Volkswagen didn't invent the concept of the hot hatchback, but its GTI defined the ideal combination of affordability, performance and practicality. With the impressive R32 -- available only in 2004 and 2008 -- the German automaker pushed the GTI concept even further with all-wheel drive and up to 250 horsepower.
Fans had to wait another four years for the R32's successor: the 2012 Golf R with all-wheel drive and a turbocharged 2-liter four-cylinder engine that put out 256 horsepower and 243 pound-feet of torque. Unlike earlier R32s, the Golf R has remained in production for longer than a single model year.
