ST V RS

FORGET THE MANUAL, FOR THE MODERN FIVE-DOOR HOT HATCH IT’S THE TWO-PEDAL SALES RACE WHERE THE STAKES ARE HIGHEST

- LOUIS CORDONY

IF YOU BELIEVE it’s Nurburgring lap records that drive natural selection in the front-drive hot hatch world, that’s okay. We too enjoy knowing lap times to the tenth and often squeeze on-board videos into the last minutes of our lunch break.

But we’re also wise to their role in marketing a brand. As cynical as that sounds when almost every hot hatch is signed off at the famous track, you can’t drive an actual ’Ring record car off the showroom floor in like-for-like guise – unless you bring your own semi-slicks or roll cage.

The thing is, as far as car companies are concerned, the last hot hatch will be left standing on a different battleground. Like the one under our contenders here.

What makes them so special? Right now the Renault Megane RS and Ford Focus ST are the only hot front-drivers with automatic transmissions. We’ve been told that when it comes to a manual or automatic, buyers choose the latter four out of five times. So while a Honda Civic Type R is probably the best front-driver or even hot hatch, you can buy, these two are what people will actually get for the next while.