I know what you’re thinking. This article is written by a female. But before you run out and rev your V8, hear me out. There are some seriously hot hatches out there right now and they have some intense horsepower. A lot more than your V8 Commy, actually.

Being a female who loves cars, I am just following the stereotype that men dislike hatchbacks. And working in cars, I have had my fair share of male customers whinging about how much power these hatchbacks have.

They’re just threatened.

Look at Ford. They re-created the Focus, marking it up from a chic-city car to something with serious grunt. The Ford Focus XR5, using a Volvo five-cylinder turbo-charged motor was the start of this evolution, but it wasn’t until 2010 that they released their beast out of its cage. The Ford Focus RS, released in electric green, was rated by Top Gear’s Jeremy Clarkson as one of the best cars he had ever driven… Wow.  The 2.5-litre 20-valve engine puts out 224kW and 440Nm of torque. Who would’ve known?

If Ford isn’t fancy enough for you, try out the Volkswagen Golf GTI. Yes, most of you would shit your pants if you drove this bad boy. The new 2013 model has had some upgrades, with the 2.0-litre turbocharged motor now weighing 7.8 less kilos and putting out 162kW and 350Nm of torque. Yeah, who would have known a five-door hatch could do that?

Then there’s the canary yellow Renault Megane Sport 265 Trophy. With only 500 released worldwide, everyone would have wanted just a little test drive. This Renault Sports model can reach a top speed of 254km/h, with total horsepower of 265.

Still not sold? Well, check this.

The Mercedes-Benz A45 AMG is sex-on-wheels. With this Benz being compared to a race car, most enthusiasts will agree this AMG is second-to-none. With a 2.0 turbocharged motor, it kicks out 265kW and 450Nm when you put your foot down (on a race track, of course). Then add AWD grip and a seven dual-clutch system that makes it growl on downshifts, you’ve got a serious recipe for a hot hatch.

So you’re still not interested? Understood. I will let you get back to your V8 Commodore, I mean I don’t blame you; they probably won’t be around for much longer. This is the future, and it’s goddamn exciting.