Fifth Gear's Old Video Pits Megane RS 265 Against Toyota GT 86

While Europe was still disputing who can make the best hot hatchback, Japan came out of nowhere and took the world by storm with three sports coupes which were pretty much the same thing - Scion FR-S, Toyota GT 86 and Subaru BRZ.

Obviously, any hot hatch with a 2-liter turbocharged engine outguns the GT 86, which has been shown to produce even less than its claimed 200 horsepower in some independent dyno tests. But that's not what this Fifth Gear video is about.

No, Tiff and VBH if the age-old myth that rear-wheel drive cars are always more balanced and better fun, with Toyota supposedly having and advantage in that department.

Like many Fifth Gear comparisons, this one starts with the autotest, designed to reveal which of the two is lighter on its feet. The Toyota's balance wins it, but we wonder what would have happened if the result would have been the other way around if Tiff was in the Megane.

Drifting is the name of the second challenge, and if you think the FWD Megane RS can't do that, you obviously haven't read our guide on the subject. We did one both on lift-off oversteer and the Scandinavian flick, both of which are relevant here. But "her ladyship" only manages to get the Megane's rear unstuck using the old-fashioned tug of the handbrake.

But Tiff is a man even Keiichi Tsuchiya-san respects, so he makes the GT 86 dance straight away. Lastly, it's a timed track attack, which the Megane wins by over two seconds. Everybody knows Renaultsport makes killer track toys!

Obviously, this 4-year old video is outdated, but we think it's relevant for the people looking to buy a second-hand model who might need that the GT 86 is indeed slow but a lot of fun.