Unlike some, I didn’t have a strong connection with Honda’s last Civic Type R hatch, or even a desire to ever drive one, primarily because of the outrageously-styled body kit that inflicted it with an overtly cartoonish profile.
That was early 2018, before I ended up in the driver’s seat of a Championship White FK8 Type R and proceeded to systematically take apart a number of the more challenging sections in the Victorian high country in less than ideal conditions – it was a bit damp and a bit sketchy.
Just to make sure we didn’t drink too much of Honda’s Kool-Aid, we brought along two of its toughest rivals; the Ford Focus RS and Renault Megane R.S.
The Focus was my preordained favourite for its added poke and all-wheel drive stickiness on damp surfaces, while the Megane wasn’t far behind in the power stakes but also gained all-wheel steer, … Read more