The new Renaultsport Megane 250 has got a tough act to follow, following in the footsteps of the old Megane 225 and the fantastic lightweight R26.R.
The new hot Megane is based on the 3-door ‘coupe’ version of the new Megane (I’m still going to call it a hatchback). The old Megane was a bit of an odd-looking car from some angles and personally I think the new one is too, but no matter what it looks like it will still be quick. Styling details to set it apart from the standard car include an F1-inspired front ‘blade’, new LED daytime running lights, extended wheel arches, side skirts, a large centrally-mounted tailpipe sitting under the rear diffuser, and a bigger spoiler on the back.
As the name suggests the Megane 250 gets a more powerful engine. It’s a revised version of the 2.0-litre twin-scroll turbocharged unit from the older model that has an extra 20bhp and additional 30 lb ft of torque, giving a total of 250bhp and 251 lb ft at 3000rpm. Power is delivered through a six-speed manual gearbox, and 80% of the torque is available from just 1,900rpm, which will give the Megane 250 great overtaking potential.
It wouldn’t be a Renaultsport if there weren’t chassis options, and straight from launch the Megane 250 will be available with a choice of standard road-tuned ‘Sport’ chassis, and the harder ‘Cup’ chassis for more track-focused fun. Both chassis get Renaultsport’s clever ‘PerfoHub’ independent steering axis front suspension system that keeps the steering and suspension functions separate. It proved incredibly effective on the Megane 225 and it would be reasonable to expect the new 250 to be just as good.
When you’re on a charge there will be the Renaultsport Dynamic Management system to keep things in check. As well as normal mode there are a ‘Sport’ mode if you’re feeling confident, or you can turn it off completely if you want to take your destiny into your own hands. There’s also a rather nice-sounding feature called ‘Renaultsport Monitor’ with all sorts of information on offer including gearchange warnings, acceleration and lap timing, real-time engine performance stats and more.
The Renaultsport Megane is due to be released later this year.
