New Renault Megane RS: Australian details

Renault Australia has announced pricing for its all-new Megane RS 280 hot hatch will begin at around $45,000 when it goes on sale in the third quarter of this year.

That's around $1000 more than the Megane RS 265 it replaces but, to the delight of purists, the base Megane RS 280 with Sport chassis will come with standard with a proper six-speed manual transmission.

If you prefer just two pedals, as most buyers Down Under will, Renault Australia says the dual-clutch automatic EDC version will cost a further $2500.

The third-generation Renault Megane hot hatch grows a pair of rear doors for its third iteration, matching established rivals like the Volkswagen Golf GTI (from $37,490) and new pretenders to the hot hatch throne, like the Honda Civic Type R (from $50,990) and forthcoming Hyundai i30 N.

To help it compete, despite remaining front-wheel drive the latest five-door Megane RS 280 (there won't be a three-door coupe) comes equipped with agility-boosting 4Control four-wheel steering chassis as standard.

Under the bonnet, the Megane RS 280 drops the old car's ancient F4R 2.0-litre turbo for the newly developed 1.8-litre four-cylinder petrol that was launched recently with the Alpine A110 coupe.

Unusually, under the bonnet of the more practical Renault hatch it produces more power, with the wick turned up from the little coupe's 185kW/320Nm to a far punchier 205kW/390Nm (205kW equates to 280hp, hence the RS 280 name).

This means the Megane RS 280 packs more power and torque compared to the Golf GTI (180kW/370Nm) but less than the 228kW/400Nm Honda Civic Type R (which costs about $6000 more).

Renault Sport has a solution called the Megane RS Trophy and it arrives in 2019. Its power outputs will be boosted to 220kW/400Nm, but we expect a price hike over the standard Sport to about $50,000.

This will put the hottest Renault hatch head-to-head with the $51K all-wheel drive Ford Focus RS, which still outguns the entire non-premium hot hatch segment with 257kW/440Nm.

As well as an extra 15kW and 10Nm of engine performance over the Sport, the Trophy has been specifically tailored for track day junkies.

For the circa-$5000 price premium Renault Sport has added stiffer Cup suspension and a proper Torsen mechanical limited-slip front differential in place of the standard car's electronic brake-actuated torque vectoring system.

The track-suited Trophy Megane RS also comes with larger and lighter 19-inch alloy wheels and stickier Bridgestone tyres. Saving more weight are lighter brakes and aluminium hubs that are claimed to save 1.8kg per corner compared to the standard Sport.

Predictably, at base level, it's not just power that differentiates the Megane RS from the luke-warm Megane GT on which it's based.

Featuring 60mm wider front fenders that boast extractor vents (to suck turbulent air, reducing lift at high speed), the regular hatch gains a redesigned front bumper that packs F1-style aero blades, while at the rear there's widened rear wheel-arches.

The biggest changes though are what you can't see. Beneath the Megane RS is a flat floor that channels air to a large rear diffuser which, combined with a subtle rear boot spoiler, is claimed to provide real downforce.

Predictably, Renault Sport has also made extensive changes to the Megane suspension. The RS rides 5mm lower than the GT and gets substantially wider wheel tracks -- up 45mm at the front and 30mm at the rear.

Like the last model, the Megane RS comes with the firm's PerfoHub that helps reduce torque steer under hard acceleration.

As well as the aforementioned four-wheel steer, the Megane RS also comes with new hydraulic bump stops lifted from the current Clio RS.

Cleverly, the French go-faster division says this arrangement allows for far greater level of suspension calibration, meaning an optimum set-up can be achieved without the need for heavier, more complex adaptive dampers.

Renault is launching its new Megane RS in Europe this week. Stay tuned to find out if it has what it takes to retain its reputation as one of the finest front-drive hot hatchbacks money can buy.