RenaultSport Megane 250

THE latest addition to our long-term fleet has left me frustrated! However, it’s not the Renaultsport Mégane 250 that has been the disappointment – far from it. Instead, it’s the crowded roads of south-east England that are the problem. In this congested part of the country, decent roads are so hard to come by that enjoying the brilliant hot hatch is difficult.

So I find myself parked next to a race track, wishing I could take the Mégane for a blast, or at least locate a great stretch of empty twisty tarmac! We’ve tested the rapid Renault before, so I know how capable it is – especially as our example has the optional Cup chassis.

This more focused set-up brings stiffer springs, dampers and anti-roll bars, plus a limited-slip differential. The package is standard on the £23,160 Cup model, but for £1,200, the chassis modifications can be added to the regular car.

Resplendent in its traditional Renaultsport yellow paint, which complements the Cup pack’s 18-inch satin black alloy wheels, our new long-termer will be impossible to lose in a car park!

The gloss black trim on the nose and subtle RS badges look great, too, while the muscular flared wheelarches, large rear diffuser and centre exhaust all add to the menacing appearance. I absolutely love the front end detailing and the curved shape of the tail. The garish colour and huge sill extensions are a bit too showy for me, but my colleagues have no such reservations.

All of us agree, though, that the quality of the cabin is hard to fault. It’s modern, well put together and spacious, making the Mégane a practical performance car. A little more reach adjustment on the wheel would help me find a comfortable seating position, but overall the interior has to go down as a strong point – especially as our car is fitted with the £960 optional Recaro seats. They’re supportive through corners, but the thin padding means that they can become rather uncomfortable on long journeys.

Factor in the Cup’s unrelentingly firm suspension, and you’ll appreciate that the Renault isn’t perfectly suited to my daily commute through London, or long motorway trips. However, find a twisty road, and within a few moments all such niggles are completely forgiven. The
RS responds to your inputs with an immediacy that’s missing from many hot hatches. Its steering provides great feedback, the body control is faultless and traction is the best you could hope for in a front-wheel-drive car.

The turbocharged 2.0-litre engine is another plus. It has a racy character that thrives on revs, and the spread of power is so linear you’d be forgiven for forgetting that it uses a turbo at all. The Mégane 250 is agile, alive and involving, and all it takes is the right road to remind me why I love it – a shame, then, that I don’t find them often enough.

Fortunately, Renaultsport clearly recognises this problem, as it organises exclusive track days for owners. I’ve already got my name down for the next event, so hopefully I can keep my frustrations in check for a little while longer... and maybe even learn to love the Renault on
every type of journey.