2019 Renault Megane R.S | PH Review
The fast Megane is back. With a Cup chassis and manual gearbox. Thank goodness.
If it weren't enough to land in that viper pit, the new car also has to contend with the idea that Renault Sport could probably do with a hit. True, the Alpine A110 is brilliant - but all the credit for that has been carefully attributed to the new brand, not Dieppe. Until now its recent reputation has rested on the fourth generation Clio, a car which Renault opted to make without the manual gearbox that might conceivably have made it great. Instead it got a six-speed EDC transmission that judiciously sucked any trace of fun from a downsized engine that was already in arguably short supply of the stuff. Worse still, it was launched as the third generation Megane hit its dazzling peak; the 275hp Trophy-R simultaneously breaking both the front-drive Nurburgring lap record and the heart of everyone who ever drove it.
The method in this madness was to show that the Sport chassis does one thing exceptionally well: namely ride and handle in a way which allows you to drive it very fast indeed without ever making a martyr of your coccyx. A brace of trick features are deployed to this end: specifically all-round hydraulic bump stops (essentially a shock absorber inside the primary damper), and an all-new four-wheel steering system. Renault Sport has dabbled in both technologies for decades, and apparently insisted on the fourth generation Megane making space for the latter way back in 2010 on the back of lessons it had learnt on the barely-remembered Laguna GT. The reasoning was two-fold: with four-wheel steering, the engineers felt they could improve agility at low speeds while enhancing the car's stability at very high speeds. Similarly, the hydraulic bump stops - pioneered on the current Clio R.S - would deliver superior wheel control without compromising on road-hugging rebound.
The first, with a fatefulness approaching inevitability, is the powertrain. The previous Megane boasted the now-dead 2.0-litre F4Rt unit, a turbocharged four-pot as hard and as scrupulously brilliant as the model surrounding it. Its replacement gets the same all-new 1.8-litre lump used to great effect in the A110, only tweaked to output 280hp. But it does not get the same seven-speed dual-clutch 'box and, additionally, it has (at best) an extra 327kg to heave about the place. Throw in much the same spiritless gear changes that afflicted the Clio - the paddles still wilt when depressed - together with two pedals not inclined to help you modulate the business of going and stopping with any subtlety, and the Sport version falls at the hurdle marked "must go like stabbed rat". Moreover, the meticulousness of the last Megane's electric steering, which only had the 981-gen Porsche Cayman to call a peer, has departed. Its replacement is not bad by any means - in fact its positivity chimes rather well with the chassis's quick-wittedness - but it's not as feelsome as two years ago. And that's a demerit, too.
Mechanically speaking, alongside the torque steer-suppressing PerfoHub axis, the Cup version benefits from firmer springs and dampers, bigger bump stops and a predictably beefier attitude toward anti-roll bars. It also includes the fitment of a Torsen limited-slip differential (a notable upgrade on the old GKN unit in terms of lock-up values). All of this is readily apparent in the Cup's fizzier attitude, but the ramped-up change of direction and superior bite at turn are just a starting point. The maxim here - as ever - is adjustability, and with a slightly damp circuit at Jerez further greasing the fun, the Cup model has it in armfuls. Choose to rely on the talkative diff and a palpable sense of front-to-back balance, and it'll go route one through fast corners in nerveless style - yet never to the extent that might preclude using the throttle to tighten your line. At times its body control and overall precision smack of the Clio R.S 220 Trophy, but the nuance dialled into the limit handling is on another level - to the extent where mischievously lifting off mid corner (in the ESP-off Race mode) finds a degree of oversteer that would probably be considered outlandish in Wolfsburg or Martorell.
So prominent is this virtue that even without experiencing the Cup on the road, it's plain enough that the model makes the grade as a driver's car, and right off the bat that's to be celebrated - even if it doesn't automatically make it the superior of the Honda Civic Type R or even the higher-powered variant of the current Golf GTI. Both rivals are nicer inside (there's no saving the R.S from the hand-me-down architecture here) and one is almost certain to prove quicker. Neither though offers the Megane's impish sense of fun or its approachability on a track. It's also worth remembering that when its exalted predecessor started life back in 2012, it too was merely very good - it took the best part of a life cycle for anyone to start pondering the 'greatest of all time' tag. With the more powerful Trophy yet to come - and a more extreme R version likely to follow that - there's plenty of time yet for the latest Megane to equal its predecessor's stellar reputation. And seal Dieppe's.
SPECIFICATION - RENAULT MEGANE R.S.
Engine: 1,798cc, turbocharged four-cylinder
Transmission: 6-speed manual, front-wheel drive
Power (hp): 280@6,000rpm
Torque (lb ft): 288@2,400-4,800rpm
0-62mph: 5.8sec
Top speed: 158mph
Weight: 1,407kg (kerb weight without options)
MPG: 39.2-39.7
CO2: 161-163g/km
Price: TBC
Anyway, the car looks great. Can we have a proper review please? Or shoyld we just see if EVO mag have written something more legible?
Will hold out my verdict until I actually drive one. Most likely the Trophy is more for me...
Perhaps a rewrite by someone else in the team would be possible? Failing that, implement a stronger review process before future output is released?
RenaultSport back catalogue does prove, as eluded to, that it takes a few years to get them to the right recipe.
For me it needs a bit more grunt out the box (300hp) Recaro Seats as an option and the build quality needs to be creeping ever closer to VAG stuff, as that’s what will help sell them.
Cup/Trophy/R.. looking forward to seeing this version evolve.
The Evo review seems a lot more positive and gives quite a lot more details on how the rear wheel steering works etc.
Looking forward to seeing one up close. The seats look pretty cool, remind me of some of the old 80s bucket/sports seats with the aggressive bolstering.
Interesting, early articles suggested the Megane would be lighter than its rivals to offset the small power deficit. The "without options" weight of just over 1400Kgs puts it almost 100KG heavier than the "As tested weight by EVO" of 1316KG for the Peugeot 308 GTI in this months test. The difference will probably be even bigger when they stick the Megane on the scales with a few options. Mind you, the old 3 door Megane had a quoted weight of 1376KG, so its not a huge increase. I would just like to have seen Renault taking the "lighter weight" route with their new car, rather than make it more powerful. For me, 1400-1500KG is too heavy for a hot hatch.
Nice looking car though. The hot hatch class is really at boiling point right now.
But the interior looks looks pretty crappy, they are not likely to win many German conquest sales based on that.
As a for example, based on some recent Euro hire cars the sat nav on a Mk7.5 Golf is first class, the latest Renault unit in a Scenic (& a similar Nissan unit) is laggy and unresponsive......ruins the car for day to day use. I would guess the Megane has at least a similar if not the same unit.
A shame as from the outside, they've really nailed it.
It's not as if writing teh wordz is your job or anything...and that's before we consider that the article isn't exactly the last word in clarity or focus. Tough going.
I'll keep my Golf CS thanks
Also, there was no mention of seat options / materials (heated?), boot space, interior space, legroom, cup holders, storage, infotainment system, R.S. monitor, real MPG. A hot hatch by its very nature is about more than just the driving experience, as such a review should reflect this accordingly.
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