Renaultsport Megane 250
Extensive details emerge on hot new Megane
With £22,995 Sport and more track-oriented £21,995 Cup chassis options, the car's 2.0-litre engine with twin-scroll turbocharger offers 250bhp and 250 lb ft of torque.
Impressively, 80% of that torque is available from just 1900rpm and the power and torque gains over the engine's previous incarnation in the Megane R26.R have come with changes to the turbo, as well as continuously variable intake valve timing and revised fuel-injection mapping.
Plenty of performance-orientated electronic bits are included. The main party piece is 'Renaultsport Dynamic Management', a system that controls the various electronic aids and lets you select from three settings, while 'RenaultSport Monitor' provides all sorts of telemetry feedback and logging of times and statistics.
Interestingly we're told that overall, the Cup chassis is approximately 15 per cent stiffer than the Sport version, and includes a mechanical limited slip differential. Both versions get huge 340mm vented discs and four-pot Brembo callipers, though the Cup's discs are grooved to help them cope with the increased abuse the sportier version is likely to invite.
Both versions' exteriors get a decent workout too, helping the standard Megane coupe to broadcast its sporting intentions a little more effectively. The 250 gets extended wheel arches with optional 19-inch Speedline alloys, black door mirrors, a modified front bumper with aerodynamic 'blade', a central tailpipe with an extra spoiler and diffuser and the now-obligatory daytime running lights. And you can have it in any colour you like, as long as it's this rather lurid shade Renault refers to as 'Sport Yellow'.
We hope that the sum of all this sporty detailing outside, inside and underneath the Megane 250 will deliver appropriately sporty results. All we know so far is that 0-62mph takes 6.1 seconds (which with the aforementioned 'PowerStart' may even be an achievable figure) and it'll apparently cover 1000 metres in 25.7 seconds from a standing start.
The looks may remain controversial, but if its anything like as much fun around a track as our own Renaultsport Clio from the PH fleet, then we reckon they could be onto a winner with this one.
Renault has also knocked out a rather spiffing animated promo showing an anatomical breakdown of the car, which you can watch below.
(UPDATE: PH is interviewing Renaultsport technical director Stephen Marvin this week. If you've got a question you'd like us to ask him - click here.)
Downsides are, and this isn't just Renault, why is everything looking like an MPV jelly mould?
I wasn't really excited about the old Zafira GSi, but now hot MPV type things are almost the expected norm. A shame that the low sleek hot hatches seem to be a thing of the past, because this kinda tech/chassis/engine in a car that looks genuinely good as a hatch would have me reaching for my wallet
Only the last shape MINI was really anything on the right track being small and powerful. Works GP imho will be the last proper hot hatch!
This stuff is great, but come on, ultimately, it's a bloody fast 3dr MPV!
Dave
Downsides are, and this isn't just Renault, why is everything looking like an MPV jelly mould?
I wasn't really excited about the old Zafira GSi, but now hot MPV type things are almost the expected norm. A shame that the low sleek hot hatches seem to be a thing of the past, because this kinda tech/chassis/engine in a car that looks genuinely good as a hatch would have me reaching for my wallet
Only the last shape MINI was really anything on the right track being small and powerful. Works GP imho will be the last proper hot hatch!
This stuff is great, but come on, ultimately, it's a bloody fast 3dr MPV!
Dave
It'll certainly be interesting to see comparisions with the Focus RS (this is £4k more and has 50bhp more but they are more comparable than the Focus and R26.R were)
Looks OK, but as said, why is everything so MPV like these days?
Only hot hatch that looks half decent now IMO is the current CTR, but its meant to be a disappointment dynamically. ETA: I guess the Grande Punto Abarth looks OK as does the Mazda 3 MPS. All still a bit tall for my liking though.
http://www.renaultsport.co.uk/roadcars/megane250/e...
Maybe a better question would be "what are the sales figures of the RS, VXR and RenaultSport models over the past few years?"
ETA: I quite fancy a drive in one, which is a first for a long time for a sporty Renault.
Gassing Station | General Gassing | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff