First we had warm hatches. Then came hot hatches. In recent years, however, the hyper hatch has taken over the throne. In this issue, we test the newest entry to the fray, Ford’s bonkers Focus RS, and compare it with hyper-hatch royalty in the form of the Audi RS3 Sportback and Mercedes-AMG A45.
Does it have the pedigree to compete in this lofty arena?
We also test the new Smart ForFour against the formidable Volkswagen Up! five-door, the latter manufacturer’s new Golf GTI Clubsport, and the potential best buy in the new Toyota Fortuner range, the 2,4 GD-6 4×2.
First drives include road-test engineer Peter Palm’s assessment of the new Fiat Fullback bakkie, deputy editor Terence Steenkamp explores urban Johannesburg in the new Toyota Prius, and editor Steve Smith fulfils a lifelong dream by driving the ravishing Alfa Romeo Montreal.