Compact sports car kings face off | Audi or BMW? | Full track test

Pick your winner: do you think the latest Audi RS3 is the best compact sports hatch around? Its 2.5-litre five cylinder engine and relatively tail happy 4wd system says that it might be. And yes, of course we use the word ‘warble’ about the engine. It’s the law.

Or do you think that the BMW M2 in this uprated, angrier CS form is the compact hatch to have. It has a straight-six cylinder engine making a whopping amount of power and is rear-drive, so ought to have a beautiful natural handling balance. But it’s heavier than the Audi, and the track – the M Sport test track in Cumbria – is greasy.

So which is it to be? Secure all-wheel drive goodness, front-engine rear-drive hoonability, or are there some surprises on the way?

Join your host, Matt Prior, as he tries the two hottest small(ish) new sports cars on the market.

And for more information on both of these cars, and all of their rivals, join us at autocar.co.uk.