2018 Renault Megane RS Meets Hyundai i30 N

So, what's the guy got to say about the i30 N? Well, the suspension is a little harsh, but it's perfect for a blast down a twisty mountain road. The manual gearbox is easy to use and makes you feel like you're a character from Fast & Furious, while the breaks are excellent for the track, with a sharp initial bite and progressive stopping power.

The Megane RS is an entirely different animal. The 2018 model is a tech-fest with a twin-clutch auto gearbox and rear-wheel steering. Its engine of choice is a 1.8-liter turbo, smaller than the i30 N, but offering five more horsepower.

Launching requires you to pull some pedals, engage some drive modes and pretend you're in an F1 car. The Renault is quicker than the Hyundai, but less involving, which is not to say that it won't excite you. Taking 5.8 seconds to reach 100 km/h the Megane is quicker than the Hyundai, despite its considerable weight.

A disadvantage of the digital revolution in the Megane is that its steering isn't as good as in the i30 N. It's still precise and direct, but it lacks a little bit of feedback and doesn't respond as well to small inputs.

Both are good and offer similar performance. However, there's something that sets them apart, and that's price. The reviewer says that his tester Megane is €43,000 due to the options, while the i30 N Performance can be bought for €29,000 due to a discount. But even if you ignore that, it's still about €10,000 separating the two.