VW offers hot hatch fans 400 reasons to get excited

Volkswagen has confirmed that its Golf R400 concept is going into production, making it the most powerful hot hatchback on the market.

The car, based on the ‘standard' R version of the current Golf, was initially unveiled at the Beijing auto show back in 2014, conceived as an engineering exercise to see how much extra power could be squeezed from the company's 2-liter, four-cylinder turbocharged powerplant. The answer turned out to be 395bhp (or 400PS, hence the concept's name), which in turn meant a theoretical 0-100kph time of 3.9 seconds and an unrestricted top speed of 174mph (280kph).

All of which is remarkable considering that in the Golf R (currently the company's hottest hot hatch) the engine tops out at 296bhp.

Most automotive historians agree that Volkswagen invented the concept of the hot hatch with the launch of the original Golf GTi in 1975. A car that was as exciting to drive as it was practical to own, it revolutionized the market, spawning a host of imitators in the process, from the Escort XR3i to the Renault 5 GT Turbo.

And, 40 years on, despite changing automotive trends and consumer tastes, the market for hot hatches is in the rudest of rude health and as competitive as ever.

Note that alongside the absolute luxury of the new Mercedes Maybach Pullman and absolute performance of the Ferrari 488GTB, two of the biggest and most exciting debuts at this year's Geneva motorshow in March were market redefining hot hatches -the Honda Civic Type R and the all-wheel-drive Ford Focus RS both of which boast more than 300bhp on tap.

However, while the Honda's 306bhp and the Focus RS's 316bhp both seemed remarkable -- especially in affordable, mass-market cars -- both are about to pale in insignificance alongside the Golf, which will raise the benchmark again.

But not only will it move to the top of the hot hatch horsepower table, the R400 boasts a higher output than anything that Audi, BMW or Mercedes has to offer in the sporty, compact sector. The BMW M135i offers 320bhp, the Audi RS3 326bhp and the Mercedes A45 AMG 354bhp. But as well as offering less horsepower, none of the three premium German cars can compete with the Golf, the Focus or the Civic in terms of practicality, affordability or day-to-day running costs.