The Renaultsport Megane is the last of the breed as the Renaultsport brand was officially extinct and replaced by Alpine. Needless to say, the last Renaultsport machine will forever be known as the ultimate front-wheel-drive hot hatch that can humiliate even the fattest cats in the ring.
As Meganee-san hits her last song, it's time for a deep dive through the Renaultsport Megane's evolution chain, from where it all began to where it all ends.
The first chapter of the Renaultsport Megane saga is actually based on the second-generation Megane but this here is the R26.R, the most potent version of the said car. With no rear seats and extensive use of lightweight materials, the R26.R weighs 2,712 lbs while its 2.0L petrol engine produces a modest 227hp. Power is not the issue for the R26.R because when it was launched, it had set a Nurburgring Nordschleife lap time of 8 minutes and 17 seconds, the fastest for a front-wheel-drive vehicle at that time.
The Renaultsport Megane III that I won from the FH5 FORDZATHON Wet Season playlist is an evolution of Renaultsport's super hot hatch made to humiliate the big ones. This version is the last time the Megane goes three-door because its successor, the last of its kind, is a five-door super hot hatch, but rest assured that it's going to be a future classic for many years to come. Launched in 2009, the Renaultsport Megane III has a 2.0L turbocharged engine that produces 250PS of power while mated to a 6-speed manual, sprinting from 0-100kph in 6.1 seconds, and has a top speed of 245kph. Because of the know-how from the Renault F1 team and the Renault Megane Trophy Race Car, it has improved dynamics compared to the previous model.
And now, the one that would be known as the final page of Renaultsport's history, the final Renaultsport Megane.
Based on the fourth-generation Megane, the all-new Renaultsport Megane is boasted to be the most powerful Renaultsport ever made courtesy of its 1.8L turbo engine that produces 280PS of power and 390Nm of torque, which is 5PS more than the previous Megane R.S. 275. Mated to a rather controversial 6-speed EDC similar to the one used on the Renaultsport Clio IV, it propels the Megane R.S. to a 0-100kph time of 5.8 seconds and a top speed limited to 255kph. Although quick, enthusiasts will go for the manual variant of the Renaultsport Megane, where its fun-to-drive charm matters to its track-honed hot hatch.
Learning their lessons from the previous models, the Renaultsport Megane features a reworked chassis that takes advantage of its efficiency, agility, stability, and comfort as well as its 4CONTROL four-wheel steering system and four bump stop shock absorbers.
The Renaultsport Megane offers different variants to choose from such as the Sport, the more traditionalist Cup which is stiffer than the first one and comes with an LSD, the sharper and more powerful Trophy, and the record-breaking Trophy R, which blitzed the Nurburgring front-wheel drive record at 7:40.1, faster than the Honda Civic Type R FK8.
As the world bids farewell not just to the Renaultsport Megane but also to the entire Renaultsport as its transitioning itself to the Alpine brand, it's time to give these three Meganes an uphill drive to the top to find out which one is the best.
You may remember back in our Horizon UK adventure, the Renaultsport Megane IV is the quickest of the three around a rural village. What about on the Mexican Hillclimb to the top of the caldera? Let's find out and oh, THIS IS THE LAST SONG FOR MEGANEE-SAN!
As the three Meganee-sans climbed to the top with their last drops of fuel, here are the results;
Megane R26.R - 3m32.980s
Megane III RS - 3m38.302s
Megane IV RS - 3m35.032s
Although the results are shocking indeed, it looks like the Renaultsport Megane II R26.R is the best Megane of all.
Meganee-san is pleased by this shocking result.
It seems that in the age of the new normal, cars like the Renaultsport Megane have been consigned to the history books and that made me as sad as witnessing the end of the Pretty Series, meaning this is really the last time we say hi to the Prism Stone Meganee-san for real. Dejection I felt, it's been an honor to shake hands with Meganee-san, one last time.
It's the same goes for the Renaultsport Megane. Although the super hot hatch has met its bitter demise, speedo boys have fond memories with it not only because it's the front-wheel-drive hatchback that toppled the Nurburgring like a boss, but because it's the hatchback that made us remember the Renaultsport marque.
Although sad to see the Renaultsport Megane reached the true end, I have last words for this wonder;
Merci beaucoup, Meganee-san. Au revoir.
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