Renault R26R

[Chipper]

I'm really tempted to order a R26R. It's basically going to be a weekend car and occasional trackday vehicle.

In my deluded eyes i'm seeing this as Renault's gt3, and compared to most cars it should be relatively cheap to run. It looks great in the Racing Blue with red wheels too!

http://www.renaultsport.co.uk/roadcars/meganer26r/...

Now the only thing what's holding me back is the fact i could buy a used 225 Megane for half the price. I could then strip it down ,add a roll cage and the toyo tyres and with some bigger brakes i would have something similar to the R26R and yet be saving myself about £8000.

But at the end of the day its not going to be an R26R and if its as good as Steve Sutcliffe says i'll probably want to keep this car till it becomes a bit of a classic , which i think in time it might.



"As a genuine driver’s car the Renault Megane R26R has few rivals, and not just in the world of hot hatchbacks but at any level, at any budget."

Steve Sutcliffe



http://www.autocar.co.uk/CarReviews/FirstDrives/Re...

[jamiebae]

If you've got £20k plus to spend on a weekend car, even if it has to be new, there are other things I'd be looking at first - Caterham 7, Westfield, even a new Elise isn't very much more than the Megane. I know where my money would go, but then if you prefer FWD (apparently some people do!) then the Renaut is pretty much top of the tree.

[Truckosaurus]

There's a R26R on the Autotrader website, 750miles @ £17k, there's 5 of the 8k difference to a cooking R26 gone.

[Chipper]

jamiebae said:

If you've got £20k plus to spend on a weekend car, even if it has to be new, there are other things I'd be looking at first - Caterham 7, Westfield, even a new Elise isn't very much more than the Megane. I know where my money would go, but then if you prefer FWD (apparently some people do!) then the Renaut is pretty much top of the tree.

I'm 6"4, so Crate's ,Elise and generally those types of cars are just not feasible for me. I've also just come out of an Atom so i actually want something that is warm and dry.

I've considered a used CSL but at the money i'm talking at ( around £21000 ) i'd have to spend quite a bit more and i've got all the added costs of servicing , tyres and warranty to add on, and those little bills start to add up and then it takes the novelty off having a weekend car, well at least it does for me.

Another thing i'm worried about is that I don't think i'll be able to get a test drive in one of these R26R either , so it really will be a leap of faith in Sutcliffe review.

I hope he aint got shares in Renault!

[jamiebae]

Well one reason for picking the R26R over the normal version with mods is the R26R will always be fairly rare and desirable, whereas the R26 with cage, buckets and stickies will always be a modded R26 and will be valued accordingly by the market.

[Chipper]

Truckosaurus said:

There's a R26R on the Autotrader website, 750miles @ £17k, there's 5 of the 8k difference to a cooking R26 gone.

Thats an impressive one as its not launched till next month and the R26R doesnt come with a stero either

[LukeBird]

I'd love one!
If you're looking for something more practical than an Atom, but still with a large performance bias, it seems the best compromise!

Lunar Grey or Pearlescent White with Black rims for me!

[Mr Trophy]

How about a Clio Trophy?

[Chipper]

Mr Trophy said:

How about a Clio Trophy?

I'm really set on this Megane or nothing at the moment.

[Pwig]

Black or White with Black wheels IMO.

[matt3001]

The standard R26 is a pretty complete car in its own right, and quite a bit cheaper

[pbirkett]

Or you could go for a DC2 ITR and have, oh, i dunno, £15K to spend on petrol... Might not be as outright fast but I bet it aint far off, it'll sound better and will almost certainly be more reliable despite being "old" (at least it will if my old Clio 182 was anything to go by!!).

And no, I'm not kidding.

[Pwig]

Isn't that like going out with a gorgeous birds ugly sister because she was a cheaper date?

[ewenm]

I don't see why you'd buy a hot hatch as a weekend toy. Isn't the point of a hot hatch to be good as a daily car as well as fun? I'd go for something less practical and less compromised myself.

[pbirkett]

Pwig said:

Isn't that like going out with a gorgeous birds ugly sister because she was a cheaper date?

Oh yeah, the Megane is just sooooo good looking isn't it

Sorry I'm obviously missing your point.

[Chipper]

ewenm said:

I don't see why you'd buy a hot hatch as a weekend toy. Isn't the point of a hot hatch to be good as a daily car as well as fun? I'd go for something less practical and less compromised myself.

Hmmmmmmm , it has hardly any soundproofing due to weight saving , has only two seats which are competition seats with a carbon fibre shell with full harness, the tailgate and rear side windows are in polycarbonate , it has no stero and comes with a great big roll cage + toyo track tyres!

I'd say its slightly compromised myself !

Edited by Chipper on Sunday 14th September 19:57

[ewenm]

Chipper said:

ewenm said:

I don't see why you'd buy a hot hatch as a weekend toy. Isn't the point of a hot hatch to be good as a daily car as well as fun? I'd go for something less practical and less compromised myself.

Hmmmmmmm , it has hardly any soundproofing due to weight saving , has only two seats which are competition seats with a carbon fibre shell with full harness, the tailgate and rear side windows are in polycarbonate , it has no stero and comes with a great big roll cage + toyo track tyres!

IMO i don't think it gets near practical and less compromised unless you're comparing it to an Atom!

But (to me) the starting point is compromised. Why start with a family hatchback and make it more track-worthy when there are cars developed from the ground up for the purpose? Caterham (my bias ) for example.

[NWMark]

Chipper said:

"As a genuine driver’s car the Renault Megane R26R has few rivals, and not just in the world of hot hatchbacks but at any level, at any budget."

Steve Sutcliffe

He would say that though, given he had quite a bit of input into the development of the car.

[rsstman]

ewenm said:

Chipper said:

ewenm said:

I don't see why you'd buy a hot hatch as a weekend toy. Isn't the point of a hot hatch to be good as a daily car as well as fun? I'd go for something less practical and less compromised myself.

Hmmmmmmm , it has hardly any soundproofing due to weight saving , has only two seats which are competition seats with a carbon fibre shell with full harness, the tailgate and rear side windows are in polycarbonate , it has no stero and comes with a great big roll cage + toyo track tyres!

IMO i don't think it gets near practical and less compromised unless you're comparing it to an Atom!

But (to me) the starting point is compromised. Why start with a family hatchback and make it more track-worthy when there are cars developed from the ground up for the purpose? Caterham (my bias ) for example.

are you saying that a car that was originally a everyday hatchback cant be modified to be nearly as quick and probably as fun a say a caterham? surely a touring car or rally car will tell you that you are wrong?

just because something was designed in a particular way it doesnt mean that the same result cant be achieved elsewhere.

[ewenm]

rsstman said:

ewenm said:

Chipper said:

ewenm said:

I don't see why you'd buy a hot hatch as a weekend toy. Isn't the point of a hot hatch to be good as a daily car as well as fun? I'd go for something less practical and less compromised myself.

Hmmmmmmm , it has hardly any soundproofing due to weight saving , has only two seats which are competition seats with a carbon fibre shell with full harness, the tailgate and rear side windows are in polycarbonate , it has no stero and comes with a great big roll cage + toyo track tyres!

IMO i don't think it gets near practical and less compromised unless you're comparing it to an Atom!

But (to me) the starting point is compromised. Why start with a family hatchback and make it more track-worthy when there are cars developed from the ground up for the purpose? Caterham (my bias ) for example.

are you saying that a car that was originally a everyday hatchback cant be modified to be nearly as quick and probably as fun a say a caterham? surely a touring car or rally car will tell you that you are wrong?

just because something was designed in a particular way it doesnt mean that the same result cant be achieved elsewhere.

For road cars (which is what the R26R is and what is being discussed here) yes, a fwd hot hatch will always be a compromise compared to a rwd sports car. How "fun" is measured will be different for everyone though.