Buy/Drive/Burn: Three Flaming Hot Compacts; One Will Actually Burn

With his last Ace of Base segment, Matthew Guy got everyone talking about the base Volkswagen GTI S. It went so far as to cause certain members of the TTAC staff to build GTIs over at the Volkswagen website. I didn’t do that, because I was busy ruminating on the difficult choices a Buy/Drive/Burn entry on hot hatches might offer. It’s difficult to write said entry the way I want, because the STI isn’t available as a hatchback anymore. So we’ve got hot compacts today.

Three hot hatches grr, compacts, from different manufacturers. One gets purchased, one you borrow, and one burns to the ground. Last time, it became apparent that some of you don’t know the rules, so here are the rules and you should read them before you scroll further. Let’s get speedy.

Proceeding from most racy to most serious, three distinct flavors of hot are on the table. All of these have manual transmissions in the specification discussed.

Honda Civic Type R

Last year, Honda decided it would sell this fifth-generation Type R in the United States, marking the first time the Type R had ever been available in this market. Available in one trim and four-door hatchback configuration only, Honda has tuned the 1996 cc inline-four engine, strapped a turbocharger to it, and piled up 306 horsepower. Those horses go galloping through the front wheels, and a manual transmission is required. Navigation and the shouty styling are included in the $34,100 base price.

Subaru WRX STI

A perennial enthusiast favorite, the WRX STI is a bit more subdued on the styling front. It’s got more power than the Civic – 305 horsepower. And the all-wheel-drive system means the power gets to the road a lot easier, and through twice as many tires. Subaru also mandates a manual transmission for the STI version of the WRX, and it will come home with you for $36,095. The interior is trimmed in Ultrasuede and leather; navigation is not available.

Volkswagen GTI

Serious and grown-up, the GTI continues the long tradition of simplistic styling and special cues that say GTI — like that red trim at the front (love). For the Honda and Subaru type money we’re talking today, you can’t get the Golf R, but you do get a top trim GTI Autobahn. Six-speed manual, leather, Fender audio system, navigation, and a panoramic sunroof are all standard. The only optional extras are wheels and dealer-installed accessories. Believe it or not, at 3,062 pounds the GTI is the featherweight of the group, besting the Honda by a bit less than 100 pounds, and the STI by nearly 400. It’s also the least powerful, with its 2.0-liter engine producing just 220 horsepower. Heavy on standard equipment but in the middle on price, it’s $35,070.

Well-equipped and wearing different tracksuits, which athlete wins a garage space, and which one ends up in the burned-out warehouse?

[Images: Honda, Subaru, Volkswagen]