DIFFRENTIAL EQUATIONS

THE HONDA CIVIC TYPE R COSTS OVER $72K. THE HYUNDAI i30 SEDAN N IS A MERE $49K. SHOULD YOU PAY 48 PERCENT MORE FOR 14 PERCENT MORE POWER? WE ANSWER THE QUESTION

- ANDY ENRIGHT

THE BEST HOT HATCH in the world right now is built by Honda and you're looking at it right here. That much is not really up for debate. The latest FL5-generation Civic Type R delivers a level of focus and ferocity that you'll find nowhere else in its class.

Quite what that class is though remains a debating point. The Type R begins to blur the boundaries between the usual front-drive cohort and the level of sophistication that you find in all-wheel-drive hyper-hatches like the Audi RS3 and the Mercedes-AMG A45S. Or, to a lesser extent, the Volkswagen Golf R and the Toyota GR Corolla. We'll put it up against those in due course, but the question we want answered today is exactly how far removed is it from a vehicle at the top of the front-driver crop?

Step forward the Hyundai i30 Sedan N. A front-driver which, if you look at the bald figures, is quicker than the Civic to 100km/h. It's better equipped. It brings with it a warranty that covers race track use. And it's over $23,000 cheaper. In other words, the Civic may well be the best, but is it the best buy? That's what we're here to find out.

'Here' is a test loop that's a local favourite for those in the Wheels office. It's a sneaky 30-minute jaunt away from the desk and throws in a mix of corners, surfaces and elevation changes that ought to highlight where the Civic puts clean air between itself and the shark-like nose of the N-car.

Compared to the easily resolved sedan silhouette of the Hyundai, the Civic take a little longer to grow accustomed to. In profile, the wheelbase looks stretched to each corner and it's mated to a bluff front and a tapering rear such that it almost looks as if the Type R would be more aerodynamic in reverse. And before you start penning letters about Austin Allegros, that one's not an urban myth. Ex-BL designer Steven Harper confirmed the Austin was more slippery in reverse, as indeed are many cars with a grille at the front.