I have both a Trophy and a EP3 CTR Premier Edition. Totally different cars. My Trophy feels much more incisive to drive, very pointy, though I do run -1.8degrees camber at the front with 10mins toe out and Koni adjustable dampers rear, Mark Fish springs, KTR solid top mounts and a Whiteline AntoRoll bar, so not exactly standard.
The CTR being a Premier has the same Recaro Trendline seats as the Trophy though the seating position is much better, red JDM carpet, MOMO steering wheel and some will fall into the £7K mark, not many, as Premier's hold their values well but some.
As a package to start with it's not as pointy as the Clio, though its very sensitive to geometry. With the addition of Eibach front camber bolts (£20), some adjustable rear top arms (Eibach, D2 etc etc (£80-130) and a JDM rear anti-roll bar (22mm V's 18mm & only £120ish) running -1.5degrees front -1 rear with 10mins toe out front and either parallel or 10mins toe in the car comes alive, much more pointy, less understeer and improved steering sensation.
The weight of the steering on facelift models is good, just a little numb on dead ahead, but EPS systems are only just about getting up to hydraulic systems levels of feel. Drive a car with no power assistance and you will think anything with assistance is poor.
The gear change is very slick, though my Trophy has a very different change now having short shift and the 'stiff shift' kit from yanoo making it very positive. The engine is very good, very responsive with cable throttle body, and on facelifts lighter flywheel. Fitting the inlet manifold from an Accord Type-R, induction, exhaust and Hondara ECU should get 225bhp if not more, so has potential.
I really like both cars, but very different animals. I’ve not driven a 197 so can’t compare.