Renault Sport Megane IV

The previous third-generation Renault Sport Megane was by no means one of the most exciting super hot hatches ever built. Sure, it's not as fast as a Ford Focus RS but for lapping round tracks, it minces them alive. As the super hot hatch is becoming more of a "face the change" as 4WD trumps over FF, and while today's Civic Type R becomes the king of hot hatchbacks, they had to made the change for their hot Megane to respond to today's climate.

2018 Renaultsport Megane

2018 Renaultsport Megane

Here it is, the Renault Sport Megane IV and because change has come for the latest generation of Renault's 37,600 Euro hot hatch trump card, here are some of the things starting from the outside and while this is basically a Megane underneath, all of the signature RS treatments are festooned all over the exterior design, including that fog lamps shaped like the new Renault Sport logo. On the inside, there's no escaping the Renault Sport treatment as well the addition of the R.S. monitor that checks how much this car is doing such as lap times, acceleration, g-forces, and so on, which is relevant on the track annoying on public roads. On the MULTI-SENSE, they've added a feature only works on this hot hatch and that is Race mode which shuts down the ESP and recalibrated the 4CONTROL system to make it even more fun to drive.

Yes, the MULTI-SENSE is very high-tech indeed for the hot hatch but for purists, it just rather spoils the Megane's character which is like having a very high-tech fishing rod with a click-and-bait mechanism that puts every fishing rod to shame. While the high-tech malarkey is the least of the problems, what's under the hood is what gets you noticed. The new Megane R.S. comes with the 1.8L turbo engine that produces 280PS of power and 390Nm of torque, which is 5PS more than the previous Megane R.S. 275. What's even more noticing that the engine is polished with DLC (Diamond Like Carbon) for the valve lifters and Mirror Bore Coating for the cylinder sleeves, which are heavily inspired by today's supercars, which is nice.

True to their word, the new Megane R.S. can be fitted with either a 6-speed manual or EDC that propels the Megane R.S. to a 0-100kph time of 5.8 seconds and top speed limited to 255kph. That's pathetically slower than the Honda Civic Type R FK8 if I'm honest but speed is not an issue for the Megane R.S. here. Besides, while an EDC variant sounds good, it's the manual variant that pleases the speedo boys because of its purity this hot hatch truly deserves.

Transmissions aside, there are two kinds of chassis offered on the new Megane R.S. such as the Sport and the more traditionalist Cup which is more stiffer than the first one and comes with an LSD that improves its mild and tangy dynamics by a slightly long run. In other words, it's good on the track but annoying on public roads if you know what I mean. The brakes have been improved for better stopping power and the hidden gem on the suspension known as the hydraulic compression stop really works like clockwork.

Remember what I said that the Cup chassis is annoying on public roads? Well, what's even more annoying for a hot hatch like this is the driver assists such as ACC, AEBS, DW, OSP with TSR, BSW, and Easy Park Assist. Those safety features look good on a normal being but for a speedo boy, he'll just call it quits when he let them all on, which is not a case because they can be switched on or off on the MULTI-SENSE. Thumbs up, speedo boys, if you are driving this new hot Megane with the ADAS off and ESP disabled while going on a hot lap.

So, how can I sum this car up? The all-new Renault Sport Megane wows the speedo boys with its improved performance and the retaining of the six-speed manual gearbox, which has been longing for speedo boys everywhere, but what's not to like about is the EDC option, the Cup chassis not great for public roads, the ADAS that spoils the Megane R.S.'s fun character, and that's it. Now that I told almost everything you need to know, all we can hope for is wait until the new hot Megane has the chance to strike the Civic Type R's Ring record soon. The speedo boys are feeling it as well as the jealousy to drive one someday. Come on, Renault, we're waiting.

Photo: Renault