I still remember the day when Renault came out with the current generation of the Megane RS. It had 250 horsepower and for the time that seemed insane. But Honda now has a new Civic Type R with 320 PS. Sounds like we need and adjudicator for a track battle!
Auto Express' track battles have become a whole lot more exciting since Steve Sutcliffe arrived. This one takes place on a much tighter, shorter track, where the Civic Type R can't take advantage of its power.
All three cars use the same formula, being powered by 2-liter turbo engines that send everything to the front axle using a 6-speed manual gearbox. The Type R is the most powerful here, with 320 PS, followed by the 280 PS Leon Cupra and the 275 PS Megane Trophy R.
Despite the output differences, all three of these cars have held the Nurburgring lap record over the past year or so.
Not surprisingly, none of them is perfect. For example, the Megane RS, is a bit dated, experiences brake fade and has a floppy gearbox. As for the Leon Cupra, it's too discrete for some people.
Our two cents/pennies says that while the Civic Type R looks aggressive and powerful, many of the people who like it that way aren't old enough to drive. If you live in a nice neighborhood, it's just going to embarrass you to be seen in a car with tall wings and flat spoilers that scrape speed humps.
That's not to say we wouldn't buy one, especially when it costs just £29,995. A 300 horsepower Golf R will set you back £30,820, but part of that is down to the standard all-wheel drive system.
Mihnea's favorite cars have already been built, the so-called modern classics from the '80s and '90s. He also loves local car culture from all over the world, so don't be surprised to see him getting excited about weird Japanese imports, low-rider VWs out of Germany, replicas from Russia or LS swaps down in Florida. Full profile
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