2014 MINI Cooper S Clubman

Minis have always intrigued me. From the first time I saw one on TV, during a recap of a World Rally Championship from back in the day, I was fascinated with how people could actually take such a tiny vehicle and turn it into a full-fledged race car. Add in the fact that it always looks like a toy car that even a child could drive only piqued my interest further.

Of course, the current iteration of the Mini is not the Mini of the past. Now a part of BMW's slowly growing brand portfolio, Mini has benefited from some of BMW's production, engineering, and marketing expertise, turning what used to be a small niche brand into a true global auto brand. BMW, in turn, has benefited from Mini's expertise to develop front wheel drive platforms that may underpin future BMW vehicles. The first of these that we have seen is the 2-series Active Tourer, a vehicle that looks like a Mazda5 dressed in fancy duds. However, this BMW involvement had many concerned that the very classically British character of the Mini brand would be stifled by the cold, austere demeanor of its German owners. Are the new variants, including some pseudo-SUV and pseudo-workman vehicles too devoid of real flavor to be an honest tribute to the Mini brand name?

Test Drives: 2013 Hot Hatch Comparison

During the last few weekends in March, we tested five hot hatchbacks currently available in the market. Those reviews can be read by clicking on the following links:

2013 Fiat 500 Abarth
2013 Subaru WRX 5-Door
2013 Mini Cooper S
2013 Volkswagen Golf GTI Autobahn Edition
2013 Ford Focus ST

What is a hot hatchback? Many people have variations on the definition of what makes a hot hatchback, but to us, it is pretty simple. It should be a hatchback with ample cargo space like its more pedestrian counterpart, but with a sport tuned suspension, more powerful engine through turbo charging or increased displacement, and the right amount of exterior modification to help it look sporty and differentiate itself from its more basic sibling. A hot hatchback should be a car that you can drive everyday to work or the grocery store, but should also be capable of handling spirited driving sessions, or even a track day or two. So we rounded up some of the most popular hot hatches on the market to see which one best meets that definition.