One driver, three cars and six days to comprehensively try 'em all: How's that supposed to work?

Well, when the trio comprises three of the prime 'real-world' performance models of the moment, you find a way. And I did.

It meant the lawns and various oddjobs around the house went begging for a weekend, but hey ... with a Volkswagen Golf GTi, Mazda MPS and Mitsubishi Lancer Ralliart in the house, work definitely has to give way to play.


The idea was simple enough. Go out to a favourite road and, one by one, chuck each car down it to determine what worked out best. For sure, they'd also been drawn into the daily driving regime, but ultimately, it'd be how they each acquitted on that 80km test route that would sort the ratings.

Would Germany's champion, the most famous hot hatch of them all but also at $57,490 in standard form the most expensive car here, be that much better than the second-generation of Hiroshima's Banzai bullet, the newly released generation two Mazda3 MPS. Supposedly more refined, this $48,545 five-door is still the fastest front-drive from the East in the market.

And what impact would the $49,990 Ralliart make? Surely a big turbo, four-wheel-drive and essentially the same kind of automated manual box that the Golf delivers makes for a particularly potent mix? But, ultimately, is it all too much of a good thing; in fact, can a winged-up sedan even cut it against two cool-looking hot hatches?

So many questions to elicit just a single answer. If this were a glossy car magazine, we'd stretch the result out over eight pages, and perhaps even then still not draw a complete conclusion.

But this is the internet. Which means speed. Brevity, Instant results. So here's the verdict ... it's Germany uber alles. If you want to know why, read on.

3rd: Mitsubishi Lancer Ralliart



If driving life were one big hairpin-packed hillclimb, the Ralliart would be first by a country kilometre. There's only one car that's better, and it's not in the test, though certainly is within the family. That's the Ralliart's big brother, the Evo X.

As it was, on the 2km ascent that represented the first part of my special drive, the 'Evo lite' literally ate the road, and left the front-drive opposition picking gravel and bits of road kill from their grilles.

So, no argument, Mitsi's first foil in years to the Subaru WRX is awesome when reaching for sky at maximum attack. And why shouldn't it be? It is effectively a simplified version of the rally-tuned Evo X, with less kapow and no fancy brakes or super-techy active yaw control but still heaps of grip and go. A top speed of more than 200kmh, 0-100kmh in 7.1 seconds and huge cornering tenacity make it a heck of a ride.

Trouble is, ultimately, it's all just too raw. As much as I love that it has bags of grip and grunt, and that it handles like nothing else in the price range, I still couldn't contemplate everyday life it this car's company.

On the remainder of the drive route, and when pootled through town, it always came as across as being just too raw. If you're looking for comfort, you're looking in the wrong place.

The suspension has no give, the Recaro-supplied seats are little better and sensitivity-wise the throttle is as wired as a Baghdad bomber. When the car is pushed, too, the two-pot brakes aren't brilliant - that's why the Evo goes to Brembos, one assumes.

For sure, that engine has plenty of character. You are, after all, sitting behind virtually (but not exactly) the same turbocharged four-cylinder engine as the Evo X, with less boost, sans twin-scroll turbo and detuned to 180kW and 349Nm. It still has the same preference for 98 octane petrol - and a similar appetite, too. Economy? Not a word taken seriously at this level of Lancer-dom.

Possibly, though, the least tolerable thing about the car is the feature that should be it's major selling point: The automated dual-clutch manual, first blooded in the Evo, called TC-SST.

In the Ralliart, the trick box lacks the Evo's Super-Sport function and has taller fifth and sixth gears, supposedly for improved fuel consumption when cruising, but otherwise operates identically.

Like everything else about the car, it's brilliant at full noise, with the reward, in the performance settings, of Loeb-like snappy upshifts and blippy downchanges. In more sedate settings, and when even when left in the eco-minded auto setting, the change quality is altogether less satisfactory. There's a tendancy for the gears to bang through.

It's probably not just the gearbox so much as its interaction with the active differential. The latter is, in mechanical makeup, much the same as that employed by the Galant VR4 of the 1990s apparently, but enhanced now by electronic adjustment that gives Normal, Gravel and Snow modes. Normal supposedly suits easy driving; G is the spot for winding stuff, as it gets the rear end more involved.

But this is not an entirely happy relationship, and we were surprised by how often even a short-shift would still trigger a slightly vioent reaction from the diff. The best option when driving easy, we found, was to handshift while being on constant anticipation of exactly which point in the rev range suits each cog transition. Even then, we couldn't always guarantee a smooth transaction.

It's also got to be said that, in this particular company, the cabin environment was also shown to be lacking. Sure, the Lancer has the most space, and the ergonomics are pretty solid in general, but everyone who hitched a ride commented on the slightly chintzy quality of the plastics. Not such an issue in the Grandma editions, but not in keeping with the standard otherwise set at the Ralliart's price level.

A bit hard? Maybe, yet that's this car, too. Great concept, but really too boy-racerish. And that's another thing. No believes it's brand-new, not a used import.

2nd: Mazda3 MPS

The previous MPS was all about aggression, but looked about as threatening as an 80-year-old librarian. This might have been a blessing when you went past a cop looking to make his quota, but didn't exactly endear it with the cool crowd.

Even when it was raced - and was winning - people misunderstood that this was, and still is, the fastest car Mazda builds.

Well, there's no mistaking the new version. Though still not the meanest-looking car out of Japan, with a large WRX-style bonnet scoop, new front quarter panel and bumper, aero-style side skirts, re-profiled rear bumper and larger rear wing, the bookworm has become a brawler.

Nothing's changed under the bonnet, but that's because nothing needed to. Mazda decided - and we'd agree - that 190kW at 5500rpm and 380Nm from 3000rpm was enough.

Hiroshima's hotrod shop has instead dedicated to sorting another wee previous bugbear, the efficient transfer of all that performance to the road via the front tyres. If you'd never previously experienced torque steer - the effect when the transference of all that mumbo threatens to rip the wheel from your hands (followed, shortly after, by the car from the road), then the MPS was a full-blown tutorial.

To give an idea of how much of a challenge it is to remedy this, simply consider the level of change that has occurred to Version Two. Revisions centred around making the drivetrain more manageable include changes to the chassis, gearbox, brakes, wheels and tyres, exhaust, driveshafts and suspension.

In an admission to the old car's issues with torque steer, Mazda has stiffened the drive shafts in a specific bid to combat the problem, but there's so much more. The chassis has been stiffened and reinforced, the front and rear suspension has been overhauled for increased lateral rigidity and to improve corner stability and control the coil spring rates, both front and rear have been charged; the front is now softer while the rear is firmer. These work with improved dampers for further ride and handling improvements. Both front and rear stabiliser bars are thicker too, for flatter cornering.

Further improvements have been made to the ride and handling via new, larger tyres. Dunlop 225/40 rubber sits on 18-inch wheels, similar to the RX-8. In addition to being wider, the new tyres feature a more rigid sidewall to help improve responsiveness.

Braking has also been improved to cope with the increased performance. The front ventilated discs have been increased to 320mm in diameter, the sold rear discs measure 280mm.

All good moves and, surprisingly, while the weight has increased by 50kmg, there's no penalty in performance whatsoever. Indeed, they've managed slight decrease in fuel economy (to 9.9L/100km) and emissions. Pretty impressive, all in all, for a car the brand also claims is quicker accelerating from 80-120km/h in third, fourth and fifth gears than a Porsche 911 Carrera or BMW M3.

So it's a bad boy gone good? Er, not exactly. Mazda's ability to extract so much performance from the 2.3-litre four-pot is very impressive; the mid-range punch in particular is simply astounding.

Yet trying to get that amount of power to the road through wheels that are turning, braking and absorbing bumps remains a challenge. The torque steer is better contained, but wham the throttle home and it's still there in enough force to make life more interesting. And that's before the Dynamic Stability Control is deactivated. Turn that off - and it's not something I'd recommend on a wet road or loose surface - ands you truly do need a firm hand to quell the ... er ..... tugging. Okay, maybe I could have worded that last bit differently, but surely you know what I mean?

The professional advice to subjugate the animal within is to hold a higher gear if possible through corners, which is mostly when it wants to bite, then only feed in the power once the wheels are straightened up. Basically, if you don't provoke it, it won't bite.

That kinda rules out hard-revving fun, but it's an exhilarating experience nonetheless, and so much better than the original in so many ways otherwise. The suspension is better-sorted; like the shift feel of the six-speed manual, it is smoother and more precise. The brakes inspire greater confidence, too; of the three cars here, this one continually exhibited the best stoppability.

The engine sounds so much racier this time around; the original under full throttle went all whooshy, as though it had a length of Axminster tied on underneath. Now there's a semblance of a snarl as it slingshots into the 2500rpm-plus torque zone.

There's still one noise remaining, and it's from the tyres. On coarse chip, this roar from this aggressive rubber is intrusively loud and, after a short while, a little wearying.

A digital turbo boost gauge conforms with the image and if Mitsi does want better seats for the Ralliart, it should go the the Mazda shop. The MPS has very good, well-bolstered bucket seats. There's no point looking for evidence of poor build quality in any Mazda3, so it really comes down to how it's detailed.

You'll devate whether the interior is sufficiently different to that of lesser Threes (I'd say not quite). It certainly delivers the full quota of standard features, with a full suite of safety gear as well as luxuries such as dual-zone climate control, six-disc CD, cruise control, plus the fascinations of keyless entry and start and headlights that turn with the steering. With a big boot out back, it is also practical.

So what exactly keeps it from the top spot? One is the sense that the issues that dogged the original, specifically the inability to lay down its performance cleanly in all conditions, are not entirely resolved by the new car.

The other is that, while this is clearly Japan's best hot-hatch, it's not yet the world's. But, yes, if the Golf wasn't around, the MPS would be king.

1st: Volkswagen Golf GTi



Given that is not the fastest or even the most feisty of the trio here, it'll be all too hard to immediately convince that the Golf GTI is, nonetheless, still the most fun.

So here's another take. It was the only one of the three that my wife was not only comfortable to drive in, but was also the only one that she was reluctant to get out of.

That all may sound a bit soppy and could lead you to think the Golf is a 'girl's car', and therefore too soft. So let me quickly add that I was also keen to keep it for reasons that were largely opposite to hers. She adored the Golf because, in her words, 'it felt sporty yet was easy'. Whereas I liked it because, when taken to a limit beyond her own, it was hard and gnarly.

This simply reflects the VW ethos with the GTI. The Germans, we're led to understand, do not want this sixth-edition of the world's best hot hatch to necessarily feel entirely hot.

Rather, it set outs to be the supreme all-rounder. As happy tootling down to my wife's workplace as it is having the absolute life thrashed out of it on winding road. In other words, it's a car that can be both manic and mature. And that, above all else, is something you cannot say about the Ralliart or the MPS.

Owners of the old Golf will read this and ask 'what's new?', because their car was just like that, too. And that revisits a point we made after a first drive earlier this year; namely that old and new really aren't poles apart in any given area. If anything, the latest model represents a subtle improvement across the board.

On the move, too, the new GTI also retains characteristics experienced in lesser versions of this generation of Golf. The impressive quelling of road and wind noise makes it particularly refined. Yet at the same time, a raspy exhaust note ensures this calm doesn't come at the expense of character.

Power-wise, it's not overdone. The engine's all-new, but is of the same capacity as the old car's and while it does sound rortier, power climbs just 8kW (to 155kW), torque is unchanged at 280Nm and it's no faster to 100kmh, clocking the metric ton in 7.2 seconds. Top speed is 240kmh.
 
On paper, these figures might seem deficits, yet find a twisty road and it just doesn't matter.

With peak torque occurring at just 1700rpm, it is more immediately responsive than the MPS and also delivers with more character. Enthusiasts will enjoy the broad spread of torque and how the exhaust deliver a satisfying pop every time the car changes up and a rumble and spit when powering off. Moreover, by avoiding straying into needless overkill, it delivered easily the best fuel economy of these three, with an average 8.8 litres per 100km.

DSG is the sole choice of transmission now (seems my 'save the manual' campaign just didn't cut it), and it's still the six-speed version rather than the new seven-speed that is starting to appear across VW-dom. Apparently the six stays until the seven is developed to handle the GTI's torque load.

I still don't think DSG will ever be as much fun as a full manual but have to concede this one is pretty good. It consistently delivers very snappy gearchanges and is faster through the cogs than the stick shift. You'll need to slot the box into Sport mode to hear the engine's snap 'n pop routine, but that's where it should be anyway. In 'normal' full Auto mode, the car is altogether less responsive.

It's great in corners, too, displaying even more composure than the car it replaces. There is plenty of grip and the steering turns into corners with assertiveness. A new rear suspension design, with a thicker stabiliser bar, makes it feel more settled through corners.

An important change is a new electronically controlled diff that loads up the inside wheel in cornering for better traction, handling and to reduce understeer. It's not activated by slip, and not actually a diff lock as such, but more an application of judicious braking to bring the wheel under better control.

Top options that supposedly make for greater entertainment include 18-inch alloys with 225/40 rubber ($2000) and dynamic adaptive chassis control (DCC), a $1750 feature that has three driving modes - normal, comfort and sport - and changes the car's suspension and steering at the press of a button.

These would seem to be ingredients for the ultimate sporting experience but I'd only choose the wheels for visual smarts. The altered steering assistance and throttle map that DCC provides might add up to an advantage at track days but I can tell you that the test car, on standard rims and without the computer aid, felt just fine to me. Body control was superb, the steering well weighted and accurate, while traction and grip, despite steady rain, were excellent.

In fact, you really want to try this car on a crap day to understand where it gains. Even when road conditions are dicey, it feels remarkably adept - there's beautiful stability at speed and, even at the limits of grip, the response to driver inputs remain wonderfully linear. It simply imbues a sense of unshakeable confidence.

Yes, it's expensive - with a $4000 leather package and $650 privacy glass the test car was a $62k car - but it really feels like it has the quality to carry a premium.

That impression carries through the body's size and styling. Viewed in isolation, the Golf looks to be unnecessarily chunky, if not oversized, though really that's just a trick of the shape. Putting it alongside the MPS and Ralliart showed it is, in fact, quite pert.

The GTI also sits lower than the others, a result of it being dropped 22mm lower at the front and 15mm at the rear over the standard Golf settings. It also, ocourse, is on retuned springs, dampers and stabilisers.

There are subtle changes to the looks, mainly around the front. Where the previous model had a gaping grille and rounded light elements, the revamped version of the black honeycomb grille has a body-coloured strip dissecting it. At the tail, there are trademark dual exhausts and a diffuser.

Slip into the driver's seat - firm, ja, but fantastic for larger blokes such as myself - and you'll find the flat-bottomed steering wheel has been given a cosmetic brush-up with more red-stitched finish, the centre stack has been revamped a little, and there are touches of chrome on the instruments. But it's all immediately familiar, and still feels 'right'.

Overall, where the Golf scores a hole-in-one is with its everyday usability. It's a special kind of car that'll give both warm fuzzies and hot flushes. This is it.

What this means to you: If the new Golf GTI looks out of your price range, then go for a used Mk V GTI. It's almost as good.