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Manual Showdown: Honda Civic Type R Drag Races Renault Megane RS 300 Trophy

The stick shift is a bit of an extinct species in modern vehicles, especially when it comes to performance-oriented models. The Shelby GT500, for example, is a DCT-only affair. Ferrari and Lamborghini don’t offer manuals either, but thankfully, hot hatchbacks have yet to drop the good ol’ row-your-own box.
Drag race! Honda Civic Type R vs Renault Megane RS 300 Trophy (one of our closest ever!) 110 photos
Photo: Cars.co.za on YouTube
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Two of the best models in this segment are the Honda Civic Type R and Renault Megane RS 300 Trophy, and both of them rely on a six-speed cog swapper with short-throw action for a sportier driving experience. Even if this gearbox isn’t the best in terms of straight-line performance, Cars.co.za decided to pit the Japanese and French rivals against each other on a long piece of tarmac.

But first, let’s go through some on-paper figures. The Honda and Renault both crank out 400 Nm (295 pound-feet), but the Civic Type R has a slight advantage over the Megane RS Trophy thanks to 306 horsepower versus 296 horsepower. Only a tenth of a second separates the two models from zero to 100 kph (62 mph).

As far as curb weight is concerned, it’s hard to put the finger on which has the advantage because they’re pretty close. More to the point, the manual-equipped models tip the scales at 1,356 and 1,346 kilograms (2,989 and 2,967 pounds). Given these circumstances, there’s no denying that launching off the line is the most important detail in a drag race between the two hot hatchbacks.

Minimizing wheel spin is the secret to a clean launch, and this takes a lot of experimenting with the revs before you find a particular car's sweet spot. An advantage this early in the race decides who’s going to cross the quarter-mile finish line first. Spoiler alert: the Honda claws into the asphalt better.

Not even half a car’s length separates the two hot hatches over the finish line, making this one of the closest drag races ever performed by Cars.co.za.

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About the author: Mircea Panait
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After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well.
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