powered by a turbocharged 3.0-liter V-6 engine with 354 horsepower and a heady 369 lb-ft of torque. A smooth-shifting eight-speed automatic transmission is standard, and it works […]

2017 Volkswagen Golf R In-Depth Review: The Adult-Approved Hot Hatch

– The Golf R is a multi-time 10Best Cars winner, along with the rest of the Golf family. However, this rapid yet eminently livable hatchback can be eclipsed by the fast and furious facades of the Honda Civic Type R and the Ford Focus RS. The hot VW’s lesser sibling, the Golf GTI, also represents […]

The Republican Tax Bill Might Need an Escape Hatch to Pass

Republican Senate leaders have sold their proposed tax cuts as a surefire jolt to the economy—one that will eventually refill the nation’s coffers with revenue generated through more jobs and higher wages. But what if it doesn’t? One of the final pockets of resistance to the GOP plan is coming from senators who have seen […]

2019 Ford Focus Hatch Spied Nearly Uncovered!

– What It Is: As the hashtag on this Ford Focus prototype reads, it’s Time to Focus—on Ford’s upcoming 2019 Focus. We’ve spotted the hatch before, albeit slathered in bodywork-obscuring camouflage; ditto the four-door sedan variant. This marks our first good look at the car’s final sheetmetal and the outlines of its headlights, taillights, and […]

2018 Ford Focus RS In-Depth Review: A Fond Farewell to a Hard-Core Hatch

– All good things must come to an end: The fantastic Ford Focus RS enters its final year of production packed with performance paraphernalia and ready to desecrate a racetrack near you. Ford’s hard-core hatch has a 350-hp turbocharged four-cylinder engine that pairs exclusively with a six-speed manual transmission. Its torque-vectoring all-wheel drive is capable […]

Faster, Hot Hatch! Volkswagen Golf R Lifts Its Speed Limiter—in Europe, Anyway

– Top speed, on U.S. roads, is a mostly academic number. But in other parts of the world, it’s a different story. On unrestricted portions of the German autobahn, the Volkswagen Golf R—the 306-hp all-wheel-drive screamer at the top of the Golf range—can stretch its legs all the way to its 155-mph governor. But if it […]

Le Hatch Chaud: New Renault Megane R.S. Debuts; We Want It

– European hot-hatch fans rejoice: Renault just unveiled the latest iteration of the Mégane RS. Based on the roughly two-year-old current-gen Mégane hatchback, the RS model returns to represent the automaker in the fiercely contested European sport-compact segment. That means facing off against such storied players as the Volkswagen GTI and the Ford Focus ST, […]