IS this the best hot hatchback money can buy? Better, even, than Ford's much admired Focus RS 500?

It certainly has the pedigree to give Ford's designers sleepless nights. Ever since the R5 Gordini Renault has made turning shopping trolleys into rocket-powered roller skates something of a speciality.

And, in common with most big car manufacturers these days, it has a sporty sub-brand dedicated to the art of transforming a humble hatchback into something very hot indeed.

Among the last generation of hot hatchbacks the Megane R26R was probably the most bonkers of the lot, with no compromises made in the name of day-to-day practicalities or fuel economy. It was a proper hooligan's car in the best traditions of the Impreza Sti or the Mitsubishi Evo.

The Renault Sport Megane 250, however, is a rather different proposition and, as an everyday driver, it makes a lot more sense.

It still looks great – a perfect fusion of power and presence with its Formula One-style rear diffuser, aero blade, pumped up wheel arches filled with beautiful black alloys and, on the inside, a go-faster yellow rev counter. But it doesn't look thuggish like the Focus. Subtle (for a top drawer performance hatch) and sophisticated, yes, but brutal and outlandish, no.

It still attracts admiring glances but not the wrong kind of attention that makes living with an RS 500 something of a double-edged sword. The Ford's aggressive body kit has all the subtlety of a bare knuckle fist fight.

So the first round goes to the Renault.

On paper the Focus seems to have the legs on the Renault which gives away more than 50 bhp from its 2.0-litre turbocharged engine – but don't believe everything you read.

Rolling road tests have shown that Renault is being unsually coy about the Megane's power outputs. Some independent dyno runs have found as much as 270 bhp at the driven wheels – a near 10 per cent increase over the claimed power.

Those same tests revealed the Focus to be less powerful at the driven wheels meaning the difference between the slightly more punchy Ford and the lightweight Renault is closer than might at first be imagined.

Driven back-to-back it's clear the Focus has the greater mid-range acceleration but the Renault is the easier car to drive quickly – and its Brembo brakes are simply phenomenal.

The secret to the Megane's sublime performance is the front suspension which separates the steering from the damper movement and virtually banishes torque-steering even under full-on acceleration. The fronts will still follow the camber of a poorly surfaced road but on a smooth surface the Megane has far more grip and poise than you'd expect of a front-wheel drive car putting down more than 250 bhp.

The car grips so well you'll be forced the recalibrate your limits. In instances where a normal hot hatch would be scrabbling for grip, or relying on electronic traction aids, the Megane simply goes. Like all the best driver's cars it seems to shrink around you as the pace increases, carving a path through your favourite road like a hot scalpel through butter.

The R26R offered a similar driving experience but, whereas that car was famous for its shapely backside this Megane royally kicks it into next week.

The crucial difference between the Megane 250 and the R26R (and the Focus for that matter) is the way the 250 works as a normal day-to-day drive.

Thanks to that suspension it doesn't crash over poorly surfaced roads and the engine settles down nicely when you just want to cruise along a motorway on auto pilot.

The interior is roomy enough for five, although the two-door layout is hardly convenient, and the boot is a generous size.

Renault offers the 250 in a couple of guises – the standard RS model and the stripped out Cup special. Both feature cruise control, a speed limiter (nigh on essential if you value your licence), eight airbags, stability control and rear parking sensors. The RS has all this plus dual zone climate control, automatic lights/wipers, and tyre pressure sensors. The Cup also has a handling pack (stiffer springs, grooved Brembo brakes and a limited slip differential) that makes it the more exciting car to drive.

It's also possible to have your cake and eat it – specifying the RS with the Cup pack for a very reasonable £1,950.

Before the Megane 250 I thought I was growing too old for hot hatchbacks.

The last few I've tested have left me with a vaguely embarrassed feeling – as if I should know better at my age.

Maybe that's because so many hot hatchbacks these days come festooned with enormous spoilers, coloured alloy wheels and leery paint schemes that just scream “nick me” from half a mile away.

The Megane the archetypal iron fist in the silk glove. It looks good, drives fantastic and is more than capable of pulling double duty as a work-a-day family car.

The best hot hatchback on the market? I reckon so.