If you bought yourself a Renaultsport Megane 250 or a Megane 265 Trophy in the latter part of 2011, you may want to look away now as the following news could be quite disturbing.
The Megane is getting a facelift for 2012. No bad thing, you might think, but as part of that facelift the Megane 250 is treated to a power upgrade that makes it the equal of the limited edition 265 Trophy. So if you bought a 250 you’ve just missed out on a more powerful version and if you spent the extra £3,800 on a 265 Trophy you could be forgiven for thinking you’ve just been cheated a little.
Of course, if you’re still in the market for a fast hot hatch then it’s all for the good. The 2012 Renaultsport Megane gets 15 extra horsepower and 20Nm of additional torque over last year’s model, while the exhaust note is said to be improved with a more open exhaust design and a reinforced sound pipe. Renault are being coy about the performance figures for the Megane 265, but seeing as the Trophy is capable of 0-62mph in 6.0 seconds and a top speed of 158 mph it seems only reasonable to expect the new model to be capable of the same.
The front gets a bit of a makeover, with two rows of six LEDs built into the F1-style blade and the headlights get new black surrounds. The 18-inch alloys are available in satin or matt black finish, with 19-inch wheels still available on the options list.
A new option is the Red Design Pack that adds red highlights at the front and on the rear diffuser with red stickers down the sides, as well as a red beading around the edge of the 19-inch alloys. There are a few changes inside, with red stitching featuring on the wheel, dash and gearlever, with two two-tone leather now available as an option.
There are no details yet on the price of the new Megane 265.
