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Reviews

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Ford Fiesta ST (2013) CAR review

Ben Barry, 28 February 2013 16:00

This is the Ford Fiesta ST, baby brother to the Focus ST and follow-up to the 2005-2008 ST. It costs from £16,995, putting it head-to-head with Renault’s new sub-£20k Clio RS and Peugeot’s new £18,895 208 GTI. What’s the tech spec? At the ST’s heart lies a 1.6-litre Ecoboost turbo engine that chucks 180bhp and 214lb ft to the front ...

Vauxhall Astra VXR (2012) CAR review

Ben Barry, 11 June 2012 12:00

There are some pretty serious operators in the hot-hatch business right now, and this is Vauxhall’s answer: the new 2012 Astra VXR. It’s based on the extremely good Astra GTC, but ups the ante considerably with 276bhp and 295lb ft torque. More details of the 2012 Vauxhall Astra VXR, please… The VXR uses an all-alloy – the outgoing car had ...

Ford Focus ST (2012) CAR review

2.5

Ben Barry, 11 June 2012 00:01

This is the new 2012 Ford Focus ST. It’s Ford’s rival for the Golf GTI, but the blue oval hot hatch undercuts its equivalent key rival from Wolfsburg by over £4k. It also outpunches the GTI in the power and torque stakes, the ST’s 247bhp and 250lb ft being considerably ahead of the GTI’s 207bhp and 206lb ft. Ah yes, ...

Used cars: how to buy a second-hand Ford Focus ST (2006-2010)

3.5

Ben Barry, 20 March 2012 09:00

When the Focus ST launched back in 2006, it served up something genuinely different in the hot-hatch segment. Yes, there's that unique 2.5-litre, five-cylinder turbocharged engine, endowing the ST with a beautiful, Ur Quattro-like warble and bags of easy torque. But it's more than that: the whole feel of the Focus ST – while undoubtedly sporty and great to drive ...

Used cars: how to buy a second-hand VW Golf GTi Mk5 (2004-2009)

2.5

Ben Barry, 20 March 2012 09:00

After kickstarting the hot-hatch thing 36 years ago, VW spent much of the '90s and early '00s doing its best to squander its headstart, turning out the lacklustre Mk3 and Mk4 Golf GTIs, which traded on a name instead of serving up genuine GTI thrills. But the Mk5 marked a return to form, the tartan-checked seat trim echoing the early ...

Seat Leon Cupra R (2010) CAR video review

Ben Barry, 13 July 2010 10:12

Seat's Leon has long spawned some suitably feisty variants, and CAR Online was recently invited to Rockingham Race Circuit to drive the latest and hottest to date: the Cupra R. With 261bhp, a 0-62mph time of 6.2sec and a 155mph top speed, it's no slouch, and, as road test editor Ben Barry discovered, it makes for an interesting alternative to ...

Renaultsport Megane 250 Cup (2009) CAR review

3.5

Ben Barry, 21 October 2009 09:37

It’s been a big year for hot hatches, with the Golf GTI, Focus RS and Scirocco R fighting it out to name but three. Renault’s last-gen Megane R26R is still a match for them all despite its age, and now the French hot hatch expert is piling on the pressure with this, the all-new Megane 250. What are the headline ...

Mazda 3 MPS (2009) hot hatch CAR review

Ben Barry, 04 September 2009 00:07

Not that long ago, Mazda’s 3 MPS was the hot hatch king – well, with 256bhp it was the most powerful front-wheel drive hatch you could buy, if not the best to drive or look at. Now it’s back with an aggressive restyle, plus a whopping extra…sorry, old habits and all that. No, it’s back with exactly the same 256bhp ...

Renault Clio Renaultsport 200 (2009) CAR review

Ben Barry, 01 May 2009 10:45

We’ve long been fans of the Clio 197 Cup here at CAR, so when Renault invited us to drive the new 200 Cup at Portugal’s Braga circuit, we were there before you could say Renault Megane Renaultsport F1 Team R26. It’s a facelift! What a lot of fuss over 3bhp... Actually, the revisions are more extensive than that. Sure, there’s ...

VW Golf GTI Mk6 (2009) new CAR review

Ben Barry, 07 April 2009 10:39

The old Mk5 GTI might have had its thunder stolen by the Focus RS, Megane R26R and perhaps even the Civic Type R, but it was still the best all-round hot hatch you could buy when it recently went off sale. And that – combined with the fact that the new Mk6 is essentially a very thoroughly facelifted Mk5 – ...

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