Any car that’s not a Golf GTI is a left-field choice in the hot-hatch game, but Renault’s Megane RS over the years, has been even further outfield than most. I mean where else, besides in France, does Renaultsport really get taken seriously as a contender in the street-cred stakes? You don’t exactly see these warmed-up Twingos, Clios and Meganes on every corner do you?
But maybe with this all-new version things could change. I liked the previous Megane RS (also known as the R26 F1 Edition) but its compromised gummy compound tyres, flashy sticker kits and J-Lo rear end kept it more of a niche vehicle than a car salesman’s dream. This new one, which represents a 180-degree about-face from the R26 model, is also likeable but in a more Golf GTI mainstream sort of way.
Apart from the cornea killing yellow paint that’s available, the new Megane RS doesn’t stick its neck out in unnecessary ways that could have potential buyers saying things like: “I like the new one, but...”
Not to say it’s inconspicuous. Anything but. The new Megane, even in 1.6-litre rental-fleet trim has a pretty wild shape going on, and with added RS visual aggression by way of wide fender flares and wings it’s even more out there. Most onlookers craned their necks for longer looks at the RS on the road and almost all under 30-somethings pointed approvingly.
This particular test car is the R399 900 “Cup” version, as opposed to the R50 000 less and slightly softer “Sport”. Cup means 19-inch wheels instead of 18s, more buckety Recaro seats, limited-slip diff, grooved brake discs, Playstation-esque real-time data display and stiffer shocks, springs and swaybars. But even with all the racy add-ons the RS Cup is still usable as an everyday car.
Renault’s found a nice balance with the suspension, and even though it does jitter a bit over choppy roads it’s still comfortable 99 percent of the time in a sporty hatch way.
Watch out for potholes, though, with those ultra lo-pro tyres. Getting over those Recaro’s side bolsters is also tricky especially for males when getting in or out, but you become mindful of block-and-tackle protection after repeated entries.
What’s great is that the RS can convert easily from daily driver to competent track tool thanks to special attention put into the right areas at Renault’s tuning shop. Your wife will never know there’s an LS diff in there unless her first name’s Danica and her surname’s Patrick, but crank the wheel hard and jump on the gas and you’ll appreciate the lack of wheelspin understeer.
Big four-pot Brembo brakes also do a superb job of stopping, even after repetitive use, but the grooved discs on the Cup chassis do hum under hard pressure.
Renault quotes 184kW and 340Nm from the turbocharged 2-litre engine, and I’m not doubting the figures because power at full boost feels strong, but it’s funny that our best 0-100km/h time came out as 6.9 seconds. Renault claims 6.1 and it’s never unusual that a car, especially at Jozi height, goes a little slower than it’s supposed to, but a 155kW Golf GTI did 6.3 seconds in our hands. Funny that. Explains a little about why any car that’s not a GTI is a left-field choice in our market.
The Cup-specific data display is very reminiscent of that in Nissan’s GT-R (albeit on a much smaller and monochromatic screen), with real-time G-force, boost pressure, brake and throttle input, and lap time readouts that boy racers will go berserk for. I suspect many Megane RS Cup drivers will never even know about this feature as it’s tricky, almost secretive, to access via the steering-wheel mounted audio control pod.
It’s also possible to adjust throttle-pedal sensitivity here with five preset settings but in extreme mode only Danica Patrick would be happy. I preferred the middle “linear” setting for normal driving.
I must say that I don’t like the instrument cluster. For some reason Renault likes to indicate odd speeds like 90, 110 and 130km/h on the dial, and then they angle the whole cluster so it’s like trying to read your watch with your wrist turned flat. It almost seems they don’t want you to know how fast you’re going.
And tut tut Renault... Why cover the driver’s door panel with fake leather and the passenger’s with cloth? Does a R399 000 premium not cover two fake leather door panels? Did you really save enough money to justify this? If anything, you’re giving potential buyers a reason to say “I like the new one, but...”
VERDICT:
I’m very pleased with the new RS as a well rounded hot hatch. Performance, even if not quite up to GTI task in straight line terms, is impressive indeed and as a daily driver is reasonably comfortable. It looks the part too as long as you’re into the whole Space Odyssey styling thing. If the Golf GTI is a perfect 10 I’d give the new Renault Megane RS a nine, only because it’s half a second slower to 100km/h. With that proper LS diff I reckon it might lap a circuit quicker though. -Star Motoring