RENAULT MEGANE R.S.
The ‘Renault Sport’ sub-brand has a reputation for producing outstanding performance cars and the Megane R.S. is its latest creation.
Over the last couple of decades, Renault’s ‘Renault Sport’ division has managed to tune plenty of sensible family hatchbacks into genuinely exciting and involving performance cars. The French giant’s motorsport division has achieved far more than that throughout its history though, with Renault Sport being the only manufacturer to win top level events in 5 separate motorsport categories.
Away from the circuits and rally stages of the world’s premier motorsport events, Renault Sport has tuned and enhanced members of the Renault passenger car range to create some truly memorable machines. The Megane ‘R26.R’ of 2009 is regarded as one of the greatest examples of a hot hatch ever made, and the Clio ‘182 Trophy’ received similar acclaim. Now facing rivals such as the Honda Civic Type R, Hyundai i30N and Volkswagen Golf R, the competition has never been fiercer for Renault Sport, yet it continues to impress.
The current Megane R.S. is powered by a 1.8-litre turbocharged 4-cylinder engine. It possesses 280bhp, enough to send the car to a top speed of 158mph, with a 0-62mph sprint time of 5.8-seconds. Unlike some recent hot hatches, the Megane R.S. is strictly front-wheel driven but it does feature 4-wheel steering, a rarity in the car market where the rear wheels can turn slightly to increase cornering capability and improve stability. In the ‘Cup’ chassis model, the suspension setup is firmer and sportier and the R.S. also gains a limited slip differential. As an option on the Cup chassis, 355mm diameter brake discs courtesy of Brembo are available, giving superior stopping performance.
Aside from the performance equipment, the Megane R.S. also features useful technology such as adaptive cruise control, climate control, active emergency braking, lane departure warning, traffic sign recognition and Renault’s ‘R.S Vision’ LED headlight system. For the infotainment system, a portrait-orientated screen controls the majority of the Megane’s key control systems and features additional performance information for those spirited drives in the countryside.
Another excellent offering from a manufacturer well versed in developing fantastic hot hatches, the Renault Megane R.S. is well worthy of any Synergy customer’s consideration if they’re in the market for a fun yet practical car.