CAR (UK)

POINT TO POINT, THERE AREN’T MANY CARS ON THE PLANET THAT COULD LIVE WITH THESE TWO

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is the antithesis of the Mini, avoiding big spoilers to draw aerodynami­c performanc­e primarily from airflow beneath the car.

Both the decal-clad Megane and bewinged Mini get plenty of stares, from passers-by and rubber-necking drivers. It’s hard not to feel a little self-conscious. When I ran CAR’s long-term-test Audi R8 a while back, it was like a mothership beacon for Audi drivers. No dual-carriagewa­y journey was complete without an A3 glued to the rear bumper.

The GP has the same effect on Minis. You travel everywhere with Mini hatches and convertibl­es in your wake, like a shoal of round-eyed fish. It’s easy to shake them off as soon as a corner or two appears. Point-to-point, I don’t think there are many cars on the planet, with any combinatio­n of driven wheels, that could live with either of these two.

But both are also studies in the law of diminishin­g returns. I’m pretty sure I’d have just as much of a giggle on these roads in a £22k Ford Fiesta ST, and perhaps even more fun in both these cars’ previous generation­s. First time I drove 2012’s Mini GP2, I popped out for a quick drive and accidental­ly ended up in Bedford, about 40 miles further than I’d intended to travel. I just didn’t want the journey to end. The new GP is addictive too but not quite as raw or engaging as the old car, even if it is faster.

Much the same is true of the Megane. The new Trophy-R leaves me feeling a bit inadequate – every corner, you think you could have braked later, carried more speed, got on the power sooner. On the public road, you’re barely scratching the surface of its potential. The previous Trophy-R felt like you were extending it a bit more, making more of a difference.

It’s perverse, of course, to criticise a car for being better. The Megane

Mini JCW GP3

PRICE £35,345 (£37,345 as tested) POWERTRAIN 1998cc 16v turbocharg­ed four-cylinder, eight-speed automatic, front-wheel drive 302bhp @ 5000rpm, 299lb ft @ 1750rpm, 5.2sec 0-62mph, 164mph 1255kg 38.7mpg (o cial), 23.4mpg (tested), 167g/km CO2 Now (limited to 575 cars in the UK)

PERFORMANC­E

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