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Are hot hatches faster than supercars?
It’s one of the fastest hot hatches out there but can an Audi RS3 really keep up with a Lamborghini Huracan STO round a racetrack?
Words by: Andrew Woodhouse
Published on 26 January 2023 | 0 min read
Modern hot hatches boast exceptional power and increasingly sophisticated technology to put it to the road, which translates into top-tier performance in the real world. But have they reached the point where they can actually outperform supercars?
Alex Kersten gets behind the wheel of one of the fastest hot hatches, an Audi RS3, and challenges Rory Reid, in a Lamborghini Huracan STO, in a head-to-head battle to find out. Which will win?
Alex Kersten gets behind the wheel of one of the fastest hot hatches, an Audi RS3, and challenges Rory Reid, in a Lamborghini Huracan STO, in a head-to-head battle to find out. Which will win?
How did hot hatches get so fast?
Traditional hot hatches were a simple upgrade of a mainstream model, with a bit more power, stiffer suspension and a few go-faster trim bits for a hefty return on driving fun for a relatively modest investment. As time has gone on engines have got more powerful, engineers using this as an opportunity to fit better brakes, more sophisticated suspension and introduce ‘big car’ tech like all-wheel drive and even four-wheel steering to make modern hot hatches ever more capable and exciting than before.
It wasn’t that long ago that 200 horsepower was considered enough for a decent hot hatch but that figure has doubled in recent times, the very fastest of the breed seemingly now capable of supercar levels of performance while keeping all the practicality and usability of the regular models on which they are based. This, and the fact they are often smaller and lighter than their more powerful alternatives should in theory make them just as fast – if not faster – in the kind of conditions most owners regularly drive. A theory Alex and Rory set out to test in this video.
It wasn’t that long ago that 200 horsepower was considered enough for a decent hot hatch but that figure has doubled in recent times, the very fastest of the breed seemingly now capable of supercar levels of performance while keeping all the practicality and usability of the regular models on which they are based. This, and the fact they are often smaller and lighter than their more powerful alternatives should in theory make them just as fast – if not faster – in the kind of conditions most owners regularly drive. A theory Alex and Rory set out to test in this video.
What’s the future of the hot hatch?
This pace of innovation means the hot hatch looks to be in a good place as the car industry embraces electrification as well. The instant torque of electric motors should mean even better performance off the line and in other everyday driving situations, while the relative mechanical simplicity of battery-powered drivetrains will hopefully see them making more efficient use of that performance.
Cars like the Cupra Born are an early indication of how hot hatch traditions could be reimagined for the electrified age, our experiences of living with one suggesting the formula works. Expect other manufacturers to follow suit, Abarth’s hot version of the electric Fiat 500e promising better performance than its petrol-powered predecessors in just one example of this. So, will your next hot hatch be electric? Let us know on social and learn more about electric cars here.
Cars like the Cupra Born are an early indication of how hot hatch traditions could be reimagined for the electrified age, our experiences of living with one suggesting the formula works. Expect other manufacturers to follow suit, Abarth’s hot version of the electric Fiat 500e promising better performance than its petrol-powered predecessors in just one example of this. So, will your next hot hatch be electric? Let us know on social and learn more about electric cars here.