Renault launches hot wagon

A limited edition wagon developed by hot-shot tuner Renaultsport will lead the launch of the load lugger version of the Megane small car in Australia.

The GT220 will go on-sale in June priced from $36,990, followed quickly by the mainstream wagon lineup, including petrol, diesel and manual and automatic drivetrains. An updated Megane hatch lineup is due around the same time.

Powered by a detuned 162kW/340Nm version of the Renaultsport Megane RS265 three-door’s 195kW F4R 2.0-litre turbo-petrol engine mated to a six-speed manual transmission, the GT220 claims a 7.6 sec 0-100km/h time and 7.3L/100km fuel consumption average. The latter figure is aided by the Australia-first introduction for Renault of start-stop.

The GT220 rolls on a chassis set-up basically equivalent to Renaultsport’s milder ‘Sport’ suspension tune, which is not sold here (we get the tougher ‘Cup’ tune in the 265). However it misses out on the RS-spec PerfoHub front struts that cleverly minimise torque steer and limited slip diff and.

GT is a Renaultsport model that sits below the RS and above standard Renaults. Renaultsport also develops the GT-Line of performance options that are offered with standard Renaults.

Renault Australia is keen to make GT - which is available with Megane variants and soon to include Clio – a permanent part of the range. It is also expected to launch GT-Line when the standard wagon arrives.

The GT220 is the first GT-badged Megane wagon to be available outside Europe, but only 200 will be offered for sale here.
“Many of the people who have shown interest in the RS265 and its predecessor the RS250 have said to us ‘if only it came in a five-door’,” Renault Australia managing director Justin Hocevar told motoring.com.au. “This is the answer, particularly for those who have young families or who need that bit more space for whatever reason.”

The wagon measures up at 4.567m long and claims a minimum luggage space of 486 litres, which expands to 1595 litres with the bench seat folded;

Standard GT220 equipment includes six airbags, cloth seats, the RS Monitor performance data readout, rear parking sensors, roof bars, dual zone climate control, foglights, cruise control, stability control with hill start and gloss black 18-inch alloy wheels shod with 245/40R18 rubber.

A premium pack – which is expected to account for 70 per cent of sales - costs $5000 and adds leather seats, a reversing camera, front parking sensors, bi-xenon headlights, a panoramic sunroof and lane departure warning. However, the addition of sat-nav means it gives up the standard car’s RS Monitor. A full-size spare tyre is expected to be standard in Australia.

Logical competition for the GT220 in Australia is rare. The most obvious rival is the $39,990 Skoda Octavia RS, which is soon to be replaced by a new generation. You could also lob the Mitsubishi Lancer Ralliart Sportback in there at a stretch, or maybe the larger Opel Insignia Sports Tourer.

But Hocevar sees it differently “I reckon when you drive this and step out of this and go ‘what’s the next small wagon in the market that could offer me that level of performance?’ and you will go up the price-band and be thinking of some heavy German metal probably.”

Equipment and pricing are yet to be announced for the standard Megane wagon, but expect both to be competitive against the logical opposition, the Hyundai i30 Tourer and Holden Cruze Sportwagon, the former starting at $22,990 and the latter $25,790.
As per the Megane hatch, Renault Australia will offer the wagon with a combination of 2.0-litre petrol/CVT and 1.5-litre turbo-diesel/manual drivetrains.

“We are pretty confident there is demand for the wagon,” said Hocevar. “We have had a lot of unsolicited queries from customers about when wagon will come.”

He confirmed buyers of the standard Megane would be able to accessorise their cars to look like the GT220, albeit without the performance component. These adornments are expected to be marketed under the GT-Line brand.

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