50 AUTOCAR.CO.UK 28 AUGUST 2019
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The Mégane’s ride
quality is non-existent
on a typical B-road
a
Δ and we do love it. “It remains
big and ugly and a bit too assured for
its own good at times on the road,”
says Saunders. “But no other car here
h a s a c c e s s t o t h i s s or t of s t a bi l it y,
grip, pace, drivability or outright
body control on track, which is
almost at competition-car level.”
My natural inclination is to quell
such enthusiasm, but Saunders is
right. The 316bhp Honda is not only
the most powerful car in our line-
up but it simply has a level of poise
beyond anything else, too, and there’s
greater mechanical involvement in
the gearshift alone than in the entire
driving experience of some of the
others. “In a field of eight mostlyfront-drive hatches, it’s as vividly
different from the rest as the MX-5,”
says Calo. Shall we assume, then, that
the Civic Type R is through?
Its closest rival here – the raw yet
sophisticated, heart-poundingly
quick and ultra-agile Renault
Mégane RS 300 Trophy – isn’t.
In fact, not one judge placed it in
their top three, which is a shock,
but taken all together, the French
car’s f laws are too much to ignore.
Davis, Saunders and Prior all cite
r ide qu a l it y, w h ic h , t he y s ay, i s non-
Accomplished Focus
ST won the judge’s
universal approval Officially (^34). 4 mpg. On this te
st: rather less...