Welcome to the launch of one of the most eagerly anticipated cars of 2018, the Renault Megane RS.
Don't you just love this paint colour?
This is Tonic Orange I think it's called.
Big difference over this car to the Megane GT it's based on is the width.
At the front these fenders are around 60 millimetres wider than a standard car.
The same at the back as well; there's a wider track by about 45 millimetres.
This thing really has presence and muscle.
Under the bonnet the Megane RS has actually been a victim of some downsizing.
Instead of the old two litre there's now a 1.8 litre turbocharged four-cylinder but it
gets more power than the old car.
It powers up to around 205 kilowatts and torques up to 300 newton metres.
Gearbox choices, there's a six speed manual, hurray, and also a six speed dual clutch automatic
transmission as well.
This takes around 5.8 seconds to hit 100 kilometres per hour but this has also got some nifty
tech to make sure this car could be the best driving Megane ever.
I'm talking about their hydraulic bump stops that are coming off the Clio RS and also,
perhaps controversially, this comes with Renaultsport's 4Control four-wheel steer technology.
And I say controversially because some people have driven it on the Megane GT and don't
like it.
So this car has a lot to prove.
Luckily we're here in Herat [?] to find out if this car has what it takes to beat new
opposition like the Honda Civic Type R. This car is a dual clutch automatic which
costs around $2,500 on top of the $45,000 price tag.
Of course you should buy the six-speed manual; it's far more involving.
But do you know what; this dual clutch gearbox is leagues ahead of the horrible two-pedal
set up in the Clio RS.
Like other Renaults, the Megane RS comes with a multi-sense configuration for the engine
and gearbox modes.
It also affects things like the four-wheel steering, but we'll talk about that later.
In sport mode the gearbox is also really, really quite intuitive with matching what
gear you're in, which is pretty handy because one of the big problems with this Megane RS
are these paddles are just far too short.
It's easy to miss it when you're turning into a corner.
Where the Megane RS doesn't do quite so well is in things like comfort mode when you're
just pottering around town.
Then sometimes it can hold onto gears.
It's quite strange.
But overall, as we said, the gearbox is quick, smooth, far faster than a manual.
Now, before I drove this car, personally I was really, really worried that it had the
Renault 4-Control four-wheel steer.
But after a couple of days driving it, yes, it's so much better than the set up in a Megane
GT which always feels really artificial.
That said, I'm still not one hundred percent convinced.
I think we need more time in this car because when you turn into a corner at speeds of less
than 100 kilometres per hour and the rear wheels turn in an opposite direction, that
really pivots the car into the corner and reduces under-steer.
It still does feel quite artificial and quite eerie.
Sometimes it even feels like you're over-steering before the apex which for somebody like me
isn't ideal.
Renaultsport have used hydraulic bump stops.
The Clio has it already and it really is an interesting solution because it means they
haven't had to use adaptive dampers, which means this car rides pretty well on the sports
chassis.
Speaking of chassis, when this car goes on sale in quarter three in Australia, you'll
only get the option of the sports chassis which we're driving now.
Think of that in the Megane range as the comfort model.
To get the cup suspension, which adds 10% stiffer springs, you'll have to wait until
2019.
When you opt for the cup suspension in Europe you also get more powerful brakes, those 10%
stiffer springs, and a Torsen mechanical limited slip differential.
When you've got this amount of torque going through the front wheels, you've just got
to have a mechanical diff.
Exceedingly capable on track, keenly priced and more practical; it really does feel that
Renault Australia has a win on its hands with the third generation Megane RS.
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