Renault Megane RS 265 Cup 2012 2012 Review

No doubt there are some great hot hatches around these days and maybe the greatest of them all is the Renault Megane RS 265.

The RS in its name is really important. It stands for Renault Sport, the French company’s motorsport division.

These guys aren’t just good at building racing cars, they also have a great pedigree when it comes to taking straight forward Renault models like the Megane and turning them into really entertaining drives.

The 265 is the latest variation on the theme; compared to the 250 it replaces there’s more power and more torque from the 2.0-litre turbocharged engine, some more equipment and an expanded three-model lineup.

That’s not counting the limited edition RS 265 8:08, of which only 100 will come to Australia, celebrating the fastest ever front-wheel drive lap time achieved around the legendary Nurburgring.

What we’ve got here is the base model $42,640 Cup, then comes the $47,140 Trophy and the $51,604 Trophy+. The 8:08 slots in at $49,990.

While the Cup is the entry-level model, there is nothing entry-level about its performance.

On 98 RON fuel, it zaps from zero to 100 kilometres an hour in six seconds and has the claimed ability (we didn’t test this bit out) to hit a top speed of 255km/h. The old 250 was only 0.1 sec slower 0-100km/h.

The number in the name refers to horsepower and that gives you a clue as to where the improved acceleration time comes from. In metric terms that’s a lift from 184kW to 195kW. Torque also rises from 340Nm to 360Nm.

The improvement in performance from the F4Rt engine comes via an increase in turbo pressure from 2.3 to 2.5 bar, as well as related air intake modifications.

Reputedly, the power boost comes at the request of the French Gendarmeries, who use RS Meganes as pursuit vehicles. Lucky buggers.

Driving only via a short-throw six-speed manual gearbox the engine is a fizzing, rorty thing. Cruise in sixth to conserve fuel, then slot back to fourth, or even third, to accelerate with real purpose. Torque spread is wide enough for some flexibility. The clutch is similarly useable, although some practise is required to get a quick launch and threaten that claimed 0-100 time.

The flipside to all this is a claimed 5.7 per cent decrease in fuel consumption to 8.2L/100km. We managed 9.7L/100km, which is pretty good considering the performance potential.

But it’s not only under the bonnet where the RS impresses. The blokes at Renault Sport really show their expertise via a chassis that copes with all 195 kilowatts and 360 Newton-metres the engine delivers.

At those outputs front-wheel drive cars are usually blighted by torque steer and wheelspin.

But the RS is fitted with a helical limited slip differential and a clever ‘independent steering axis’ front suspension geometry that means the electric-assisted steering is still detectable but not interfering, even when you reduce stability and traction control in Sport mode or disable it altogether.

You’ll want to click into Sport mode because throttle mapping is made sharper, the exhaust develops a burble on the over-run and only then are full power and torque level are delivered. Stay in normal and you’ve got an RS 250.

The changeover is really noticeable, especially because of the livelier throttle. The powerful Brembo brakes then become an even more useful asset.

All those well-tuned elements combine into an effortless engrossing drive experience. The Cup steers with intimate yet weighty decisiveness on 18-inch 235/40ZR18 rubber (the Trophy models and 8:08 run on 19s), grips surely and handles with a delightfully devilish litheness. Even the ride is within the bounds of acceptability, lacking the pliance of the Golf GTI, or the pain of a Focus RS.

This driving connection is emphasised in the cockpit. The relationship between the drilled-metal brake and accelerator pedals makes heeling and toeing a breeze, cloth sports seats provide terrific support and the leather-wrapped steering wheel adjusts for reach and rake.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, back-seat passengers are claustrophobically cramped in the three-door. Storage and boot-space are not highlights either.

Outside you can pick the updated RS via series of subtle changes that include an F1-style front blade, two rows of six LEDs and black headlight masks.

Inside, the Cup has distinctive red stitching and red seatbelts and a dashboard with carbon-fibre effect and red highlights. The most obvious internal improvement is a much-needed overhaul of the audio interface, which is now far more intuitive. Hallelujah. A white rev counter replaces the old yellow item, while a digital speedo is added to an instrument cluster which retains the standard Megane’s curious slant away from the driver.

Dual-zone climate control joins the standard equipment list, while the Arkamys audio system now includes a 3.5mm auxiliary input jack and a USB port.

Other Cup standard equipment includes 18-inch alloys, eight airbags, red front brake calipers, auto headlights and windscreen wipers, rear parking sensors, cruise control and a space-saver spare wheel.

But undoubtedly the Cup’s neatest cabin feature is the Renault Sport Monitor. It provides turbo pressure data, real-time torque and power readouts, a g-meter, acceleration data, a stopwatch with memory and another way to modify throttle mappings, this time through five modes, with ‘snow’ at one extreme and, well, ‘extreme’ at the other.

It’s fun to fiddle around with, but really it’s the driving that is the core of the RS 265 Cup’s appeal. It really does make you relish a winding country road!

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