THERE WAS NO QUESTION THE HONDA CIVIC TYPE R NEEDED TO BE a part of TCoty. It's aced every challenge evo has thrown at it, running away with its first group test and putting in a strong showing at eCoty 2023, outscoring (and often outrunning) sports cars, supersaloons and grand tourers alike. Most recently, it won our mega-test of every hot hatch currently on sale (evo 318). And we know from its original launch at Estoril that it's a devastatingly capable car on track, too.
So its presence in this test was a given - much like the 911 GT3 RS, it's an established yardstick against which to measure cars of all genres. But experience also tells us that hot hatches, even ones which are brilliant in isolation, often fade into the background against pure two-seaters and big-horsepower machinery. So we decided to bring another hatchback along for a bit of direct context. And Ford's Focus ST Track Pack was one of the standouts in the track section of 2023's hot hatch shootout at Bedford Autodrome, even if it didn't shine quite so brightly on the road. Where previous time with the Civic has shown it leans towards being a precise - prescriptive, even - tool for the job, the Focus has been a more playful, more boisterous counterpoint. And, as the name suggests, in this trim it is designed to excel on the track.
The £3000 Track Pack option takes the Focus's price to £39,855. Big money for a Focus, though affordable in relation to the Civic's £50,050. The pack comprises adjustable coilover suspension (12 clicks on bump, 16 on rebound), Brembo front brakes with 363mm discs (up 33mm), 19-inch P Zero Corsa tyres on lighter wheels, and black paint for the roof, mirrors, boot spoiler and diffuser.
If you missed out on a Track Pack, you can buy the identically specced ST Edition for... £42,905.
Esta historia es de la edición June 2024 de Evo UK.
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Esta historia es de la edición June 2024 de Evo UK.
Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 9,000 revistas y periódicos.
Ya eres suscriptor? Conectar
BEST BUYS BMW M CARS
THE PERFORMANCE CAR LANDSCAPE WOULD HAVE looked very different over the last five decades without BMW. Its M division, founded in 1972, has produced some of the best driver’s cars ever to hit the road, and in the process has provided a stream of benchmark models for its rivals to chase. In recent years, stricter emissions regulations, downsizing and electrification have seen some of those rival cars falter, yet by and large BMW’s M machines have remained strong. In fact, some rank among the greatest the department has made think of the eCoty-winning M2 CS and M5 CS while others are the only options worth recommending in their respective segments. Price tags have risen with performance, however, putting those latest offerings out of reach for many, but the marque’s popularity means there are numerous earlier M models available on the second-hand market for far more attainable figures. Here are four of our favourites.
TYRE 2024 TEST
Want to fit the very best tyres to your performance car? The annual evo Tyre Test identifies the cream of the current crop
HONDA ACCORD TYPE R
A liberal sprinkling of Honda Type R fairy dust on the late-'90s Accord produced an unlikely evo icon and a genuine performance bargain
TOY STORY
Where best to store some of Toyota’s most prized and valuable racing superstars? Under the wind tunnel at its Cologne HO, of course...
POWER PLAY
It develops 819bhp. It has no turbochargers, no hybrid assistance. Ferrari describes it as the most complete GT it's ever made. And it’s so proud of its mighty V12 engine it’s named the whole car after it. This is the 12 Cilindri
THE FIRST SAMURAIS
Japan has been responsible for many of our favourite driver's cars of recent decades, but their ancestors are often much less well known. We take a look at where the big manufacturers began their performance car journeys
DEFINITELY. NO MAYBE
Three Japanese performance icons - Lexus LFA, Subaru Impreza 22B and Nissan GT-R. Over three days on some of our favourite roads we explore what makes each uniquely thrilling, but also the car culture that unites them
1V3.0
F1, P1... and now W1. The next chapter in McLaren's Ultimate Series is the British firm's challenger to the forthcoming new Ferrari hypercar and a £2million, 1257bhp, hybrid-powered, technical tour de force
Thornley Kelham European RS
One man’s dream to build the perfect Porsche 911 has resulted inthis aaticMously restored and enhanced classic. We delve into the details and take it for a drive
Bentley Continental GT Speed
The new Continental GT is the most powerful Bentley ever, and the beginning of anew plug-in hybrid era for Crewe. But is it still a benchmark grand tourer?
