The RS-models from Renault tend to be very good, but sometimes they're bad.
Take the previous Megane RS for example. That's the uncrowned king of the hot hatches.
The current Clio RS however, has a lot more difficulties with its competition.
That brings us to this new Renault Megane RS, because if it follows to pattern,
it's not going to be as good as its predecessor. Or is it?
Well... It certainly breaks the pattern.
We're only allowed to drive the Sport-chassis today, which is supposed to be a kind of Megane RS Light.
And it's fantastic. Exactly like its predecessor.
Sharp as a knife, incredibly hardcore,
absolutely not a beginners car, and again, this is the light-version.
It doesn't have a LSD, it's fitted with softer dampers,
and it has four-wheel steering. That's what distinguishes this Megane RS from other hot hatches.
The rear wheels help in the steering process. That's done by the well-known recipe.
At low speeds, they steer in the opposite direction relative to the front wheels.
That way, you'll turn quicker, and it's more stable at higher speeds.
However, this Megane RS goes one step further.
When you put RS Drive Mode in Race, it will keep steering in the opposite direction up to 100 km/h.
Up to 100 km/h! It's almost like you're on a manic forklift.
The steering is incredibly sharp, and that gives you the idea this car wants to go fast.
It wants to go around corners, it wants to play with you.
That's incredibly fun. Especially because it's very sturdy.
Both springs and dampers. It's still on the good side of daily usability though.
Besides the fact this version misses an LSD, which the Cup-version we're driving tomorrow does have,
It doesn't seem to have any trouble with all of that power. 280 horsepower.
That doesn't change. The Sport and Cup both have the same amount of power.
They also produce 390 Nm of torque.
In very tight corners and when you're exiting a hairpin, you'll notice the electronic LSD has to work incredibly hard,
and you'll smell things are starting to get tough. Other than that though, it really knows how the handle the power.
That's because of the smart front suspension, which has an independantly moving steering knuckle.
Incredibly good.
The 280 horsepower is produced by a turbocharged 1.8-litre 4-cylinder, which is essentially the same as in the new Alpine A110.
It isn't the best part about this car though. It isn't the most powerful engine in its class,
and there's a small amount of turbo lag. Especially when you're under 2.000 RPM,
because it just doesn't feel awake. Above 2.000 RPM, there's a small delay as well before you go.
It isn't distracting you from the best part of the car though, the chassis.
It just works. The seating position is good, the seats are incredibly supportive,
it's such a sharp car... And we haven't even driven the Cup-version yet.
And the Cup... It just one step further again.
The brilliant thing about this car, is that it doesn't have adaptive dampers because it doesn't need any.
It's now that you notice how good a passive damper can be.
These are a tad sturdier, just like the roll bars.
That gives you more control, more precision,
and because of the LSD, you get more traction when you're exiting a corner.
You can use the 280 horsepower even more.
This Cup-version is a step up from the normal Megane RS. That also means it's got shortcomings which are a step up from the normal ones.
Yesterday, we drove the double clutch EDC-gearbox. It wasn't a nuisance,
but when you're going to the max, it was a tad late when shifting back,
and the flappy paddles are on the upper side of the steering wheel. That means you can't shift up when you're exiting a corner,
you can't shift up. You get rid of those problems by getting this fantastic manual gearbox,
which makes it so much better.
It gives you much more control.
You also notice the throttle response. When you shift back, it takes a tad too long before it reacts.
That's the weak point of the Megane RS; the engine.
Other than that, this absolutely is a fantastic machine.
It's so incredibly sharp that the Civic Type R, my favorite hot hatch of the moment,
should be looking over its shoulder.
So if the previous Megane RS was the uncrowned king of the hot hatches, this is a classic case of 'the king is dead, long live the king.'