Renaultsport Megane 250 (2009 onwards)

What - Renaultsport Megane 250
Where - Malaga, Spain
Date - October 2009
Price - £21,995-£22,995
Available - January
Key rivals - VW Golf GTI, Ford Focus RS, SEAT Leon Cupra R, Mazda 3 MPS, Honda Civic Type R

Summary
Renault knows a thing or two about building great hot hatches but is the new Megane 250 good enough to topple the likes of the Golf GTI and Focus RS?

We like - Sounds great, goes like stink, perfectly judged handling, clever telemetry system, choice of Cup or standard chassis, turns every road into a race track
We don't like - Cheesy fake exhaust, visibility, lairy looks not to all tastes, claustrophobic in the back, chavvy optional 19-inch wheels, turns every road into a race track

Gallery: Renaultsport Megane 250

First Impressions
The hot hatch equivalent of BMW's M division or AMG at Mercedes, Renaultsport's ability to transform everyday superminis and hatchbacks into world-class driver's cars is nothing short of legendary.

This in-house expertise gives Renault an instant advantage against its rivals and goes a long way to explain why cars like the Clio 200 and Twingo 133 are held in such high esteem by keen drivers.

And now there's an all-new Renaultsport. Building on the considerable success of the previous hot Megane and derivatives like the ultra hardcore R26.R, the all-new Megane 250 takes the fight to the Golf GTI and Focus RS.

Certain Renaultsport fundamentals are carried over from the previous Megane range, including the choice of standard or super hardcore Cup suspension (the latter including a limited-slip differential) and a turbocharged 2.0-litre engine.

Mechanically related to the 200hp normally aspirated motor in the Clio 200, the turbo boosts power to 250hp, up from 230hp in the previous Renaultsport Megane and now Euro 5 compatible thanks to a host of upgrades.

Based on the three-door Megane coupe the lairy looks are going to go down well with the target audience thanks to the F1-inspired blade style front bumper, swollen wheelarches and a diffuser-style rear valance with a prominent central exhaust.

Performance
When the first version of the previous Renaultsport Megane launched in 2004 its 225hp was headline grabbing stuff. But with the Focus RS breaking the 300hp threshold hot hatch power outputs have rocketed.

The Megane's 250hp may lag behind the Focus RS, Mazda 3 MPS and Leon Cupra R but hot Renaults have always been about a balanced package rather than horsepower for the sake of it.

Still, it's hardly lacking in grunt and the revised engine has bags more charisma than the somewhat flat sounding previous version. Indeed, Renaultsport has managed to inject a bit of the Clio's raspy, revvy nature into the 250.

But it's also got the distinctive pressurised roar and pops, bangs and whistles of the titanium exhaust equipped R26.R. It's as quick as it sounds too, 0-62mph coming up in 6.1 seconds, faster than all but the Focus RS.

Ride and handling
Renaultsport's real genius comes with the chassis, available in two versions. The entry level Megane 250 Cup gets the stiffer suspension and limited-slip diff as standard for a starting price of £21,995.

Another grand gets you a more luxury oriented spec, referred to by Renault fans as the 'full fat' option. You get more toys, a Sport chassis with springs 35% softer at the front and 38% softer at the back and no limited-slip diff.

If you want the luxury spec but the hardcore chassis the Cup pack is available as a £1,950 option. As before, both versions get Renault's clever offset steering axis front suspension, a design Ford has taken as, cough, 'inspiration' for the Focus RS's Revoknuckle design.

The engineering is complex but the result is an almost complete lack of wheel-grabbing torque steer out of corners, enabling the Cup-specced Megane to put its power down incredibly effectively.

The standard Sport chassis isn't exactly shabby. But with the limited-slip diff and the Cup set-up the Megane's cornering ability is simply staggering, the diff letting you lean hard on the power whether the road is wet or dry.

The ride is, superficially, firm and a tad fidgety. But push harder and the chassis reveals its true class. Confidence inspiring across the board and yet lively, adjustable on the throttle and huge fun for keen drivers it's in a league of its own.

Interior
The previous Megane took a lot of flak for its plasticky feel. But this new one is in a different league, the swoopy design and quality materials a huge step up.

And you can have it muted or lairy, according to your preference with the choice of grey or yellow inserts on the seats and similarly loud seatbelts livening up the otherwise muted surroundings.

The Recaro seats are a must-have, costing £850 as a standalone option and included as part of the Cup option pack. They're worth every penny, gripping you hard in the corners and bringing a really sporty feel to the Megane's cabin.

Other options include Renault's integrated TomTom for a reasonable £450 (a full DVD nav system costs £1,600) or a geek-tastic Renaultsport Monitor telemetry read out for trackheads with lap times, g-force, boost pressure, adjustable throttle mapping and lots more besides.

Economy and safety
The gulf between the Megane's official 33.6mpg and what you'll actually get depends on your driving style but previous experience of the outgoing version suggests 30-ish is achievable in everyday driving.

CO2 of 195g/km is impressive given the performance too, though the Golf GTI's 173g/km puts it at a big advantage. Still, it's a lot better than the likes of the 225g/km Focus or 224g/km Mazda 3 MPS.

Safety is a traditional Renault strong point too and the sporty Megane is no exception, though opting for the Recaro seats does rob you of front ISOFIX mounts and the anti-submarining airbags.

All cars get huge Brembo four-pot brakes (red painted with grooved discs on the Cup chassis) and a neat three-stage ESP system though, this encompassing fully on, 'relaxed' sport and totally off settings.

MSN Cars verdict
Like a distillation of all the best bits of the Twingo 133, Clio 200 and previous Megane R26 and R26.R, the new Megane 250 demonstrates quite how precisely Renault has nailed this new hot Megane.

A Golf GTI is more sensible and the Focus RS has more power. But the Megane is cheaper than both and for sheer, driver focused thrills in a league of its own. Brilliant.

More images of the Renaulsport Megane 250 from Bing