Great handling, a comfortable ride and integrated tech make this hyper-modified Renault 5 a winner.

The idea of boosting the performance of otherwise normal cars has always had its appeal. Bootleggers in the American West would modify their pickup trucks in the 1930s prohibition era to outrun the police. The result was the birth of the hot rod.

Boosted saloons in the 80s were the result of racing homologation, which required manufacturers to produce a certain number of road car versions of their racers in order to compete. Hot hatches, too, were born from rally homologation, with tricked up versions of daily hatchbacks offering cheap thrills as well as practicality.

While American muscle cars will always be popular in their homeland, and German performance saloons continue to sell well, hot hatches have died out. The rise of SUVs, the lack of demand for smaller cars, and electrification are all key factors in this. But with the new A290, a modified version of the ...