hatch backs that go grrr

THESE THREE TEETH-BARING FOUR-DOORS ARE AMONG THE HOTTEST HATCHBACKS EVER, AND THEY

- DAVE VANDERWERP

Early in the indoctrination process, a car enthusiast learns of the impossibility of a single vehicle that excels in every area. A low-slung, lightweight sports car is inherently at odds with cargo and passenger space. That's why we're all dreaming of and scheming toward having a diverse fleet at the ready, right?

But these three cars are about as close as you can get to the do-it-all ideal, with adult-habitable back seats, hatchback cargo spaciousness, and track capability that lets them hang with sports cars from not that long ago. Plus, their mid-$40,000s prices are no higher than the new-car average.

The newest nameplate in this bunch is the GR Corolla. It represents the third vehicle in Toyota's increasingly impressive Gazoo Racing division arsenal. Based on the Corolla hatchback that we know and don't love, the rally-bred GR packs a 300-hp wallop from a 1.6liter three-cylinder, a snicky sixspeed manual, all-wheel drive, and a mechanical parking brake ready to heave it hatch first into the next corner.

Honda overhauled the Civic Type R for 2023, building upon the excellent previous generation, which brought the red R badge back to the U.S. in 2017. The Type R is more harmonious this time around, though, with mature exterior sheetmetal to match the chassis's extreme polish. Power from the turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder is up ever so slightly to 315 horsepower, and, like in the Corolla, the only transmission is a six-speed manual.