KNOCKOUT ROUND BBADC 2019
28 AUGUST 2019 AUTOCAR.CO.UK 47
Price £31,835
Engine 4 cyls, 1798cc,
turbocharged, petrol
Power 296bhp at 6000rpm
Torque 295lb ft at 3200rpm
Gearbox 6-spd manual
Kerb weight 1419kg
0-62mph 5.7sec
Top speed 162mph
Economy 34.4mpg
CO 2 , tax band 185g/km, 37%
RENAULT MEGANE RS 300 TROPHY
always needed, although our non-
Sport variant does without the firmer
Bi l s t e i n d a mp e r s. It ’s s t i l l s ubl i me ,
w it h “ mor e s t e e r i n g lo c k t h a n a
London taxi” and the mechanical
limited-slip differential making it the
d r i v e r s’ c hoic e i n t h i s t e s t , s ay s C a lo.
It’s soon obvious that the Mazda
stands an excellent chance of making
our final three. And if that seems
unfair on the basis that it’s the only
car here with the conventionally
desirable mechanical layout, it would
have had a healthy chance of doing
s o e v e n w e r e t h i s ou r f u l l-f at ‘s e n ior ’
handling showdown – the one withthe Ferraris, Porsches and Ariel
A t om s. O n t r a c k , t he M X-5 ’s e x t r a
power helps set the tail wide on the
way into corners, then simply aim the
nose at the apex with the throttle like
y ou’r e Mo s s at t he he l m of a n A s t on
DB4 GT. Sorry to gush. But look,
y ou h av e t i me t o t h i n k , b e c au s e t he
Mazda communicates its intentions
so clearly, and yet you needn’t think
at all because it’s all so intuitive.
The full-throttle driving style
applies as much on the road, too.
“Utterly wonderful at its best,” says
Saunders. “In a f luent cross-country
groove, sweeping up to and around
the national limit and using plenty of
revs, fitting perfectly inside a B-road
lane and giving so much qualitative
splendour back without needing to be
d r i v e n at si l l y s p e e d s.” A me n.
If one might find the Mazda too
c ompr om i s e d a s a s ole c a r, it c ou ld
w ork s ubl i me l y w e l l a s pa r t of a
two-car garage alongside the hottest
w a gon y e t t o b e pr o duc e d b y S e at –and yet here the two cars are, side by
side and up against one another in
the same comparison test.
Cupra is now a separate go-faster
sub-brand, which makes the Leon
Cupra ST something of a brand
orphan. There’s nothing pitiable
about it, though: the 296bhp 2.0-litre
t u rb o fou r i s t r a n s pl a nt e d f r om t he
Volkswagen Golf R, and while the
hatchback variant is front-driven,
the estate gets rear driveshafts that
help drop its 0-62mph time below
f i v e s e c ond s. A s C a lo not e s , it ’s a
performance level that not long ago
was the preserve of wagons with
twice the cylinder count and bearing
the letters ‘AMG’.
Unsurprisingly, the judges are fond
of it. This is an understated car of
pretty explosive pace but unexpected
delicacy. All are in agreement that it
lacks the damper control demanded
by its outright speed on the road, but
it’ll adopt a rear-biased cornering
s t a nc e t h at r e w a rd s a n a gg r e s si v e
driving style. There is, however, a
c at c h. Sau nde r s , a ga i n: “I hone s t l y
hadn’t realised this was a £33,000
car when I included it in the line-
up. It’s a lot of car, obviously, but
that’s stretching the definition of‘affordable’ a bit far.”
Value for money matters at Junior
Ha nd l i n g Day. W h at nob o d y c ou ld
agree on was whether or not the
£29,995 slope-roofed Hyundai i30 N
Fastback represented such a thing.
On the one hand, in the world of the ◊
Davis liked the
i30 for its “sheer
entertainment”
Price £36,445
Engine 4 cyls, 1984cc,
turbocharged, petrol
Power 286bhp at 5000-6200rpm
Torque 280lb ft at 1950-5300rpm
Gearbox 7-spd dual-clutch
automatic
Kerb weight 1410kg
0-62mph 5.6sec
Top speed 155mph (governed)
Economy 36.7mpg
CO 2 , tax band 177g/km, 37%
VOLKSWAGEN GOLF GTI TCR