Wayne Cunningham wrote:

 

http://asset1.cbsistatic.com/cnwk.1d/i/tim2/2013/09/03/Volkswagen_Scirocco_SS03_610x456.jpg

VW doesn't sell the Scirocco in the U.S., and that's a shame as we will never know the true character of a hot hatch.

 

After getting behind the wheel of the Volkswagen Scirocco R, I realized I had been using the term 'hot hatch' all wrong. For years, I had applied it to the VW GTI, the Mazdaspeed3, and the Ford Focus ST. Those cars drive great, and would seem to check the right hot hatch boxes: front-wheel-drive, hatchback body, turbo-charged engines.

But they all lack an ineffable, nefarious note.

The Scirocco R not only had the technical elements of the aforementioned cars, but it also gave me a feeling that I was up to no good. The low roofline, wide rear fenders, and narrow side windows all leant to the thuggish tone. Whenever I drove by a cop car, my inner voice was saying 'keep cool, man'.

That is the defining characteristic of a hot hatch, well understood by Europeans but lost in translation to the U.S.

 

http://asset3.cbsistatic.com/cnwk.1d/i/tim2/2013/09/03/Volkswagen_Scirocco_SS15_610x457.jpg