RE: Megane Renaultsport gets power boost for 2012
Friday 6th January 2012
Renault has given its Megane a raft of tweaks for 2012, including mild styling revisions, some trim and engine changes and a good deal of noise about 'improved quality'.
As the name implies, the car now gets 265hp, 15hp more than before, as well as an extra 15lb ft of torque, bringing that up to 266lb ft (provided you select 'sport mode in Renault's new 'Renaultsport Dynamic Management'). That's enough to push the hot hatch from 0-62mph in 6.0 seconds dead and on to a top speed of 158mph.
Megane Renaultsport gets power boost for 2012
Range refresh sees fast Megane morph from 'Renaultsport 250' to 'Renaultsport 265'
By far the most interesting update, however, is that the Megane Renaultsport gets the power upgrades from last summer's limited-edition Megane Trophy, morphing the Megane Renaultsport 250 into the Megane Renaultsport 265.
A new, more open exhaust design with a 'reinforced sound pipe' (no we're not sure either), meanwhile, ensures (says Renault) a "a satisfying pitch at all revs". Jolly good.
As for visual tweaks, the 'blade' on the car's nose now features two banks of six-LED DRLs, while the headlights get black surrounds. The centre of the new 18-inch alloys, as well as the 19-inch wheels, now feature an 'R.S.' logo, and a new option is the Renaultsport Red Design Pack, which consists of red striping for the front blade, side sills and diffuser.
The 2012 tweaks to Renault's Megane range will come into effect in the UK in April.
Discussion
Still the best hot hatch by a long way, but not sure the extra power and some red bits could tempt me into one - it's just too much more expensive than the R26 was just a few short years ago. Before I bought my R26.R, I had a deposit down on an R26, fully specced for £18K. You'd struggle to get a decent Clio 200 for that now. No idea why anyone would have bought the 265 Trophy variant either - you could see this facelift coming a mile off.
I wonder how you'd be feeling if you'd just bought the 265 Trophy.
Trouble is, people usually find their way into performance Renaults because of the attractive finance deals on offer. Renault plan to put a stop to discounting and deals like that this year. I'm going to take a stab in the dark and predict sales suffering as a consequence with Vauxhall filling the void.
Trouble is, people usually find their way into performance Renaults because of the attractive finance deals on offer. Renault plan to put a stop to discounting and deals like that this year. I'm going to take a stab in the dark and predict sales suffering as a consequence with Vauxhall filling the void.
Dave Hedgehog said:
avg, appropriate for the price, most of the money goes into the oily bits, miles of VAG quality but then you pay 10 grand more to get it
Thought these were GTI priced? I'd hope to get a new one at 18k to be honest. They are probably the best looking two door under 30k by a long way and I do like that Renault aren't afraid to promote their fastest models where as other manufacturers shy away from it. I'd likely have a Clio if I didn't do asto-mileage on the motorways.rj1986 said:
Always love those alloys on it.
But can't help the feeling that these things will be worth a tenner and a packet of rolo's after 3 years.
Not only that, after you've replaced all the performance bits you've still got a cabin full of squeaks. I'm a regular on the RenaultSport forum and it's amusing how owners gloss over all the little niggles. They openly admit they'd never buy a used one and the quality of the RS Twingo is thought to be abysmal. But can't help the feeling that these things will be worth a tenner and a packet of rolo's after 3 years.
Ved said:
Thought these were GTI priced? I'd hope to get a new one at 18k to be honest. They are probably the best looking two door under 30k by a long way and I do like that Renault aren't afraid to promote their fastest models where as other manufacturers shy away from it. I'd likely have a Clio if I didn't do asto-mileage on the motorways.
i think to match the performance you will need the R which is 41k with a reasonable spec ...
) and turbocharged.Hellbound said:
I wonder how you'd be feeling if you'd just bought the 265 Trophy.
As someone who bought a Trophy last year, I am fine with it. Even happy. This is because the 265 is visually and mechanically pretty much identical to the Trophy. The only real difference is that the Trophy gets the max power/torque all the time, whereas in the 265 you have to press a button. So in this aspect, the Trophy is "better". The Trophy already comes with the LEDs, revised wheels, all important centre caps (!) and louder exhaust. Personally, I am not too bothered about the minor tweeks to the interior or the black headlight surrounds. Although some might be.Price wise, Renault have confirmed the 265 will be more expensive than the 250, which means (pre-discount) you are probably looking at just under £25k for a basic cup and just under £26k for a non-cup. List price of the Trophy is/was just under £28k. However, the Trophy comes with standard items that you will have to spec. on a 265 - e.g. the RS monitor and Recaros.
I (and I am sure most other Trophy buyers) knew there was an updated version on the cards. Admittedly, it was a bit of a gamble not waiting for the new one, but we sort of knew the "Phase 2" would be upped to 265 ps and I liked the looks of the 250/Trophy so much I was worried Renault would ruin them with the Phase 2!
Oh, and the 265 will not be available in liquid yellow, which I love.
Edited by Roma101 on Friday 6th January 13:41
Dave Hedgehog said:
Ved said:
Thought these were GTI priced? I'd hope to get a new one at 18k to be honest. They are probably the best looking two door under 30k by a long way and I do like that Renault aren't afraid to promote their fastest models where as other manufacturers shy away from it. I'd likely have a Clio if I didn't do asto-mileage on the motorways.
i think to match the performance you will need the R which is 41k with a reasonable spec ...Really like these cars- they've grown on me a lot recently and don't seem to look so much like a fussy Scirocco clone. Those wheels, though- yuck.
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