Before being handed the Megane I read through the last six months of fleet updates. Consequently, I was rather expecting the automotive equivalent of Inspector Clouseau's manservant. Namely a car that's great company if you're in the mood for a tussle but, even when you're not, it still wants to get you in a headlock and bounce off down the nearest B-road. The Renaultsport Cato. It has a pretty good ring to it actually.
If you only tick one box on the options sheet...
Our relationship with the Megane began well. Confirmed Renaultsport fan boy Dan negotiated its arrival at PH towers and ensured all
the right
boxes were ticked
. Notably the best colour (the Clio Trophy's Capsicum Red), superb Recaro seats, Renaultsport Monitor instead of a boring sat-nav and 18-inch Tibor wheels over the ostentatious, pin-striped Speedlines.
To claw back some pennies, Dan also plumped for the Cup version. Now, it's a well-known fact that Renaultsport used to build its Cup interiors from the contents of old Turkish prison cells. And 'Cup' used to stand for a hardcore, no-frills experience alongside and a weight loss transformation worthy of the front page of Heat. Well, the good news is that Cup no longer equals poverty spec. I mean you get air-con, cruise control, speed limiter, Bluetooth, auxiliary and USB audio inputs... Not exactly slumming it. However, you can also forget the kind of weight saving that turns a great hatch into a cult hero. So no basic rear seats, special wheels, carbon bonnet, ABS deletion or other weight-saving features for the hardcore. And if you can still remember the golden years of the 172 Cup (ask Dan about that lack of ABS...) or even Megane R26.R, it's hard not to feel a slight tinge of sadness.
More accommodating of kit than Danny's Elise
Unfortunately Dan only got a single shot at driving the thing (at least it was on track), Alex at the helm for most of the tenure and not without his criticisms. Let me summarise his complaints: He couldn't get comfortable (man up), the clutch was too heavy (try a gym), the start/stop only fulfilled half of its promise (turn it off), he couldn't open the doors wide enough to get out in a parking bay (er, see point two). Joking aside though, as much as these niggles tainted his daily experience of the Megane, most, if not all were quickly forgotten when a nice stretch of road appeared in through the windscreen.
Now it's my turn and, I'm sorry Alex, I'm going to have to redress the balance somewhat. Having spent the last few weeks in the Megane - first driving it to Belgium and back, then trotting up to the Lakes, and using it in-between for a slew of shorter urban and rural trips - I can safely say I've had zero issues with the driving position. With the seat lowered all the way and the wheel pulled out as far it will go, it's been a place I've consistently felt at home. The wheel is a nice size, with a rim that's not too thick, and the pedals are perfectly placed. But the Recaros are the real stars of the cabin; not only fantastic to look at but brilliantly functional as well.
Sport mode on, start-stop off - ready to go
And as for the stop/start, it's behaved impeccably. Although I did get cheered at by a couple of blokes at some traffic lights the other day because they thought I'd stalled. When you have to drive around the block to explain the intricacies of modern emissions reduction systems to a pair of strangers, it kind of negates the environmental benefits.
What has bothered me - something Dan also noticed when he took it round Blyton Park - is a lack of bite to the brakes. It's not an issue on the road, although the pedal could do with being a bit firmer, but on track the brakes definitely feel like the weakest link in the package. It could just be a case of needing to fit a more aggressive pad. That's certainly where we'd start if we were indulging in regular track days.
In its element
Speaking of which, not only has the Megane been to Brands Hatch, it's also been let off the leash around Spa Francorchamps. The reason for this excursion, apart from the sheer hell of it, was to explore whether you can have more fun on track-biased tyres than standard road rubber. It also gave us the opportunity to experience the difference in ride quality between the 19-inch rims, with their painted on 235/35 tyres, and the deeper sidewalled Michelins that are standard on the 18-inch models. The result won't come as a shock; the smaller wheels are the only choice for the UK's third-world roads. While the 19s leave you and your passengers jiggling around like extras in a Snoop Dogg video, not to mention swerving all over the road to avoid potholes, the smaller hoops isolate you from all those road imperfections to the point where you can actually relax. It's no surprise, then, that the Michelin/Tibor combination is also the preferred choice of Renaultsport'semployees.
Best at maximum attack on road or track
So, without wishing to mention any dark, yeasty substances, the Megane does seem to have split opinion within the PH office. For those who like their hot hatches to make the daily grind more bearable over and above providing consistent excitement, perhaps the Megane is not the right choice. But then Renaultsport has never compromised performance in search of a wider appeal, and I like that. I also like the fact that the Megane is constantly digging its elbow in your ribs, cajoling you to take the long way home from work, or turn your back on the motorway network in favour of a string of B-road special stages. For me, this is the Megane in a nutshell; a practical, liveable hatchback that thinks it's
a tarmac rally car
. And, you know what? It's bloody persuasive.
FACT SHEET
Car: Renaultsport Megane 265 Cup
Run by: Alex, Danny Milner (and Dan when circumstances allowed)
On fleet since: December 2012
Mileage: 9,904
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: nipped to Spa, tried out 19-inch wheels and found out why we were right to spec the 18s in the first place, bid farewell
