The Honda Civic Type R is our reigning hot hatch king. Many have tried to surpass it, and one or two have even set a faster time around the legendary Nordschleife, but none have so far managed to dethrone it as our go-to choice for under £30,000.
But now, Ford is back with an all-new Focus ST to take the fight to Honda. It picks up where the last Focus RS left off, with the 2.3-litre turbocharged engine sending 276bhp through the front wheels. Is that going to be enough to defeat the 316bhp Civic?
Join Matt Prior and Mauro Calo as they take the two hottest hatches of the moment to Llandow circuit in Wales to find out which is fastest and, crucially, which is more fun.
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The outcome appeared being
Honda definitvely faster - lap times prove as much, Ford considered more fun. That being said, the share effectiveness of the Honda, after all it's share stability neutrality of it's handling means -- it can do fast on a road in pretty darned high degree of safety, nobody with half-a-mind wouldn't call that fun.
Lap time
Would like to know what mode the focus was in when the lap time was set
Ill have the Focus in blue
Fairly equal where the more purposeful Honda should have presented a larger gap and on the road the Focus will attract less attention while the torque of that 2.3 engine will make life so much easier. I think the Honda met its match money no object.