Au revoir Renaultsport: PH Fleet

Ben bids farewell, not just to his Megane, but to all Renaultsport cars. For now, at least. It's been fun...

After a year and 12,000 sensational miles in VU11 WLD, the time has come to move on. Partly to free up funds for my house renovation, partly because I've finished what I set out to achieve, but mostly because life's too short to stick with one car for too long. There are just so many cars out there that I want to own, and having just purchased my 25th car at the grand old age of 31, I've no intention of slowing down anytime soon. Still, I'm sure there are many of you who can put that number to shame!

Sadly it's also time to have a break from Renaultsport, with the Megane 250 being my fourth in as many years. So it only feels right that this article is one of reflection. Up until the time I started working at PH, I'd turned my nose up at Renaults, falling into the trap of years of reliability jokes and the boy racer image. But despite that, I'd always had a hankering for a Clio, which is something Dan took advantage of when he invited me along to a Renaultsport track day at Brands Hatch in 2015.

I fell in love with Renault's very own 182 Trophy and within 24 hours I'd paid a deposit on one and set off on a 570-mile round trip to Devon to pick it up. I was hooked. Ironically, I've covered over 30,000 miles in my various Renaultsports and they've been the most reliable cars I've ever owned. And even when little things did need sorting, they were all cheap to fix. Admittedly rebuilding the Sachs dampers on the Trophy and things like cambelt/dephaser changes aren't exactly affordable, but these are serviceable items at the end of the day, so enough research prior to purchase will have you prepared on what the likely running costs will be.

While I'm on running costs, they were pleasantly surprising too. The Clios would happily return high 30s to the gallon on a longer run and the Meganes lower 30s, which was helpful for my commute from Kent to Twickenham. And even with my 250 having 325hp running through the front wheels, a fresh set of Michelin PS4s outlasted my time with the car.

Coming back to the boy racer image, I didn't realise how wrong I was until I ventured onto a Trophy owners weekend, which has to be the best driving weekend I've ever been on in the UK. The community is alive and buzzing with so many fantastic and helpful enthusiasts; it's one I'll miss, although I doubt I'll be away for long. Even the main dealership aftersales experience has been great at every dealer I've been to. Particularly Wilsons in Epsom, where I went in a panic to pick up a circlip I needed for my gear selector before I went out to Spa. I asked on the spot if there was any chance they could put the car up on a ramp and fit it for me, which they happily obliged to do and didn't even charge me. All for a part that cost less than two quid.

Naturally though, it's the incredible Renaultsport driving experience that steals your heart. The older Clios are so uncompromising and provide buckets of feedback; I've never had so much fun throwing a car around a B-road or a track. They offer a decent punch of performance on a tight budget and they won't be such good value for long. I always keep an eye on the market, and honest unmolested cars are becoming increasingly hard to find. Compared to my Megane 250, a 182 offers you 90 per cent of the fun for 10 per cent of the price, with cheaper running costs too.

I was lucky enough to be part of the twin test between the outgoing Megane 275 Cup-S and the FK2 Civic Type R, and while the Civic is magnificent, the Megane just delivers the extra level of feedback and fun factor that even the current breed of hot hatch rivals can't deliver. It's hard to imagine that the new Mk4 Megane could be any better, but I'm looking forward to the opportunity of finding out.

As the old saying goes, however, all good things must come to an end. Though I've waved goodbye to the Megane misty eyed, I'm lucky that it has stayed locally with a friend, so it's not all that bad. If you've made it this far, you'll have gathered that my time with Renaultsports has been rather good. So while I'm taking a break for now, I'll be back. More on the Megane's replacement coming soon!

FACT SHEET
Car: 2011 Renaultsport Megane 250 Lux
Run by: Ben Lowden
On fleet since: May 2017
Mileage: 64,483
Last month at glance: Another magnificent Megane, but the time has come for Ben to try something new...