Δ against Renault going a smidgeon
quicker still when it unleashes
the ultra-hardcore Trophy-R later
this year. But never mind the
Nürburgring; the point is that for
a good few years, GTI owners with
‘just’ 242bhp under their right foot
must have known they could go
considerably quicker in rival cars,
but with the TCR that’s no longer the
case. Welcome back, Volkswagen.
It’s the Golf we start in, and in a
cabin that feels extraordinarily fresh
given that the fundamental Mk7
a r c h it e c t u r e w a s i nt r o duc e d ba c k i n
- The TCR gets various niceties,
such as perforated leather for a firm,
f lat-bottomed steering wheel that
also gets a race car-style centre-
marker and attractive new cloth seats
whose deep bolsters are trimmed in
the soft grey microfibre also found on
the door cards and gearshifter. This
interior is a tailored sports coat next
to the Trophy’s no-nonsense yoga
pants and the scarlet bomber jacket
of t he Hond a , a nd a s w e l l it m i g ht
be given the £34,650 asking price –
easily the highest of the three.
The dull drive over to Wales from
southwest London was also a timely
reminder why the GTI is so uniquely
successful among hot hatchbacks.
Conspicuously quieter at a cruise
and more spacious than its slightly
claustrophobic-feeling rivals, and
with our car’s adaptive dampers
set to Comfort, the day-to-day road
manners are simply first class.
Whatever happens next, if there’s
space only for one car in your
garage, the GTI TCR needs to be in
your final reckoning.
W h at a c t u a l l y h app e n s i s t h at Id r op i nt o t he de e p R e c a r o buc k e t s
of the Trophy, bring up Race mode
on the touchscreen display and
he a d i nt o t he mou nt a i n s. A nd
that’s not as mindlessly gung-ho as
it sounds. Whereas the rear wheels
are generally slung in a contrary
direction to those at front at speeds
of up t o on l y 37 mph , i n R a c e mo de
that rises to 62mph. The effect is
nothing short of phenomenal: the
Mégane rotates through bends with
a z e a l t h at mu s t s u r e l y b e ide nt i f i a ble
to ‘ditch-hooking’ rally drivers.
Admittedly, there is an inescapable
feeling of the artificial, although by
making better use of all four contact
pat c he s , t he R e n au lt ge t s i nt o a
c or ne r mor e a gg r e s si v e l y t h a n t he
others, straightens up sooner once
through the apex and, assisted by a
fairly tightly wound torque-sensing
differential, then simply drives away
up the road. Point to point, it’s the
quickest car here – or at least feels
t h at w ay, de s pit e a n e n g i ne t h atdoesn’t feed with such glorious greed
over the last thousand-or-so revs.
But i s it t o o ne r v ou s? May b e ,
although we’re into the murky realm
of personal taste here, because there’s
certainly nothing perilous about
it. The Cup chassis is stiff – spring,
damper and anti-roll bar rates are all
significantly up compared with the
standard chassis – to the extent ◊
GOLF GTI TCR vs RIVALS COMPARISON
24 APRIL 2 019 AUTOCAR.CO.UK 47
The Renault
has the curves and
the Golf has the badge,
but the Honda stands out
in this company by dint of its
relatively long wheelbase and
considerable wing. Its 20in alloys
are also the largest here, and
the front bumper is almost
absurdly contoured
compared with the
Europeans’.
`
Point to point, the Renault is
the quickest car here – or at
least feels that way
a
Cup chassis makes the Mégane stiff TCR gets brakes from the Clubsport S
The Honda has the firmest brakes
Four-wheel steering
gives the Mégane
outstanding agility