Nowadays when you mention hot hatchbacks, any number of what seems to be an endless choice comes to mind from the Hyundai i30N to the Mercedes AMG models, the choice is staggering! So, what can Renault bring to its new iteration of their bestselling hot hatch to help it stand out in this very large and high quality marketplace?
Rear-wheel steering, that’s what. The Megane RS is the only car of this size that’ll swivel its rear wheels when you operate the steering, making the car feel more agile and lively in tight bends, but supposedly aiding its stability when you’re intercity cruising. Clever. But a lot of industry experts have their issues with the ‘4Control’ system, as have Renault themselves! When the Megane RS became the limited-edition Trophy-R version, they scrapped it to save weight!
Furthermore, this car isn’t actually brand new per say as this generation of the Megane RS has been with us since 2017, but Renault have added in updates that supposedly have made it simpler to spec and better… we are eager to see!
For all you hardcore track day lovers, you will not be able to get the RS in a manual box anymore! Now for some you are probably swearing at the screen asking why on earth they did that, but to be honest, the 6-speed one that was fitted previously was a bag of bolts! Besides, automatic hot hatches seem to be outperforming the manual ones now!
The interior feels very much its age, although the touchscreen infotainment has been updated and is simple and easy to use, it is not the quickest. You get all the climate controls out with the touchscreen thankfully plus media controls on the steering wheel to make it nice and easy to reach as always! You will most likely be interacting with Apple CarPlay/Android Auto so it won’t make too much of a difference. The big win, as always for this car, is the very comfortable and supportive Recaro sports seats, but a pricey extra at that, costing an extra £1,600! I’ll make you a seat for that kind of money!!
Long gone are the days where you think your Renault may collapse as you are driving it, and this one is no different. A very good overall build quality gives this car some more positive marks. The thing that really bothers me about this car is there is not too many ways of telling the difference between it and the standard Megane from the interior. A few splashes of colour or more RS badging would have been nice for a car that is this rapid!
So, what is our overall verdict on this new Megane RS? Well, it is the same base model as the one that was released in 2017, not to say that is a bad thing, as that was still a popular model. Will it stand up against the likes of Ford’s hot hatches or the ever-dominant VW?
PROS:
· Stunningly good looking
· Brilliant engine
· Supreme fun to drive
· Engaging and super-hot track car
CONS:
· Less standard equipment than competitors
· Unbearable ride during daily use
· Pretty impractical
· Not as well priced as competitors
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