RENAULT Megane RS 250 Cup Review

Renault Sport is a division built around the “Cinderella” story. You see, these guys take care of Renault’s motorsport activities, so to say that they are obsessed with speed would be an understatement. A major one!

Whenever a standard Renault enters their laboratories, the head of the development department climbs aboard and drives to whatever location his homologue that takes care of standard Renaults is at that time. On his way, he evaluates the vehicle’s dynamic abilities. We don’t know why, but every time, the latter ends up being punched in the face. Then, the man gets back, gathers his team and transforms the pauper into a prince (we know, this is another story).

Thus, every vehicle that wears the Renault Sport badge will not only bring out the driver monster in you, but also please this side of your personality. The Megane RS 250 has a heavy burden on its fenders, as the fiercest incarnation of its predecessor, the Megane R26.R was a hot hatch so fast that people though it was fueled by lava from hell. And if any of the stylingcues look familiar, maybe it's because you remember the 2009 Megane Trophy V6-powered race car.

And there’s more: the hot hatch segment is probably the most effervescent go-fast area in the automotive industry today, so the competition is fierce to say the least. Nowadays, hot hatches manage to lap certain racetracks faster than sports cars.

And this is what the Megane RS does - we decided to take the car for a test drive shortly after its beefed-up, track-focused version, the Megane RS Trophy, made a fool out of the BMW 1M Coupe on the Nurburgring (you can read more about this in one of our editorials).

Thus, we got to play with the Cup version, which brings goodies such as a mechanical limited slip differential and a chassis that is 15 percent stiffer.

But are 250 hp enough in a time when some hot hatches dare to exceed the 300 hp barrier by a hefty margin? 1, 2....6 seconds, we’re at 62 mph and on our way to find out! You’d better hold on tight, as the the track we’ve chosen as a part of our test has some pretty tricky corners!

They say that history repeats itself and the Megane Coupe (we totally disagree with this designation but this is how the carmaker calls the three-door hatch) is a perfect example of this. You see, Machiavellianism took over France in the 16th century and now the people from the Hexagon have done it again, sacrificing the styling cues in order to make the car look original.

For example, the profile of the “Coupe” version is really special, but there are other details, such as the taillights, which have ended up looking rather odd just for the sake of having an original design. But enough about the regular Megane, we are talking about the RS-badged version here.

To put it simply, the Megane RS looks like a toy. Renault was eager to show everybody that this is a the compact car that could. The car has received a lot of plastic, as it now has beefier wheel arches that use this material. The same goes for the side skirts, which come with an interesting design.

The front bumper has a design that, even though it reminds us of that used by a Renault F1 car, is a little bit more down-to-earth and includes a set of daytime running lights that use LED technology.

Moving to the rear, we find a (faux) single massive exhaust, which is supposed to deliver the final blow to the ones you overtake. The vehicle we tested was dressed in a Jaune Sport color, which, together with its two-tone optional rims, make it stand out even more.

Of course, this is the kind of hate it or love it design, so opinions will be split. There’s a part of us that likes the new-age styling which seems to come straight from manga comics, while the rest of us despises the flamboyance of the thing.

The interior follows the same in-your-face theme as the exterior: the vehicle we tested was fitted with the optional Recaro seats (the fabric finish version) and came with an array of flashy features, using yellow for the seatbelts, steering wheel stitching and rev counter background.

Even though this feels nothing like a standard Megane, we have to remember that this was the starting point. This means that we get an interior that offers proper ergonomics and, despite the fact that we are talking about a car with a reasonable price, doesn’t come with materials borrowed from the 80s’.

So, what has Renault Sport done for the cabin? Well, if anything it has improved it. For a hot hatch (and this is an important addition), the Megane RS offers a nice interior. There are a few touches that are as discreet as a belly dancer, such as the yellow seatbelts, but most of the elements are pleasing.

The interior space is enough to accommodate four passengers regardless of the trip’s length. However, the rear area has the same issue as the luggage compartments of various cars: it’s large enough, but rather difficult to access. Actually, it’s not the access that’s a problem, but rather the feeling you get when riding in the back - you may start to develop claustrophobia as the rear windows are the size of a palm.

We can’t go through this chapter without telling you just how uncomfortable the optional Recaro seats are. The access is difficult, but once you get in, everything seems alright. Yes, it only seems fine, as , after one or two hours spend together, you’ll start to feel discomfort, especially in the upper back area.

Apart from that, you can easily find a driving position that allows you to feel the car when going sideways and maybe even to sit a little less tight when traveling through the city. We also have to talk about the instrument panel: just like in the standard Megane, this is leaned backward, a solution that is as practical as a set of 7-inch high heels. However, we did like the fact that the speedometer is no longer digital, as the analogue one bring a more “racy” feel.

The Megane RS can’t quite make up its mind concerning its attitude towards urban areas. On one hand, the car’s agility makes it a perfect urban lover, while on the other hand there are certain issues, such as a clutch that is a big fan o engine-stopping practical jokes, that keep it from receiving a high score for this chapter of our test drive.

You hit the engine start button, put the gearbox into first and set off in the traffic. The size of the car, combined with its agility, allow you to dance swiftly. You can enjoy blistering acceleration in second and third gear – the latter is where you’ll usually find yourself while inside the city’s borders.

We have to admit that this car does have a tendency to bring out the urban hooligan inside of you, but it’s something that you can easily control.

The rear visibility does make parking a bit difficult, but the vehicle we tested came with parking sensors, which made things pretty easy. Like we said, there are a few issues that keep the Megane from being a too close friend of the city.

First there’s the fuel consumption, which sits at around 13 mpg (18 liters per 100 km). This is a value within the average of the hot hatch segment, but it will still summon you at the gas station pretty often.

Then there’s the clutch. It’s design to cope with the heaps of Nm coming from the engine, but it’s ruggedness also means that you stall the engine quite a few times before you perfectly get to know it and maybe even after that.

The ground clearance will allow you to focus on the driving and/or your own thoughts, so we probably won’t see too many examples of the Megane RS with shaved front bumpers.

Shopping trips? No problem, just be sure to not drop the pile of recently acquired stuff when you pass through the crowd of teenagers that is contemplating the car in the parking lot.

We’d really like to spend the day with you here, talking about the Megane RS, but we can’t. This car is so sweet that we just can’t spend any time not driving it. That’s it, we’ve got to run. What’s that? How do we describe the car in one word? Precise.

Just kidding, of course we’ll tell you about the whole experience, with all the good and the bad bits. As you can imagine, we started our journey by going nowhere very fast. That’s right, our test kicked off on a racetrack. The limited slip differential (LSD) gives you a lot of peace of mind at the start, so you can be focused from the first bend.

The same piece of engineering makes it easier for you to negotiate corners without treating the throttle like it was a flesh wound. Now don’t think that you have to grab this car by the wheel and throw it around.

Like we said, the RS badge has brought a precise character, rather than a frenzy of emotions. The car adores explosive maneuvers such as Scandinavian flicks, but the thing it likes most is setting stunning laptimes. The car’s handling is very predictive and the Recaro seats allow you to feel every sigh or smile of the car.

The proof lies in the example we gave you in the test drive’s introductory part – the beefiest incarnation of the current Megane RS, the Trophy, managed to lap the Nurburgring Nordschleife in 8 minutes and 8 seconds, setting a new record for front-wheel-drive vehicles. You can read more about the feat, which also included outperforming the BMW 1M Coupe, in one of our editorials.

The steering combines mathematical accuracy with literature-like communication skills. It seems to be borrowed from a race car, as the slightest turn of the wheel has an immediate result. This feels excellent on the circuit, as well as on the road, but can become a little bit tiring after multiple hundreds of miles.

Yes, the steering that go a bit wild when you combine full throttle with bumps in the road, but that is the only sign of torque steer you’ll ever get from this car.

On the road, the Megane RS gives you tons of confidence: the LSD will scare the understeer away, while the brakes will keep you from touching anything else than the road.

The RS monitor our test car was gifted with allowed us to easily keep track of its performance. The best example would be the 0 to 62 mph sprint time – we manage to finish this game in 5.94 seconds, so the car does keep its official promise.

Since we returned to the straight line part of the story, we have to mention that the Magane RS offers stunning acceleration up to 130 mph (210 km/h). Past this value, the speedometer’s needle still climbs in a decent way, but you don’t get the same rush.