Hot hatches

Hot hatchbacks have always been desirable cars. Ever since the arrival of the seminal Peugeot 205GTi, the idea of stuffing a tweaked engine into a sensible hatchback, firming up the suspension and re-trimming the interior has kept manufacturers busy.

If you haven't got the deposit for an out and out sports car, or need the practicality that four seats offer, these are some of the best hot hatches you can buy today - plus, one that, when it arrives, will be the yardstick by which all the others are judged.