These Are The Best Hot Hatches Which Didn’t Use A Four-Cylinder Engine

The humble four-cylinder engine has been the primary motivator and driving force for some of the most excellent hot hatches. Honda’s Civic Type R never strayed from the four-cylinder configuration, and for Volkswagen, its four-cylinder EA888 is one of its most potent power plants that it still relies on today.

However, while the four-banger is nearly omnipresent in the hot hatch segment, there have been a few models that are distinguished by the fact that they didn’t rely on a four-cylinder engine of some kind. These are six of the coolest hot hatches that weren’t powered by a four-cylinder engine.

Alfa Romeo 147 GTA

Engine: 3.2-liter naturally aspirated V6

Gran Turismo Allegerita. That’s a name that carries significant weight in Alfa Romeo’s history, whose origins date back to the mid-1960s. However, after a long hiatus, the GTA moniker would be revived in the early 2000s, in the form of the Alfa Romeo 147 GTA. This was a sportier facet of Alfa’s mundane hatchback that stood at the top of the Italian automaker’s 147 hatchback lineup. As the most athletic member of its family, the 147 GTA had unique go-faster hardware.

Its rear subframe was made from aluminum alloy instead of the heavier steel counterpart used in lower-ranking 147 derivatives and shrouded from view by a unique exterior styling that was more aggressive than that of its stablemates. Like its sedan counterparts, the Alfa Romeo 147 GTA sourced its forward momentum from a naturally aspirated 3.2-liter V6 engine. It was a gorgeous V6 engine, which offered nearly 100-hp more than the next most athletic 147 variant. Paired to this engine was either a six-speed manual or automatic transmission. While divisive and polarizing to some, there is no doubt that the Alfa Romeo 147 GTA is one of the coolest hot hatches that isn’t powered by a four-cylinder engine.

An Honorable Mention

Initially, this spot was supposed to be taken by a different hot hatch, one that we’ve called the best worst hot hatch ever created. The Renault Clio V6 was, as the name suggests, a V6-powered Renault hot hatch that didn’t even have rear seats, which is why it wasn’t included in this list. The naturally aspirated V6, while not commanding a high power output or blistering 0-60 mph sprint times, was a handful to drive, and that’s what makes it great. Produced in limited quantities, you’d be surprised what these are worth on the used market today.

Audi RS3 Sportback

Engine: 2.5-liter turbocharged inline-five

The Audi RS3 Sportback is the most powerful hot hatch available today, with the Mercedes-AMG A45S in close second, although we aren’t blessed with that potent German hot hatch here in the States. Audi’s hardcore hot hatch debuted at the start of the 2010s when the demand for performance was too much for the Audi S3 to live up to, leading to the creation of a version of the Audi A3 wearing an RS badge. Immediately distinguished by its athleticism and performance, the Audi RS3 Sportback has evolved into one of the mainstays of the hot hatch segment, being one of the very few five-cylinder-powered hot hatches ever made.

Mechanically similar to its sedan counterpart, the RS3 Sportback relies on the strength of Audi’s unique turbocharged five-cylinder engine that directs its power to all four corners of the RS3 Sportback, which allows it to be one of the quickest hot hatchbacks ever and is one of the few hot hatches that can sprint to 60 mph in less than five seconds. Paired to a seven-speed dual-clutch transmission, the Audi RS3 Sportback is capable of sprinting to 60 mph from a standstill in 3.8 seconds, although independent testing has whittled that time down to 3.2 seconds.

BMW M140i

Engine: 3.0-liter turbocharged inline-six

The BMW M140i is one of the coolest hot hatchbacks that we never got in the USA. While the typical hot hatch sends power to either the front axle or both, with its strength sourced from a turbocharged four-cylinder engine, the BMW M140i was the complete opposite. It, instead, employed a turbocharged straight-six engine that sent more power than its contemporaries exclusively to its rear, although the xDrive all-wheel-drive system was an option.

Beyond its engine bay, it was well-equipped. It employed variable sport steering aids, enhancing the feeling of agility behind the wheel of the M140. Meanwhile, the M Sport suspension system, M Sport braking system, and a shorter throw of the manual transmission improved the overall driving experience and performance.

Ford Focus RS

Engine: 2.5-liter turbocharged inline-five

In the second generation of Ford’s humble Focus model, a unique offshoot of the typically lackluster hatchback debuted. That model was called the Ford Focus RS. Now an iconic name, this incarnation of the Ford Focus RS was immediately distinguished from its family members by a more aggressive exterior design that was characterized by sharper body lines, a large wing, and a gaping front end.

However, the most defining aspect of the Ford Focus RS was its engine: a turbocharged 2.5-liter Volvo five-cylinder engine. We don’t see five-cylinder engines too often, and this was one of the coolest five-cylinder engines ever made. Still, while it was borrowed from Volvo, this engine features a larger turbocharger, metal-sprayed cylinder bores, revised pistons, and bespoke camshaft profiles to accommodate bigger small-end bearings. Although based on the same platform as the standard Focus, the RS variant features a wider track and a unique front suspension system called the RevoKnuckle, which improves handling on high-performance FWD cars like this.

Toyota GR Yaris

Engine: 1.6-liter turbocharged inline-three

Undoubtedly, the Toyota GR Yaris is one of the coolest cars you can buy today. Well, you can’t buy them and drive them in the US. It started, like many of the greatest cars ever made, to appease the homologation requirements. That’s why the BMW E30 M3 is great, and it’s the same reason that the GR Yaris is too.

Bred for rally, this hardcore Yaris relies on the Toyota G16E-GTS, one of the coolest engines of the last decade. It’s a three-cylinder engine, one of a handful, and one of the most powerful of its kind. In 2024, the GR Yaris was significantly updated, gaining a new transmission option, an improved suspension system and geometry, a slight bump in power output, and a revision of its exterior.

Volkswagen Golf R32

Engine: 3.2-liter naturally aspirated V6

In the early 2000s, Volkswagen introduced a version of the Golf that would be the first production car to feature a dual-clutch transmission, and paired with that DSG was a naturally aspirated V6 engine. That model was the now-iconic Volkswagen Golf R32, with the “32” part of its name a nod to its engine. While it looked like its stablemates, beneath the curvy physique was a Haldex Traction-based 4motion four-wheel-drive system that received nearly 250 hp from the vocal V6 engine.

Poise was sourced from the independent rear suspension system, while stopping came from disc brakes that measured 13.1 inches and were accompanied by calipers painted in gloss blue. The Golf R32 would be revived for the following generation, the Mk5 generation, where it retained the 3.2-liter V6, but in this configuration, it offered more power; however, the Mk5 was slightly heavier.

Sources: Audi, Alfa Romeo, Volkswagen, BMW, Toyota, Ford