Hot Hatch Race: Focus RS vs AMG A35, BMW M140i, Golf R , Audi S3

Hot hatchbacks are among the cars that I personally love. Combining the versatility of hatchbacks with crazy output figures is the way to go, and a lot of car manufacturers make sure that they have their own hero when it comes to the powered-up compact hatchback race.

CarWow pits the fastest of the bunch into a drag race, and it so happened that one is American and the other four are European. Now, which do you think is the fastest between the Ford Focus RS, Mercedes-AMG A35, BMW M140i, Volkswagen Golf R, and Audi S3?

Let's crunch the numbers here first.

The Ford Focus RS is powered by a turbocharged 2.3-liter inline-four engine that produces a healthy 350 horsepower and 350 pound-feet, sending the power to all four wheels via a six-speed manual gearbox. It has a top speed of 165 miles per hour.

The Mercedes-AMG A35 is a solid hot hatch that's propelled by turbocharged 2.0L producing 302 hp and 295 lb-ft torque. It also has all-wheel drive via seven-speed, dual-clutch automatic transmission. It can sprint to 62 miles per hour in 4.7 seconds with a top speed of 155 mph.

The BMW M140i will be the last six-cylinder rear-wheel drive ever, powered by a turbocharged 3.0L mill that makes 335 hp and 368 lb-feet of torque. It has almost the same performance figures as the Merc.

Lastly, the Audi S3 and the Volkswagen Golf R are almost like twins, both having a 2.0L turbocharged TFSI gasoline mill with 296 hp and 280 lb-ft of torque. Both are all-wheel drive, with the Audi having Quattro and the VW using AllTrack.

With these numbers laid out, which do you think won the standing and rolling drag races, as well as the brake test?

Also, more importantly, why was the Honda Civic Type R not part of this race?