What says driving pleasure more than a hot hatch? I can’t think of much else who’s limits can be fully explored and enjoyed on public roads quite like a hot hatch can. Big power, small car, that’s the recipe – pack as much in as you can and when you think you’re done squeeze a little more in. Yeah you’ve guessed it, we’re ranking this one on pure POWERRR! Eleven of the most ungentlemanly hatchbacks the world has to offer.
11) Renault 5 Turbo
1.4 Litre Turbocharger 4-Cylinder | 158 bhp
Weighing in at just 970 kg (or 2,138 lb for the Victorian readers) the R5 Turbo was capable of an incredible 124 mph top speed – I say incredible because let’s not forget this was 1980, the car only had a 1,397 cc capacity with 2 valves per cylinder! Bosch K-Jetronic fuel injection and a relatively large Garrett T3 turbo pushed the numbers to 158 bhp at 6,000 rpm and 221 Nm of torque at 3,250 rpm from the mid-mounted four cylinder. Those are just the road-going numbers, power ratings were rumoured to be well over 300 bhp for the R5 Maxi Turbo! 0-62 mph in at just 6.9 seconds, the R5 Turbo is quick even by today’s standards.
Infernal Combustion 
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