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Written by Stephen Dobie
It"s finally here. After an almighty amount of teasing, Renault has at last shown us its latest Megane hot hatch.The new RenaultSport Megane launches with a number of headlines. First up, it has four-wheel steering as standard. No other hot hatch currently offers that, and it comes whether you want it or not with both of the Megane"s chassis options.As always with fast Renaults, you"ve a choice of Sport (softer) or Cup (harder) suspension setups, the latter getting a proper differential on the front axle. That"s the one you want.You also have a choice of gearboxes, with a manual or twin-clutch auto available, both with six speeds. The latter gets big, fixed paddles for when you want to change gear yourself, and with launch control it ought to be the faster option, too. But the manual will no doubt be more engaging.The engine is a 1.8-litre four-cylinder turbo, just like you"ll find in the new Alpine A110 sports car. Only here it drives the front wheels, and it"s more powerful, too. For now, it produces 276bhp and 287lb ft, which means it"s only a smidge more potent than the 2.0-litre turbo it replaces.It also pegs the Megane comfortably behind the Golf R, Leon Cupra and Civic Type R on paper. But like the new Hyundai i30 N, this may be a hatch that"s more about fun than figures. And there"s a 296bhp RenaultSport Megane Trophy promised at the end of 2018 anywayPerformance figures are conspicuous by their absence. Perhaps that"s because the new tech and additional rear doors mean this is heavier than the RS Megane it replaces, while having only 5bhp more. Or maybe Renault simply hasn"t finalised them yet. We do know it"ll top 40mpg and emit 155g/km of CO2, though. Wager on 0-62mph in around six seconds and a top speed of about 160mph.
Date written: 11 Sep 2017
More of this article on the Top gear website
ID: 9151
It"s finally here. After an almighty amount of teasing, Renault has at last shown us its latest Megane hot hatch.The new RenaultSport Megane launches with a number of headlines. First up, it has four-wheel steering as standard. No other hot hatch currently offers that, and it comes whether you want it or not with both of the Megane"s chassis options.As always with fast Renaults, you"ve a choice of Sport (softer) or Cup (harder) suspension setups, the latter getting a proper differential on the front axle. That"s the one you want.You also have a choice of gearboxes, with a manual or twin-clutch auto available, both with six speeds. The latter gets big, fixed paddles for when you want to change gear yourself, and with launch control it ought to be the faster option, too. But the manual will no doubt be more engaging.The engine is a 1.8-litre four-cylinder turbo, just like you"ll find in the new Alpine A110 sports car. Only here it drives the front wheels, and it"s more powerful, too. For now, it produces 276bhp and 287lb ft, which means it"s only a smidge more potent than the 2.0-litre turbo it replaces.It also pegs the Megane comfortably behind the Golf R, Leon Cupra and Civic Type R on paper. But like the new Hyundai i30 N, this may be a hatch that"s more about fun than figures. And there"s a 296bhp RenaultSport Megane Trophy promised at the end of 2018 anywayPerformance figures are conspicuous by their absence. Perhaps that"s because the new tech and additional rear doors mean this is heavier than the RS Megane it replaces, while having only 5bhp more. Or maybe Renault simply hasn"t finalised them yet. We do know it"ll top 40mpg and emit 155g/km of CO2, though. Wager on 0-62mph in around six seconds and a top speed of about 160mph.
Date written: 11 Sep 2017
More of this article on the Top gear website
ID: 9151