The renaissance continues for Renault in Ireland. This time the firm has abandoned frugality in favour of fun and ferocity, writes PADDY COMYN
If you think that you are seeing a lot of new Renaults around at the moment, then you would be right. The brand has already sold 17 per cent more cars so far this year than it did in the whole of 2009.
Sales of the Mégane are up 35 per cent on the whole of last year and the Clio sales are up a staggering 70 per cent. It has more than doubled its market share here in Ireland, now having 9.3 per cent of the market and the Mégane and Clio are both in the top 10 this year, from out of nowhere. The reasons for this aren’t too difficult to figure out – they are selling their cars cheaper than everyone else.
The Renault scrappage scheme makes other manufacturer’s discounts look about as generous as a state pension. The Mégane can be bought for as little as €14,800 under scrappage and the Clio from €8,990 and with that you have Ireland’s cheapest family hatchback or estate and Ireland’s cheapest supermini. Competitors are crying foul and are saying that Renault are simply buying market share, but even if they were, buying market share in a depressed market will never be better value. The simple fact of the matter is, that there are people buying new Renault’s now who would not have considered one 12 months ago and to that effect for Renault Ireland it must be a case of Mission Accomplie.
The previous regime at Renault Ireland, after Bill Cullen and before the current management, didn’t appear too interested in giving us anything to drive that might have been exciting, so we missed out on some glorious cars. Few people tried the superb Clio 197 and even less tried the hot versions of the previous generation of Mégane. The R26R became revered by the UK’s performance magazines. Autocar said about the car that it had “few rivals, and not just in the world of hot hatchbacks but at any level, at any budget”.
Thankfully, with some forward-thinking folk now at the helm in Ireland, we have been given some time in Renault’s latest molten-hot offering, to give it its full title, the Mégane Renaultsport 250. Powered by a 2.0-litre turbocharged engine, peak power is 250bhp, while maximum torque is 340Nm, available across a very generous rev-band.
Based on the already handsome Mégane coupé, this performance version gains some specific details that make it stand out, not least, the “Sport Yellow” paint job of our test car. The wheel arches have been extended to accommodate the 18-inch, or in our case 19-inch, wheels, the front bumper has a wide air intake and an aerodynamic blade and there is a central exhaust tailpipe, diffuser and an additional rear lip spoiler as well as front bumper-mounted LED daytime running lights. It absolutely looks the part. It has a sporty driving position, but the seats are comfortable. The steering wheel feels great and has a yellow centre-point mark, useful if you intend to go to a track day.
The car features a new Renaultsport Dynamic Management system, that allows the driver to choose the amount of electronic aid they want. Sport mode has less intrusive ESP and unlike in some rivals, when you switch everything off in this car, it really is off. The Renaultsport 250 is available with a choice of two chassis: the standard Sport chassis that we drove – is a blend of sporty and comfortable – or, for true enthusiasts, there is the Cup chassis, which employs a limited slip differential. All cars benefit from a Renaultsport PerfoHub, which is independent steering axis front suspension, engineered to overcome the drawbacks of front-wheel drive cars with loads of power, the dreaded torque steer. With 250bhp and 340Nm of torque, it compares favourably to the Golf GTI’s 211hp/280Nm, for example, and it also out-muscles the Ford Focus ST with 225bhp and 320Nm of torque. You’re getting a lot of power for your money and performance to match.
You can hit 100km/h in just 6.1 seconds and the potential maximum speed is 251km/h. It’s a very fast car and feels fast too.
The torque is available from low down and there is little or no delay before the turbo does its thing and the horizon approaches rapidly. There really isn’t much torque steer either, the smart front suspension working brilliantly. This is a fast, hot hatch in the great French tradition. Unlike the Germanic efficiency of the Golf GTi, the Mégane feels fast, fun and flirty. The grip offered by the ContiSport 3 tyres fitted to our car was astonishing and the longer you spend in this car the more you come to appreciate it, but not only for its ability to chew up and spit out back roads. The steering is superb and it’s a car that you really get to know in a short space of time.
It is also quite comfortable too, which seems ludicrous given 19-inch alloy wheels and an aversion to speed bumps. But if you choose to drive it gingerly it will behave accordingly.
However, ignoring the fiction that Renault have printed in their brochure about fuel consumption, our car guzzled premium unleaded like it was free. While it “only” has emissions of 195g/km, meaning Band F rather than Band G road tax, the €1,050 per year in road tax is likely to be a drop in the ocean compared to the insurance, fuel and speeding fines.
Priced at €36,690, this isn’t actually bad value. Sure, on paper you can get a Golf GTi for just €33,130 but you still might have to put on some options. The Focus ST is similarly priced at €36,640 and what about the Ford Focus RS I hear you cry? Well yes, the Focus RS would probably discipline this Renault somewhat, but not by much and you would have to pay €6,340 more for the 305bhp RS, and then spend the rest of the your life being challenged to races by single-celled humans driving modified Subaru Imprezas.
The Mégane is a nice blend of potent performance and everyday usability. No, it isn’t as practical as a Golf GTI, which if you buy in a 5-door form with DSG is all the car you will ever need, but for someone who wants to dial up the performance without paying too much, this hot hatch is well worth a look.
Engine: 1998cc turbocharged four-cylinder with six-speed manual transmission putting out 251bhp@5,550rpm and 340Nm@3,000rpm
0-100km/h: 6.1 seconds
L/100km (mpg): urban 11.4 (24.6); extra-urban 6.6 (42.2); 8.3 (34)
CO2 emissions: 195 g/km
Tax: €1,050, band F
Specifications: Cruise control, speed limiter, eight airbags, Raid automatic door locking, Brembo brakes, Renaultsport Dynamic Management ESP system, Renault keycard, electrically operated and heated door mirrors, 60W RDS MP3-compatible CD player, Bluetooth and RCA connection, Isofix child seat mountings, rear parking sensors, leather upholstery, heated front seats, electrically adjustable driver's seat with memory function, dual-zone climate control, automatic lights and wipers, 18" x 8.25" Keza alloy wheels, extra tinted tailgate and rear side windows, tyre pressure monitor and multi-functional tunepoint.
Price: €36,690