Now, we all our love a hatchback that goes fast and has looks to match it, but here in India, hot hatchbacks still haven’t made their way to the market, since most of them would turn out expensive due to the cars being shipped in as CBUs. In European countries, you’ve got a slew of hot hatches to choose from, but trend has caught on here yet. The prime idea of selling a hot hatch is to pamper the customer with good performance matched by great handling and of course, a sporty-sounding exhaust. While Indian customers may not have these privileges, we have our own little hot hatchbacks to choose from. The cars we’re going to list out provide well in terms of fun and practicality, whilst being affordable to buy, run and maintain.
1) 2020 Hyundai i20
The all-new i20 looks stunning, even when viewed from a distance. It gets the brand’s new design language with the sharp styling cues and body panels coming together to create a sporty-looker. The stance is perfect, and in a dual-tone colour theme, it looks just that little bit better. There’s a gloss black finish on the side skirts, the nose, roof, rear bumper and wing mirrors. On top of that, you have details to stare at, like the aggressive-looking nose with its sleek headlights, a creased bonnet, sporty 16-inch alloy wheels and the rear, which we think, is the nicest-looking part of the car with those Z-shaped tail lights.
The interior is all-new as well, with a new dashboard layout and a tidier design approach. There aren’t too many switches but there are lots of features provided. The quality is absolutely amazing, and takes thing up a notch in this particular segment. The build quality is nothing like Hyundai cars from the early 2000s; the feel, fit and finish are all excellent.
The i20 comes with a choice of different engine and gearbox options. There’s a 1.2-litre, naturally aspirated motor, a 1.0-litre turbo petrol and a 1.5-litre diesel engine to choose from. And of the engines here, we’d suggest the peppy 1.0-litre unit. The engine makes 118bhp and and it accelerates the moment you put your foot down. It feels quite fast too, and is mated to 7-speed DCT gearbox.
2) Tata Altroz i-Turbo
The Atroz i-Turbo remains untouched from the outside, except for the i-Turbo badge. It sports swept-back, stylish headlamps, the humanity line grille and a muscular bonnet, giving it a sporty look from up-front. Even the dual-tone alloy wheel patterns have been carried over, and what we continue to love are those C-pillar mounted door handles at the rear. The smoked-out tail lights with the gloss black treatment being our favourite bit.
The Tata Altroz i-Turbo gets more features, in the form of a connected-car technology called iRA, vehicle tracking, remote lock-unlock, What Three Words navigation app and the lot. You get lovely perforated leatherette seats and a black and grey interior theme. The seats remain large and comfortable with lots of leg room for passengers at the rear. You also get two more tweeters for the Harman sound system.
The new turbo motor delivers more power, and doesn’t feel underpowered like the naturally-aspirated model. Now, while performance has improved, it still isn’t particularly strong. And it uses port injection. It gets two drive modes: City and Sport, the latter of which is best used. The car feels easy to drive, but you’ll have to be light on the throttle, because too much of it, can result in a fuel efficiency drop.
3) Volkswagen Polo GT TSI
The Polo hasn’t changed much over the years, and there’s no news of a new replacement anywhere soon. However, it is loved for its tight lines and simple body panels. The wing mirrors gets a gloss black finish and a huge roof-mounted spoiler at the back. The infotainment system gets gloss black bordering and chequered seat upholstery. The big change, however, is under the bonnet. It gets a new 1.0-litre, 3-cylinder turbocharged engine that makes more power than the older 1.2-litre unit. And the new engine helps the car move quickly, despite the downsizing of the motor. And it continues to be a hoot to drive and dart around in.