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Megane RS vs. Nissan 370Z by Fifth Gear Is a Throwback Thursday Video

We don't like Throwback Thursday videos... unless they are about cars. Fifth Gear kicked the bucket last year, but we can still enjoy some of Tiff's old videos, right?
Megane RS vs. Nissan 370Z by Fifth Gear Is a Throwback Thursday Video 5 photos
Photo: YouTube screenshot
Megane RS vs. Nissan 370Z by Fifth Gear Is a Throwback Thursday VideoMegane RS vs. Nissan 370Z by Fifth Gear Is a Throwback Thursday VideoMegane RS vs. Nissan 370Z by Fifth Gear Is a Throwback Thursday VideoMegane RS vs. Nissan 370Z by Fifth Gear Is a Throwback Thursday Video
We couldn't trace the exact eppisode this particular clip came from, but all signs point to December 2011 as its release date. Back then, Porsche didn't have a turbocharged Boxster, and the Megane was the uncontested king of hot hatchbacks. So much so that Fifth Gear thought it was better than a Nissan 370Z.

They were right back then, and they're right today too because the coupe from Dieppe can even drift provided that it has a crazy enough driver.

Renault and Nissan have been in an alliance since March of 1999 and there are areas where their hot hatchbacks connect. For example, the 1.6-liter engine from the Juke evolved into the Clio RS 200 EDC engine, which in turn helped the development of the Juke Nismo.

Unfortunately, Nissan never got around to making that Pulsar Nismo. Obviously, there's a power gap between the 331 hp Nissan coupe with a 3.7-liter V6 and the 265 hp 2.0-liter turbo. However, the greasy track conditions and the lower weight of the Renault help offset that. In any case, this isn't a pure test of speed. On a wet track and at the hands of Subaru rally legend and James Bond stunt driver Mark Higgins (check out the epic Isle of Man save), expectations have a way of going out the window.

Our experience with the Nissan is 370Z is that it's a good 7/10s car, best enjoyed without full throttle and pinpoint precision expectations. The Megane also feels more secure during braking.

In case you want more hot hatch on coupe videos, we also took the liberty of including the Megane 265 vs. Toyota GT86 comparison that Fifth Gear did a couple of years after the Nissan. It's much longer, which is perfect for those of you who have cleared up your schedule today.

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About the author: Mihnea Radu
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Mihnea's favorite cars have already been built, the so-called modern classics from the '80s and '90s. He also loves local car culture from all over the world, so don't be surprised to see him getting excited about weird Japanese imports, low-rider VWs out of Germany, replicas from Russia or LS swaps down in Florida.
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