The hot-hatch market has been very busy of late. There’s been an onslaught of affordable firecrackers in 2009 so far, and one of the modern-day greats is about to be reborn.
Meet the Renaultsport Mégane 250. It’s the first RS version of the third-generation Focus-rival, and unlike the outgoing car it is solely based around the Mégane Coupe, with no five-door version on the cards.
It uses the 2-litre turbocharged petrol engine from the previous hot Mégane (and, indeed, the Mégane R26.R) with power and torque hiked to 184kW and 349Nm, aiming the Renault directly at the Volkswagen Scirocco R as well as the SEAT Leon Cupra, Audi S3 and, inevitably, the headline-grabbing Ford Focus RS.
While the latter is over 37kW better off, it is a chunkier piece of kit, with the latest Mégane set to weigh broadly the same as its 1345kg predecessor.
There’ll be two versions from launch, the Sport and Cup. The latter is more up our street, with the mechanical limited-slip diff from the Mégane R26, stiffer springs and dampers and grooved brake discs. As yet, there are no plans for a diesel version.
The overwhelming press acclaim for the hardcore Mégane R26.R means there will be another extreme hot hatch from Dieppe, though. “There will be some evolution, with work on the engine, chassis, torque or weight. Every time we launch a sporty car we have a special edition”, said a source at Renault.
Good news indeed. We’ve become big fans of the R26.R and Renault is trying to etch its name further into the record books with another crack at the quickest front-wheel-drive lap time of the Nürburgring. While the car currently holds the record at 8m17s, the Focus RS is flexing its muscles in an attempt to snatch that claim away. Apparently the Mégane managed an 8m12s before official times were taken, though.
