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Peter Robinson1 Mar 2007
REVIEW

Ford Focus XR5 Turbo v HSV VXR v Mazda3 MPS v RenaultSport Megane 225 F1 v VW Golf GTI

The heat is well and truly on in the hot-hatch segment. If you're not shy of a bonnet brimming with kilowatts and a chassis intent on exploiting them, you've arrived at the right place. But when it comes to motivating the masses via the front wheels, is i

Power to the people

No need to explain why we put these five cars together. They are the five brilliantly affordable hot hatches that revitalised a long-dormant automotive genre. They have set enthusiasts free at last to tap into an alternative, fun-without-the-guilt, high performance world to Australia's muscle sedans, or the sharply focused limitations of Mitsubishi Evo and Subaru WRX ownership.

But this is ridiculous. In a staggering demonstration of the pace of technological progress, three of our $40K hatches deliver the kind of 14.5 second 0-400 metre performance only obtainable from the best V8 Falcon and Commodore sports sedans as recently as four years ago.

Back in 2003, hatchback buyers searching for thrills roamed among a lethargic group of low-demand machinery where sub-9.0sec to 100km/h was considered swift. The most powerful Golf was limited to 110kW, the 2.2-litre Astra raised 108kW, the Focus and Mazda 323 an embarrassing 98kW. If you insisted on small and fast, you were restricted to the 124kW RenaultSport Clio or BMW's newcomer, the 120kW Mini Cooper S.

All that changed with the sales success of the brilliant new MkV Volkswagen Golf GTI. Launched in May 2005, it sent rival product planners and marketeers on a desperate search through overseas model line-ups and future development programmes for credible competitors. By late 2006, Wheels' Showroom pages bristled with rival newcomers touting their performance credentials

The usual suspects from Ford, Renault, Holden (actually HSV) and Mazda follow essentially the same turbocharged mechanical formula, squatting low over broad tyres on sometimes impossibly oversized alloys while adding apparently wind-cheating plastic body embroidery. All attempt to send massive torque through only the front wheels. No WRX or Evo all-wheel drive here.

Ford unleashed the first serious challenger to the GTI, with the Focus XR5 carrying the war to the enemy with a benchmark $35,990 sticker. VW responded by launching a three-door GTI, but at $38,490 -- $1500 below the five-door Golf -- this only emphasised the five-door Ford's seemingly exceptional value. By employing the 2.5-litre, 166kW in-line five from the Volvo T5, the Focus looks to have the 147kW Golf covered, at least on paper

Mazda, attacking the GTI head-on, set the base price for the 3 MPS at an identical $39,990, though our test car added the $3700 Sports Pack. Our burning question, though, was would the chassis cope with sending the 190kW/380Nm produced by Mazda's 2.3-litre, direct-injection and turbocharged engine through the front wheels? Fair question when the bigger and 175kg heavier 6 MPS, let alone the CX-7 SUV -- the only other Mazdas employing the same walloping engine -- include all-wheel drive in their mechanical package.

At $41,990, it represents terrific buying compared to the five-door-only $44,490 225 Cup. Remember, however, that Renault also lists the standard Megane 225 three-door at $37,990 and five-door at $42,990, though they come without the upgraded chassis. Mid-2007, after a Melbourne motorshow reveal in March, Renault plans another limitededition Megane -- the 230 F1 Team R26 to replace the
short-lived 225 F1. To justify a higher price, expect a marginal power increase to 169kW, reworked springs and dampers, retuned steering and a helical limited-slip diff.

Finally Holden Special Vehicles, keen to expand beyond bent-eight Commodore muscle, decided the (Vauxhall) Astra VXR / (Opel) Astra OPC was worthy of the HSV logo. With numbers restricted to 250 cars a year, Holden was happy to comply. Because it's more genuine coupe than hatchback, the HSV stands out from the pack with a shallower glasshouse and steeply sloping windscreen. On the standard wheelarch-filling 19-inch alloys -- even a Porsche 911 Carrera only gets 18s -- the VXR is easily the most visually aggressive and sporting competitor here, a vital factor in justifying the steep $42,990 price. For the VXR, the 2.0-litre turbo engine punches out 176kW and, like all its rivals, comes with a six-speed manual gearbox. (Only the Golf offers an alternative -- the optional paddle-shift/auto six-speed DSG adding $2300.)

The Belgium-assembled VXR is a bitsa -- mostly Opel bits, of course, but with tiny Vauxhall references and almost insignificant design input from HSV. The tacho and speedo say Opel Performance Center, Opel's corporate logo sits in the centre of the steering wheel, while the grille borrows the Vauxhall V-shape. HSV identification is limited to a badge in the centre of the 19-inch wheels, grille, and another on the tailgate.

By the time we'd finished performance testing at Oran Park, the essential characters of our five were clearly established -- the cars splitting into two philosophical camps largely dictated by their propensity, or otherwise, to torque steer. The divide, predictably created along power lines, separated the wild-boy Mazda 3 MPS and VXR from the all-rounder Focus XR5 and Golf GTI, leaving the Megane 225 F1 comfortably positioned between the two.

The road-test staff were equally split, mostly along age ranks, but (important, this) also by driving experiences. If wheel-time know-how in the VXR and 3 MPS was limited to dry roads, then the ability of both to resist understeer (with careful throttle adjudication) is quite impressive considering the slabs of power lurking beneath your right foot. But throw a combination of damp roads and off-camber corners into the driving equation, and not even the standard stability control system prevents often scary, or exciting (depending on your point of view) understeer that can (and did) send both cars slithering across the road.

Any tester who suffered the VXR or MPS scrambling for traction, steering wheel frenziedly squirming on irregular or wet surfaces, understands the absolute need for caution and a sensitive right foot. Lesson number one on driving the Mazda or HSV: no stomping on the throttle.

Controlling wheelspin off the line in the MPS requires practice (and luck) to get the hook-up revs that guarantees maximum forward thrust. Most runs end in a cloud of tyre smoke, the steering wheel tugging savagely in the driver's fingers. The best times come by releasing the heavy clutch at just under 3000rpm and upchanging at 6000rpm, 500rpm shy of maximum power. Even then you can expect wheelspin on up-shifts into second and third, and even a chirp into fourth. Add an uneven surface and the MPS darts all over the road. Exhilarating for a time, but ultimately irritating and unsatisfactory -- unless you class keeping it straight as fun.

Only too aware of the problems, Mazda has tweaked the electronics to allow full boost only in third gear and higher. The secret to containing torque steer and achieving a fluent driving style -- shared to a lesser extent with the more peaky VXR -- is to exploit the engine's light-throttle tractability and broad torque band by changing up early. Experience soon reveals that running at least one ratio higher than initially seems appropriate delivers increased speed and more composed behaviour.

Still, with 380Nm at 3000rpm -- 60Nm above the closest competitor here -- the 3 MPS outguns all its rivals. Astonishingly, the little Mazda is so seriously quick that the 3.5sec it takes between 80-120km/h in third gear is marginally quicker than an HSV Clubsport, 911 Carrera and Aston Martin V8 Vantage. It blows a WRX clean away.  Yet, because the turbo boost is more extreme, the Astra feels even quicker and more violent, the steering tugging and pulsating in the driver's hands. The last car to display manic torque steer in these proportions was the Saab Viggen and, like the Swede, it's a case of love it or look elsewhere.

The VXR's lack of linearity between throttle inputs and old-fashioned on/off reaction from the turbo mean it's hard to modulate the engine, even before trying the Sport mode that further sharpens throttle response.  Either way, the driver feels the onset of clawing power through the wheel and, arms flailing, often struggles to keep the car pointed straight, in part because the steering is so quick in the initial movement off-centre. No surprise then that the Astra, too, is tricky to launch cleanly and demands concentration.

The VXR pulls 2000rpm in fifth on tiny throttle openings, so it is tractable. Hunting in third and fourth, even at 3000rpm in sixth (an illegal 129km/h), it feels indomitable, unstoppable. But it's easy to get caught off boost, waiting for the turbo to spool into action. Spirited performance demands massaging of what is a swift and accurate gearchange and, above 4000rpm, is accompanied by a distinctive whooshing, sucking exhaust/induction noise.  Like the MPS, the VXR turns 14.5sec for 400m to match the XR6 Falcon Turbo and embarrass all the home-grown, normally-aspirated six-cylinder performance sedans.

At the other extreme, the Focus brings a softer attitude to the pack. If the mantra of hot-hatches demands raising the pulse rate and inducing beads of perspiration, the XR5 falls short. On the other hand, as a multi-talented rival for the GTI, it almost succeeds in toppling the Golf.

At 1442kg, the Ford is the heaviest (the Megane the lightest at 1325kg), and the driver is constantly reminded that it carries more mass. First impressions of a leaden throttle and meaty steering contribute to a weightiness of driving character. This seems to be confirmed by the XR5 trailing the Golf to 100km/h, and being a clear second off the pace of the VXR and MPS over 400m. In part this perception is unfair, for the Focus loses out only because it's slower off the line, electronics preventing the driver popping the clutch beyond 3200rpm.

Despite the long-stroke design, the typically throbby engine is happy to rev and the driver quickly discovers the secret to rapid point-to-point times is to make the most of the mid-range torque of 320Nm between 1600 and 4000rpm.  To confirm the impression that the Focus is a stronger performer than the on-paper standing-start numbers suggest, only the Mazda 3 MPS is quicker in fifth gear between 80-120km/h.

Yet, the modestly performing Golf is in a different league in terms of refinement and linear power delivery. The VW doesn't have the raw grunt and straight-line thump of the Mazda or HSV, but with the smoothest (and, at 147kW, least powerful) engine, a quality gearchange and a nimble precision to the controls, driver confidence is taken for granted. The Golf's popularity is understandable: delivering a feel-good driving experience, it demands less of its owner who always feels spoilt behind the wheel.

Belt the Megane down a favourite road, however, and even the superb Golf seems clinically efficient. By any measure of grin-factor the Megane scores heavily, combining near VXR/MPS levels of acceleration (just 0.2secs slower over 400m) with an almost complete lack of torque steer (yes, ESP disengaged) that surely embarrasses Mazda and Opel engineers.

No other engine is as responsive or willing or characterful, the recent chassis revisions ensuring that the power is not only accessible, but can be applied clipping an apex in conditions where caution would dictate backing off in a VXR or MPS. The subtlety of adjustability, way beyond the talents of the brutish twosome, allows the driver to judge tuck-in to the nearest millimetre. Squeeze hard on the throttle or back off momentarily, it complies precisely. None of these rivals feel as agile or alive. Maybe, subliminally or not, the F1 connection is real after all.

There are compromises: wind noise drowns tyre roar; it's easy to find fifth rather than third coming out of second via the long-travel gear lever; the turbo whistles annoyingly; occasionally there's a hint of steering rack rattle; and there are weird, vaguely flimsy French touches to the interior.  Yet they barely detract from its appeal in offering a greater vocabulary of talents to the enthusiast driver.

Renault has finally sorted the Megane's electric power steering -- at last the driver feels connected to the front wheels. Turn-in is quick, the Megane changing direction seamlessly with the body staying flat. Tighter corners demand a tad more lock than you first expect, the opposite of the Focus, which is slowish off-centre and only becomes chuckable when trying. In one dynamic area, braking, only the Megane delivers the kind of immediacy of stopping power that should be taken for granted in hot-hatches.  Its instant retardation (helped by cross-drilled discs) and short but progressive pedal travel makes the brakes on all the others seem vague and spongy. Time and again, after coming to the Megane from one of its rivals, we'd brake way too early for a corner.

Where the Renault disappoints is in its stiff, agitated low-speed ride. None of these cars copes well with sharp suburban bumps, and even the best -- the Golf -- demands that you drive around potholes. Surprisingly, in pure ridequality terms, the Renault handled our infamous ride road far better than the 3 or VXR. And even the more cossetting Golf and Focus lack the terrific body control of the Megane when spearing from apexes.

Here, the big let-down was the Mazda. So taut are the MPS suspension settings, so limited the spring travel, that crash-through is inevitable. A torsion-beam rear (as with the Megane) puts the VXR at a disadvantage, but even the HSV proved better able to absorb the punishment.

Arriving at a ranking depends on your priorities. Which brings us back to the natural divide. If a rocket-fast ride is all important, the Mazda does a better job than the HSV, which is very fast, looks cool, but not much else. Conversely, withholding price, the Golf is a superior allrounder to the Focus and such a complete package that it can't possibly lose this comparison on any rational grounds. Which, to our amazement, leaves the Renault as the emotional choice.

PERFORMANCE:
  FORD FOCUS
XR5 TURBO
HSV VXR MAZDA 3
MPS
RENAULTSPORT
MEGANE
VW GOLF GTI
Power to weight: 115 kW/tonne 126 kW/tonne 134 kW/tonne 125 kW/tonne 110 kW/tonne
Speed at indicated 100km/h: 99 96 95 96 95
 
Speed in gears:
1st: 58 km/h @ 6500 rpm 54 km/h @ 6500 rpm 57 km/h @ 6500 rpm 66 km/h @ 7000 rpm 59 km/h @ 7000 rpm
2nd: 95 km/h @ 6500 rpm 96 km/h @ 6500 rpm 90 km/h @ 6500 rpm 107 km/h @ 7000 rpm 97 km/h @ 6500 rpm
3rd: 136 km/h @ 6500 rpm 140 km/h @ 6500 rpm 131 km/h @ 6500 rpm 150 km/h @ 7000 rpm 134 km/h @ 6500 rpm
4th: 179 km/h @ 6500 rpm 193 km/h @ 6500 rpm 173 km/h @ 6500 rpm 197 km/h @ 7000 rpm 179 km/h @ 6500 rpm
5th: 224 km/h @ 6500 rpm 235 km/h @ 6500 rpm 218 km/h @ 6500 rpm 236 km/h @ 6400 rpm 227 km/h @ 6500 rpm
6th: 214 km/h @ 5600 rpm* 244 km/h @ 5700 rpm* 249 km/h @ 5800 rpm* 236 km/h @ 5300 rpm* 235 km/h @ 5650 rpm*
 
Standing-start acceleration
0-60 km/h 4.0 sec 3.3 sec 3.2 sec 3.5 sec 3.6 sec
0-80 km/h 5.4 sec 4.6 sec 4.4 sec 4.8 sec 5.3 sec
0-100 km/h 7.6 sec 6.5 sec 6.4 sec 6.7 sec 7.5 sec
0-120 km/h 10.2 sec 8.6 sec 8.6 sec 8.8 sec 10.0 sec
0-140 km/h 13.1 sec 11.6 sec 11.0 sec 11.8 sec 13.5 sec
0-160 km/h 17.2 sec 14.7 sec 14.6 sec 15.0 sec 17.1 sec
 
0-400m 15.5 sec @ 151 km/h 14.5 sec @ 159 km/h 14.5 sec @ 159 km/h 14.7 sec @ 158 km/h 15.4 sec @ 152 km/h
 
Rolling acceleration: 80 - 120 km/h
3rd: 4.5 sec 3.8 sec 3.5 sec 3.9 sec 4.4 sec
4th: 5.1 sec 5.0 sec 4.1 sec 5.0 sec 5.5 sec
5th: 6.4 sec 6.4 sec 5.1 sec 6.6 sec 6.9 sec
6th: 8.2 sec 8.3 sec 7.8 sec 8.8 sec 8.6 sec
 
VERDICT:
For: Easy to live with;
Dynamics improve with speed;
Good value
Unruly entertainment;
Acceleration;
Aggressive styling
Breathtaking performance;
Engine's enormous torque
The driver's choice;
Brakes;
Handling;
Precision
Quality;
All-round appeal;
Refinement;
Driving position
Against: Feels heavy;
Seats too high;
Dull throttle action
Furious torque steer;
Visibility;
Old-fashioned turbo lag
Interior nothing special;
Torque steer;
Stiff suspension
Gearchange;
Odd interior features;
Low-speed ride
Performance now off the pace;
Dynamics too soft for track work
 
Track: Oran Park, dry. Temp 21°C - 23°C. Driver: Sean Poppitt.
*Estimated or manufacturer's claim
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Written byPeter Robinson
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