TOPGEAR PORTFOLIO
When the second-generation Swindonbuilt Honda Civic Type R arrived on UK roads, it was the frst of the hot hatch genus to bust the 200bhp barrier. Doesn’t sound like much, does it? But back in 2001, the double-ton was big news for a ‘shopping car’ and necessitated the invention of a whole new strata of hyperbole. The hyperhatch was born. Now, 14 years on, the fourth-generation Civic Type R boasts a set of performance fgures that would have been happily attached to the spec sheet of ‘proper’ sports cars back at the start of the millennium.
The all-new turbocharged 2.0-litre VTEC generates 306bhp (10bhp more than a 2001 Porsche 911), 295 torques and will fre you from 0–62mph in 5.7 seconds. In two generations of development, the Type R has added nearly 110bhp. The same as the total power output of the original hot hatch, the VW Golf GTI MkI. Not only is this testament to the never-ending march of automotive progress, but a perfect articulation of why we love hot hatches so much. They deliver real-world thrills at a level that makes them attainable. Where a supercar is the petrolhead fantasy that only a few lucky people get to play with, hot hatches are blue-collar heroes: afordable and exploitable on UK roads.
It’s about all-round ability. Few cars deliver such diversity in one package: fve seats, a practical hatchback for the daily grind and enough performance to have fun at legal speeds. The greatest fun for the greatest number of people: automotive utilitarianism. The good news is that the hot hatch market has never been as vibrant as it is right now, and in this issue we have assembled the hot, hotter and hottest 28 to battle it out on road, track and Scotland. Only something genuinely superb can be crowned king. The TopGear Hot Hatch of the Year.
Enjoy the issue.
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