After being spoilt by the luxuries the RenaultSport Megane had to offer, I was in search of a new car that is another step up in every category. Once again, my research spanned over several months and the contenders were: BMW 125 Coupe, Volkswagen Passat R36, Volkswagen Golf GTi-R (aka R20), Nissan 370Z and Nissan Skyline G37.

The Nissan 370Z, although probably the best in terms of track performance, was let down by praticality (2 seats) and the look at me factor. The interior also was not quite up to standards when compared to the other contenders. The other Nissan, the Skyline G37 had the same engine as the 370Z but with a more upmarket interior and in my opinion looks better than the 370Z (and even the R35 GTR) with a cleaner and more subtle styling. However it is available as an import only - meaning the dash and console labels are all in Japanese.

BMW 125 Coupe was a good size and had the brand prestige. Being 2 door, it is let down a little in terms of practicality but at least it had four seats. Its interior is slightly dated and BMWs have a long options list as the car in its basic form lacks a lot of creature comfort. It is also the slowest in the group with a 0-100km/h time of 6.6 seconds, but its handling was a strong point.

When the specifications for the VeeDub Golf GTi-R were released and it looked very promising. With probably the best interior finish and was available in manual with a new 200KW engine. However, being another hot hatch, it was too similar to the Megane and I suspect that the new Megane RS250 would probably beat it on track. It also felt smaller than the Megane, especially in the boot. With a 2.0L turbocharged engine its driving characteristics would also be similar to the Megane and its exhaust note would not be as impressive as any other contender here.

When I first saw the Volkswagen R36 on the road I was impressed by its balanced proportion, low profile and subtle aggression. It doesn't have the prestigeous badge of some of its competitors, but it sits in the European luxury performance car category with the likes of Audi S4 and BMW 335 (but not in the same category in terms of price). Available in sedan or wagon, the former has a performance, weight and fuel consumption advantage so I opted for that.

The R36 propels to 100 km/h in 5.6 seconds with a 3.6L direct injection engine producing 220KW and is mated to a 6 speed DSG transmission driving all four wheels. The engine has a subtle growl when pushed, yet very civilised when driving in normal conditions. Handling is sharp with a lowered suspension setup and 18inch Continental Contisport Contact 3 wide profile tyres.

Inside, the theme is brushed aluminium console with leather and suede seats. The seats are comfortable and supportive with full 12 way electrical adjustments and are heated. I optioned my R36 with Sunroof, Dynaudio stereo system and the RNS510 satellite navigation system which also acts like a jukebox with a built in hard drive.

In summary, there isn't another car that can offer the performance, luxury and practicality of the R36 at the price. I will post a full review of the car shortly to detail every highlight (and flaws) of the car.

Full review of the Volkswagen Passat R36 sedan.

In search of a car, my criteria were: stick shift, plenty of power, under 7 seconds 0-100kmh, leather seats, sunroof. After months of monitoring carsales website, the shortlisted candidates were: Nissan Silvia S15 GT, Subaru WRX Evo/Solberg edition, Volkswagen Bora 4Motion.

Volkswagen had all the goods, but was short on power and its price was close to $40K. I didn't eventually find one that was lower priced with reasonable mileage so it was soon forgotten. The Subaru WRX Evo editions were quite rare, and were usually kept by their owners for a while so their mileage were usually high. The other problem with WRX's is their go-kart like feel in the cabin - it's not quite refined but you could overlook these shortcomings because of their raw performance.

I had a preference for rear wheel drive (Silvias), but the Nissans held their value and were usually around the $30-35K for a relatively high mileage example. After a test drive with my brother, I found that their sudden punchy boost was addictive and can see why they are renowned for their reputation as "tree wrappers". The GT models with leather and sunroof are difficult to find, and most Silvias were usually modded which made it very difficult to find a good example.

Then one day, on a regular visit to Carsales, an unusual model came up - Renault Sport Megane 225 that. I heard about these because of their popular little brother, the Sport Clios. I knew the 2.0L in the Clios were best in class, but to put that in a heavier Megane the RenaultSport engineers added a turbo. My impression of Renault at the time was that they have a good motorsport reputation being successful with Williams as an engine supplier, then building their own team to win the 2005 and later the 2006 championships.

The Renault had everything I was looking for: WRX power, leather seats, all the quirks that were only available on a French car at the time (rain sensing wipers, automatic headlights, see me home lights, automatic rear wipers), climate control, cruise and speed, 6 speed gearbox limiter, traction control and ESP, 6 airbags, 5 star ANCAP. The only downside was that it is FWD, something I had to get over and did eventually because it was that much better than its competition in all other areas and is still more value for money than most of its competition three years later after its introduction. The engine was more driveable than a Silvia or WRX with the boost available from around 2000RPM.

Update: I have sold the beloved Megane. I believe it is still one of the best hot hatches even at the end of its lifecycle. Even the new MK6 Golf GTi cannot match it in terms of performance.

Full review of the RenaultSport Megane 225.

The Lancer served well, but was showing its age and was traded for a 2002 Toyota Corolla. The Corolla was the first "mainstream" small/medium car to boast a 100KW engine with VVTL. Even though it was automatic (doh) it still had plenty of grunt over Civics, Pulsars and Lancers that were usually left behind ;). The Corolla served me for the remaining uni years, and a daily work commute until I had found my own car...

My first everyday to and fro university car borrowed from parents, a '92 Mitsubishi 1.5L automatic. This car was surprisingly quick, and felt faster than the '98 Mirage with the same 1.5L engine. Its white paint job was fading, and because it was parked outside in the garden a layer of mould grew around the windows and various hard to reach areas around the car.

If I win the lotto, the first car I will buy is a Mercedes Benz C63 which will be my daily drive. I like the smaller Benz (fully optioned of course) as a daily car because I prefer a smaller car as they are more nimble around town.

If I win the lotto, the a Ferrari F430 will be my weekend car.

If I win the lotto, the Ferrari F599 will be my holiday car cruiser. Won't mind driving this around Australia.

If I win the lotto, the Lotus Elise/Exige will be my stock track race car.

If I win the lotto, two Toyota Supras will be my project/mod cars. One will be tuned for circuit racing, while the other will be tuned for drifting.