Summarize

This trio caused us to think out of the box. Firstly we had three hatchbacks lined up and one could not make it at the last minute. The M2 Competition happened to be here and we thought why the hell not?

Well first off, that flies in the face of our good old one-car-per-brand rule, but beggars can’t be choosers, right? Well to make good on that, we made a one-off concession that only one M car could make the final, there were more surprises to come...

Perhaps the most extreme small BMW since 2002 turbo, M2 Competition is a thrill-a-minute whatever way you drive it. Looks the part too – blackened kidneys and kit, splendid 19-inch alloys and carbon-rich M kit everywhere from the gills to the wing mirrors to the diffuser to define true racing character. 

Under the bonnet, track tested dual mass-optimised turbochargers sharpen response and high-revving panache to the tune of a crackling M sport exhaust adaptable your required wan at the touch of a button. 

Competition’s 302kW biturbo straight-six petrol lump hooks up to a 7-speed DSG box turning the rear end through a BMW M-diff that’s at its happiest laying rubber and belching tyre smoke, flat out sideways to the compliment of that brutal soundtrack.

Carbon struts make for a stiffer front end and more precise turn-in to lean on – the perfect car to bring the devil out in you.

Trouble is it’s double the price of its hugely capable front drive rivals on this page and it also needs to best represent what Pcoty stands for between the Beemers. M2 is head and shoulders above in sheer driving pleasure, but big brother has already turned this horse and pony show right on its head…

First impressions of the Mini are ‘what the hell has happened to John Cooper Works?’ Once the apex of Mini aggression, the latest one seems mute – watered down. You may not notice it over a Cooper S if you missed the badge.

It underwhelms on paper too. 170kW? How could that ever stand up to rivals well north of 200? Bloody well it seems. In fact John Cooper even held on to our hallowed front-wheel drive road test records for a few days – toppling the Type R that should have been here and Clubsport too.

If you’re trying to figure quite how a 170kW car can match a 205kW one, allow us to point out that the Mini is significantly lighter – like us you took them at face value. The aluminium direct injection twin-scroll BMW turbo 4-pot with variable valve timing is clearly up to it, while MacPherson struts and multilink underpinnings tuned for kart-like agility. 

All of that serves to put those first impressions straight back to bed and once again prove that one should not judge a book by its cover. Underwhelming at first, the Mini starred in the end, which some say is how it must be…

You would have noted that JCW was only our FWD road test champion for a few days and this is why. RenaultSport Megane kept that reign short – Le Coq only just managed to humble old John Cooper to take over atop the Auto Bakkie Race front wheel drive pile.

We anticipated driving RS Megane for a while and it was worth the wait in the end – not only does the dramatic Frenchman fit the bill, but its tech spec has been a source of intrigue too. 

Downscaled to 1.8-litres, the high-tech twin scroll turbocharged 205kW RS 280 is a champion in its new capacity class as it allegedly benefits all Renault Sport’s F1 expertise.

This Cup chassis is aimed at performance and trackday prowess with standard lightweight 19” alloys and bi-material brake discs to deliver a poised and entertaining drive, albeit  perhaps a tad mute in this company and a touch noisy on the road.

But like a Parisian cock, RS Megane not only looks the part and drivers superbly, but it is now our front wheel drive champion. too Just what it needs to help it to the final...

As noted, M2 Competition had to beat both these two and its big, bad M5 brother to the final and it was its sibling that ultimately dealt it the death knell – how do you say no to the fact of the quickest car we’ve ever tested?

Which leaves it down to the battle of the hatches and that left very little for us to choose from once was all tested and done – this one had to go down to the next step and the more exciting all-new Renault took it – by the narrowest of possible margins. – Mario Lupini