Renault Megane Renaultsport 250 Car Review

Facts At A Glance
Car: Renault Megane Renaultsport 250
Prices: £21,995-£22,995 – on the road
Insurance Group: 17
Emissions: 195g/km
Performance: Max Speed 156mph / 0-62mph 6.1s
Fuel Consumption: (combined) 33.6mpg
Safety: Twin front, side, curtain and anti submarine airbags / seatbelt pre-tensioners / ABS / EBD / ESP / ASR
Dimensions: Length/Width/Height, 4299/1848/1435mm

RENAULT GETS RAPID

Our Rating: 8.4 / 10

Renault’s fastest Megane promises big thrills. Steve Walker reports.

We British love our hot hatchbacks. While other European nations are left cold by the prospect of a compact family car that could make a Ferrari look silly on a race circuit and reach licence confiscation territory a matter of seconds after idling at the traffic lights, UK buyers go crazy for anything with the right mix of letters like G, T, R, V and S in its title. Renault has capitalised on this fascination better that almost any other manufacturer in recent years, its Dieppe factory churning out a whole series of Renaultsport models which have hopped across the Channel to beguile the UK’s enthusiasts. The Megane Renaultsport 250 is the latest in that line.

The Megane was a crucial car in helping Renault hit on today’s winning Renaultsport formula - but not this Megane, the previous generation model. The Megane Renaultsport 225 was launched to much fanfare and a lukewarm response from enthusiasts in 2004. Good car, the consensus said, but not sufficiently hardcore in its focus to please the petrol-heads. Renault had a fast, comfortable and capable hot hatch which was ideal for many buyers but some wanted more and Renault delivered. Rather than tweaking the standard Megane Renaultsport’s suspension to be firmer more aggressive, the firm’s engineers came up with the Cup chassis option which has been the cornerstone of Renaultsport’s success ever since.

Buyers who wanted speed, a modicum of comfort and a generous specification could choose the standard car and the others could opt for the hardcore, stripped-out, Renaultsport 225 Cup. The Cup chassis option has since been offered across the Renaultsport range enabling the cars to cater to the full range of hot hatchback tastes. The latest Megane Renaultsport 250 follows in this vein.

As with the previous generation Renaultsport Megane models, the Renaultsport 250 is powered by a 2.0-litre turbocharged engine. This heavily revised unit increases power and torque significantly, however, generating 250bhp at 5,500rpm and 340Nm at 3,000rpm. The twin-scroll turbocharger is designed to give fast responses, making the engine’s concussive punch available through a broad spread of the rev range. Eighty per cent of the maximum torque is on tap from 1,900rpm and Renault claims that there’s little let up in the acceleration until you home in on the rev limiter and reach for the next gear.

The chassis of the Renaultsport Megane 250 is carried over from the Renaultsport versions of the old Megane - which is no bad thing. The set-up incorporates Renault’s clever independent steering axis which has proved very successful in reducing the torque steer that afflicts many hot hatchbacks. Torque steer is manifested in a tugging on the steering wheel under hard acceleration as the front wheels battle to deploy the engine’s power and point the car in the desired direction at the same time. The steering system is based on that found in all the third generation Meganes with its focus on offering greater precision and feedback.

The MK3 Renault Megane range is split into Hatch and Coupe bodystyles. The five-door Hatch models cater to the practicality needs of customers, leaving the three-door Coupe free to adopt a sportier approach. Predictably, the Megane Renaultsport 250 is based on the Coupe model, inheriting its curving roofline and purposeful stance. The Renaultsport 250 then builds on these basics with its lowered suspension, side sills and accentuated wheel arches stuffed with 18" alloys. The nose has a ground hugging bumper with a suitably vast air-intake but it’s probably the rear that shows this Renaultsport Megane in its most dramatic light. Here the curving lines of the side windows and rear screen merge together and a massive central exhaust pipe emerges