ROAD ROUTE

MICHELIN JUST PIPS CONTINENTAL in terms of on-road feel thanks to its superior steering connection, which is there from low speed – an area where this tyre often excels. The Mustang’s steering is far from the most tactile but the Michelin still gives it a brightness and response that’s initially lacking with the others. It backs this up with an ability to soak up bumps and tricky surfaces quietly, being troubled only by expansion joints.

The Continental was a close second. It deals with raised and sunken bumps with a similar solid assurance to the Michelin while softening the sting and noise of sharper events more effectively. It offers direct, slack-free steering response from around 50mph-plus, too. The Bridgestone also performs well, with good directness and steering connection like the Continental, scoring fractionally less overall only because it comes with higher general noise on some coarse surfaces and feels busier over shallow potholes and raised manhole covers.