MAN Magazine Winter 2019

d
an
00.0mpg
00.0mpg
00.0mpg
HONDA CIVIC TYPE R
COMPARISON
RENAULT MEGANE RS
VOLKSWAGEN GOLF GTI
OFFICIAL Combined
33.2mpg OFFICIAL Combined 3
MPG Low speed
25.2mpg MPG Low speed
n
(WLTP) Medium speed
34.4mpg (WLTP) Medium speed
n
High speed
38.2mpg
B-road, giving High an objective speed
n
BEST
benchmark in terms of handling
Test MPG
32.4mpg TO
Test MPG 3
DRIVE limits, and here the Golf was more
Fuel cost per 12,000 miles £2039
than a second Fuel slower cost than per 12,000 the miles £
Tank
CO 2 emissions (NEDC)
46 litres
176g/km
closely matched Mégane and Civic.
The Golf is Tank at its best when
driven at eight-tenths, CO 2 emissions then, at (NEDC)
which point you can really savour
5
1
SAFETY
its steering and (if you’ve specified
the £875 adaptive dampers fitted
Euro NCAP rating (2017)
yyyyy Euro to NCAP our test rating car) its (2015) supple ride.
The Civic is even more forgiving,
All protection
POWERTRAIN
92% 75% 75% 88% All aided protection by the fact it 88% gets adaptive 87%
dampers as standard, whereas the
Mégane’s Cup suspension bounces
and jostles you about incessantly;
71%
Engine
Peak power
4cyl, 1996cc, turbo, petrol
316bhp @ 6500rpm
it’s only when you drive like there’s
Engine a tornado on your 4cyl, tail 1798cc, that it starts turbo, petrol
Peak to settle power and you 296bhp can appreciate @ 6000rpm
Peak torque 295Ib ft @ 2500-4500rpm
Peak its torque ability to stay 295Ib composed ft @ on 3200rpm
badly surfaced roads.
Gearbox 6-spd manual
Gearbox As good as the 6-spd Mégane’s manual engine
PERFORMANCE
sounds, the fact you can always
hear it can become a bit tiring
on the motorway, although road
noise is relatively subdued by hot
Top
hatch standards. There’s Top a lot more
0-60mph speed
0-60mph
of this in the Civic, along speed with
some exhaust boom, so it’s the
5.4sec 169mph
noisiest 5.7seccruiser, while 161mph the Golf sits
at the other end of the refinement
spectrum but still suffers from
Acceleration
Acceleration
some rear suspension thudding.
30-70mph through the gears 4.6sec
30-70mph through the gears 4.9sec
BEHIND THE WHEEL
30-50mph 3rd 2.4sec 4th 4.0sec 5th 6.0sec 6th 9.2sec 30-50mph Driving position, 3rd 2.6sec visibility, 4th 4.1sec 5th 6.4sec 6th
50-70mph 3rd 2.3sec 4th 3.0sec 5th 3.9sec 6th 5.5sec 50-70mph build quality 3rd 2.5sec 4th 3.3sec 5th 4.8sec 6th
‘The Civic is incredibly poised, so you
quickly feel comfortable driving it fast’
per 12,000 miles £000
itres
sions 000g/km, Euro 0
ECONOMY & EMISSIONS
‘Four-wheel steering makes the Mégane
agile, while its engine growls and crackles’
Braking 30-0mph 7.5m 70-0mph 41.4m
Noise
CARS PICTURED
Honda Civic Type R 2.0 VTEC Turbo GT with Polished Metal metallic
paint (£525)
OUR RATINGS
Driving
Performance
Ride
Handling
At 30mph 65.6dB At 70mph 72.2dB
Refi nement
‘The Golf piles on speed with the help of
Behind the wheel
blink-and-you’ll-miss-them Driving position gearchanges’
Visibility
Infotainment
Quality
Space and practicality
Front space
Rear space
Seating fl exibility
Boot
Buying and owning
Costs
Equipment
Reliability
Safety and security
Overall rating
yyyy
Braking Inside, the 30-0mph main difference 8.0m 70-0mph 43.9m
between the TCR and lesser Golf
Noise GTIs is that At the 30mph trademark 64.4dB tartan At 70mph 71.2dB
seat fabric has been swapped
for something less retro. The
seats themselves are the most
Renault Mégane RS 300 Trophy with Recaro Sports Pack (£1500
conventional here, making them
Liquid Yellow paint (£1300), Bose Pack (£800), front parking se
and
comfortable
rear-view camera
on
(£400)
long
and
journeys
Visio System
and
Pack (£250)
easy to get in and out of but not
ideal for fast driving.
Climbing into the front seats of
Driving the Civic and Mégane is harder,
Performance
due to their heavy bolstering. But
Ride
once settled, you’re held tightly
in place through corners and still
Handling
remain free from aches and pains
Refi even nement after a few hours at the wheel.
Behind However, the wheel the Mégane’s driving
Driving position position won’t appeal to everyone,
Visibility because its seat base is angled up
Infotainment
towards the front of the car in a
way that makes it feel as if you’re
Quality
in a really supportive deck chair.
Space Fortunately, and practicality
the £1500 Recaro
Front buckets space go some way towards
Rear solving space this – and look sensational.
Seating Overall, fl exibility the Golf feels plushest,
mainly because of the tactile
Boot
plastics and sense of solidity that
Buying
it inherits
and
from
owning
the everyday Golf.
Costs It also gives you the best allround
visibility, thanks to its
Equipment
Reliability comparatively large windows,
Safety with and these security backed up by front and
rear parking sensors and a rearview
camera. The Civic also gets
these features, but the Mégane
makes do with rear sensors alone.
80 | June 2019 whatcar.com
82 | June 2019 whatcar.com