not sure????????

[cupra R 55]

so i just had mu cupra r stolen and written off and am thinking of getting a civic type r gt any input or comments on this car would be mostly appreciated thanks.

[nath123]

Hi there just bought a new ctr [57 plate], brilliant car to drive with excellent handling,comfortable supportive seats,slick 6 speed box,and a awesome engine note.They can be driven just as easily slow or fast what ever the mood takes u.The ride is firm but not unbearable for this sort of car,i have had 2 previous ep3 ctr"s and this new one is an improvement, but i still rate the old ones highly.You have to rev these cars to really exploit there performance but this is all part of the fun u will never get tired of that engine note.

[havoc]

The less biased answer is: It depends what you're after from a car.

I don't rate the two UK-model Civic Type R's as highly as their predecessors in terms of driving involvement, but they're well-built, good-looking, and have a great engine.

We're looking for a hot-hatch for the wife at the moment, and have test-driven the following:-
EP3 CTR - lovely chassis, very stiff, lovely brakes and gearchange, odd throttle-map made it really good fun on B-roads but flat on M-ways. OE seats not to everyone's tastes...
Not driven the new CTR, but the rear suspension is supposed to be a step-backwards, as is carrying-over the same engine into a heavier body. Styling is a step forwards, but since when is that the raison d'etre of a hot-hatch?!?

Leon FR - aggressive throttle-map and over-stiff suspension (what the **** is the new Cupra like???) made it 'skip' when cornering even in the dry. Interior cheap unless you go for the expensive options. Over-servo'd brakes, dull engine-note. Not overly impressed.

Golf GTi - Dull engine-note and over-servo'd brakes aside (yep, it's VAG!!! ), no real faults - good steering, excellent ride/handling balance (giving it a more resilient front-end than the SEAT), good driving position in a comfortable seat, nice chassis (not quite French but felt at least a little adjustable), well-built with good materials. It's the one we're going for.

Focus ST - Very nice interior, with high-spec for not a lot of cash in ST-3 form. Bigger car than the others, and felt bigger/heavier too. Engine note a beautiful quattro-esque warble, with a very torquey delivery which was deceptively quick. Stiff, slightly-crashy ride but not as badly damped as the SEAT so a lot of grip on offer and well-judged ESP. More a mini-GT than a hot-hatch IMHO, and probably the most obvious step-up from the old Cupra. But will be more £££ to run than the other 3...


The only real answer is to drive a few options and see what you think - Becs was really surprised that her two initial favourites (EP3 and Leon, based on image and reviews) were the two she liked to drive least, while I had to persuade her to drive a Golf and that's what she's going for (without any further pressure from me, either!).