The Megane is a household name over at Renault. Introduced in 1995 as a replacement for the R19, the Megane is now in its fourth iteration, but the all-new RS has yet to be launched. Fret not, though, because it is “coming soon,” as in this fall.
Not too long ago, an internal document written in French leaked on the World Wide Web, revealing that the Megane IV RS is due to have its European market launch in the period between 14 and 18 September. It’s no coincidence, then, that the 2017 Frankfurt Motor Show kicks off on September 12, or is it? Whatever the French company's sporting arm is planning, make no mistake that the Megane RS hot hatch is getting closer.
Teased for the first time ever at the end of a Renault Sport video that celebrates one million fans on Facebook, the 2018 Megane RS does look that bit wider than the regular model and the GT. The fog lights, meanwhile, appear as if they’ve been borrowed from the Clio RS facelift.
Expected to boast a front-wheel-drive platform, the 2018 Megane RS will be offered exclusively as a five-door. By comparison, the former generation was available only as a three-door coupe. Then there is motive force. The rumor mill suggests the 2017 Alpine A110’s 1.8-liter engine will fill the engine bay with turbocharged goodness, but the automaker never confirmed the intel. On the other hand, it wouldn’t be that surprising to find a 2.0-liter turbo.
What’s sure, though, is that the 2018 Renault Megane RS will be accomplished by 300 horsepower or thereabout. It’s not that the preceding model wasn’t exciting enough with 275 ponies, but the competition is getting ever more serious. Honda’s FK8-chassis Civic Type R develops 320 PS (or 316 hp), whereas the SEAT Leon Cupra recently hit the 300 PS sweet spot.
We can hardly wait to find out what Renault Sport has in store for us.
After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well. Full profile
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