| Car Clash | Ford Focus RS500 vs. Honda Civic Type R Mugen |

Got a hot hatch yearning and nearly £40k burning a hole in your pocket? Then one of these two cars might just fit the bill. Honda's Type R Mugen weighs in at £38,954, while Ford's Focus RS500 commands £35,450. That's a staggering amount of money for hot models of daily drivers, but then this duo is pretty special indeed.

Showroom appeal:

Ford Focus RS500: Honda Civic Type R Mugen:

This one depends on how you like your mega hatch. The Honda comes with a big rear wing, low front spoiler and brilliant white paintwork. The Ford is covered - literally - in a stealthy matte black finish, which adds menace but robs it of some of its more overt detailing. They both look special, the Honda in particular very different to the regular Type R, but visually we're not sure if either lives up to the whopping price tags.

Inside it's spaceship flight deck with supplementary dials for the Honda, and regular Focus RS - limited numbered badge and leather everything aside - for the Ford. Both have deeply sculpted bucket seats up front, which leaves you perched a bit high for our tastes. They both remain practical (even if you can choose to bin the rear seats in the Mugen) with big boots and spacious cabins.

Behind the wheel:

Ford Focus RS500: Honda Civic Type R Mugen:

Similar prices and ideas created each, but the two cars couldn't be more different on the road. Honda sticks to its purist, high-revving mantra: the Civic's 2.0-litre unit runs to a lofty 8,600rpm and delivers its 237bhp only a few hundred revs below that.

Ford turns up the RS to 11 by adding turbo boost and freeing the breathing. The result is 345bhp from the RS500's 2.5-litre turbocharged five-cylinder engine. Unsurprisingly the Ford feels far more muscular at low revs, but the ferocity of the Honda's upper range makes up for the shortfall in ponies. Against the clock Ford quotes 5.6 seconds to 62mph. Honda doesn't quote a number, but figure on very low sixes, or high fives on a good day.

The Ford feels like a nicely sorted rally car, with the Mugen feeling more like a highly-strung track machine. Where the Ford smoothes out the road the Civic skips, the Honda's suspension not feeling quite as compliant as the RS500's. Everything about the Honda is more frenetic, more involved, it demanding you work for its performance. The RS in comparison feels easier and more good natured. Still viciously, eye-widening fast though.

The brakes on both are necessarily superb. The Honda's steering is light and quick, and though the Ford's steering wheel lacks the feel of the Honda's, it turns the RS quickly and accurately. It's much the same for the gearshift: the Honda's swift, mechanical shift bettering the Ford for precision - though you're much busier with it than you need to be in the Ford.

It's the Ford that feels most at home on British roads, the Honda's tautness counting against it. The way they drive is remarkably different, the Ford monstering around corners with shocking ease, the Honda needing constant attention and demanding much more input. Not that the Ford doesn't involve, it's just that the RS500's performance is so much more accessible than the edgier Honda's.

Money matters:

Ford Focus RS500: Honda Civic Type R Mugen:

Although they're effectively sold out, it's difficult to rationalise the money that Honda and Ford asks for either of these machines - limited edition super specials or not. Despite the power deficit here the Honda feels like it has been more heavily re-engineered.

Mugen actually strips down the Type R completely and rebuilds it to its own specifications, with hardly any area untouched. The Focus in comparison feels like a simple kit job, with the power boost relatively easy to achieve - and inexpensive too, with Ford itself offering an RS upgrade kit for just £1,995.

First past the post:

Ford Focus RS500: Honda Civic Type R Mugen:

These are both five-star cars really, though there's a star lopped off due to the loony prices involved. Two very different means of going fast in hatchbacks makes trying to decide between the RS500 and Mugen Civic almost impossible. The Honda arguably feels more special, but the RS500 is crushingly fast and easy - relatively - to drive. As a daily driver the RS500 wins outright, but if we wanted a weekend or track toy then Honda would be in with a shout. Even if it'd be a very, very expensive one.