Tuesday 12th March 2013

Renault Megane 265 Cup: PH Fleet

A few out-of-town excursions mean Scrof's warmed to the Megane somewhat

---

Last month, you caught me in a somewhat grouchy mood. It was the result of having to get to grips with the Megane’s myriad little niggles on my daily commute. And while the niggles haven’t really gone away, I was aware that I hadn’t really given the Megane much chance to shine away from the congested arteries that make up my usual drive into work.

Megane gets a fancy new barnet...

So I made a point of taking it out for a blast on more than one occasion this month. And the good news is that it’s gone up in my estimation as a result. What’s more surprising, though, is the manner in which it did so.

It was an early Sunday morning, and I was on the way up to Sunday Service at Silverstone. I had Joe Satriani on the stereo, and it was a blissfully deserted motorway cruise up as the sun rose. And you know what? The Megane was, suddenly, great company.

What really made it was the engine. It’s a cracker, this 2.0-litre turbo. There’s a solid wodge of torque right there whenever you squeeze the throttle, and the way the Megane accrues speed almost without trying, accompanied by all sorts of whooshes and pops, is phenomenal. Addictive, too.

...before meeting up with an old friend

Turning off the motorway, a brief spurt in the twisties confirmed that the chassis is just as good. That engine can be put to good use hauling you out of corners at faintly unbelievable speeds thanks to the diff. Yes, the power does sometimes overwhelm the front wheels, causing scrabbling, tugging, and a bit of nose drift, but you can’t buy a front-driver with this much power and not expect a little bit of that. In any case, it’s just the Megane’s way of warning you you’re being too heavy-footed; ease off, and it comes neatly back into line without any unnecessary drama. And it’s shockingly, unremittingly, devastatingly quick. Into each bend, along each straight, the speeds just gets higher and higher, and before you know it you’re having to back off not because the car can’t handle it, but because your senses can’t keep up.

So I arrived at Silverstone in a positive frame of mind, positively bubbling with praise for the Megane. It is a fantastic driver’s car, and I really do think that in those terms it’s probably the best of the current hot hatch crop. If pure, unmitigated kicks are paramount, and a hatchback is a must, I’d recommend it highly. And what’s more, with that engine, the standard cruise control and a ride that’s surprisingly compliant, it’s actually an unexpectedly enjoyable way to cover long distances, too. I certainly didn’t expect that when we took delivery of a Cup-chassis’d Renault.

Still looks good in this colour combo though

But I’m still not entirely sold on it. I’ve long held the belief that a hot hatch should be a good all-rounder, and the more the niggles I mentioned last month infuriate, the more I feel it falls short in areas other than driver enjoyment. It’s not just me, either: Mr Garlick of this parish took the car for a few days recently and returned complaining of some of the same issues, notably the heater’s reluctance to warm up properly and the driving position, which feels nigh-on impossible to get right. That point was proven when I got back into the car to drive it after him, and found it took around two days of fiddling before I was able to find a position I felt comfortable enough in. And I’m still finding the stop-start occasionally gets confused and fails to restart the car. And yes, I’ve tried turning it off; it just turns itself back on again when the engine is next started.

On the whole, though, my feelings on the Megane have undoubtedly taken a turn for the positive this month. I feel happier to call it one of the best – if not, the best – front-driver around today in the curves, and it’s surprisingly good for the long haul too. If that’s all that matters to you, and you’re prepared to live with some inherent awkwardness, you won’t find anything better. But that inherent awkwardness is still a sticking point for me – one which means I’m still struggling to love it 100 per cent of the time.

---

FACT SHEET
Car: Renaultsport Megane 265 Cup
Run by: Alex (and Dan when circumstances allow)
On fleet since: December 2012
Mileage: 6,042
List price new: £28,115 (Basic list of £24,840 plus £350 for Renaultsport Monitor, £1,300 for Recaro seat upgrade, £750 for bi-xenon lights, £250 for hands free card with push-button start, £75 for spare wheel, £250 for tyre pressure monitor, £300 for Arkamys Bluetooth/USB ICE system)
Last month at a glance: Scrof finally finds some love for the Megane. It's not unconditional just yet, though.

Previous reports:
Scrof finds living with the Megane day-to-day isn't as enjoyable as driving it fast
The Megane impresses, even from the passenger seat
New arrival! Megane 265 Cup joins the fleet...

[Ali_T]

I would give serious consideration to one of these but the sticking point is the Renault dealer network. North of the border, it's all Arnold Shark and Evans Hellshaw and I wouldn't risk spending money with either. Renault need to give the network a serious overhaul if they want to be taken seriously.

[Ali_T]

A Scotsman said:

A bit far from you perhaps but I used Ness Motors in Inverness to do the belts on my 182 and their service was first class. I also like their attitude.

Bit far from Edinburgh to drop off in the morning and pick up after work!

MarkRSi said:

Very true, there's not even a Renault garage in Aberdeen now, which I'd be trying to rectify very quickly if I was in charge of Renault UK.
.

Don't complain, you at least get the only VXR8/Camaro dealers in the whole of Scotland. I guess because you have all the oil!

[Ali_T]

Scrof said:

Thanks! Crystal Planet - my first, I have to admit, but I've got Super Colossal on order. Any other recommendations?

Thread derailment:

Surfing With The Alien and Flying In A Blue Dream are very 80s in sound but still must haves. The Extremist is still my favourite of all his albums as it has the sublime "Rubina's Blue Sky Happiness" on it. I also, unlike most Satch fans, really love the whole techno meets rock vibe of Engines Of Creation. Everything from Strange Beautiful Music on is pretty much similar in tone. He stopped being more experimental and just made Satch albums. Ones to leave for later Not Of This Earth (I only listen to it because I can play Headless Horseman), Time (it has good songs but a lot of very early stuff that's very roughly produced, including his first EP) and his self titled 1995 album where it all went a bit mellow and meandering.

Don't forget the two Chickenfoot albums either. If you haven't heard of them, it's his daytime rock band with Chad Smith of Red Hot Chillies, and Michael Anthony and Sammy Hagar, ex of Van Halen.

Edited by Ali_T on Tuesday 12th March 13:19

[Ali_T]

Gorbyrev said:

Here endeth the digression!

Not until I post this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rnDHlZihn7E

1:38 still makes the hairs stand up on the back of my neck, even after 21 years (has it been that long?!!!)

[Ali_T]

Gorbyrev said:

Was that the right link. 1:38 never came up. Nice Alfa exhaust note though. As for hairs going up on the back of the neck, the opening feedback of Flying in a Blue Dream does it for me every time. What a player. And those tapping arpeggios in the Mystical Potato Groove Blues Thing are still beyond me at full speed after years of trying.

LOl, no. The joys of having two threads open! Here you go, my fave Satch song of all time:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jdz4MTAo7j0

I gave up trying to tap like him. It's easier to do Vai because he uses more wah and that covers a few sins nicely. My proudest achievement is being able to play Headless Horseman...and it's not really that hard, Mystical's parts are actually entirely left hand legato with the right hand muffling at the nt, which is even harder than tapping! One note per string at that speed. Insane.

Edited by Ali_T on Tuesday 12th March 23:25

Edited by Ali_T on Tuesday 12th March 23:34