Test drive Renault Megane RS
Renault has created a very charismatic hot hatch, but we will not be able to drive this one - it was ruined by a cheap ruble and ERA-GLONASS, and finished off the utilization fee
Jose perfectly speaks three languages: French, English and his native Portuguese. But to discuss the future of France, when we rushed past the next banner FREXIT, he did not want to on any of them. The taxi driver silently unscrewed his Renault Latitude before the cutoff and muttered something about traffic jams. All this time, I was considering a discreet, but very comfortable sedan salon, which does not exist and, apparently, will not be in Russia.
The day after the Paris Motor Show (if you haven't seen our videos yet and for some reason missed a smart feature with concepts, then you should go here) political problems have faded into the background. “What a cool car fleet in France,” I thought, counting Renault models next to the Arc de Triomphe.
Zoe, Twingo, Clio (hatch and wagon), Captur, Megane (hatch and wagon), Scenic, Grand Scenic, Kadjar, Talisman (sedan and wagon), Koleos, Espace, Alaskan, Kangoo, Trafic. Noticeably less bright versions come across: Twingo GT, Megane GT (hatch and station wagon) and, of course, the feisty Renault Megane RS. It was for him that I had to miss the second day of the exhibition with David Beckham.
The yellow hot hatch fits perfectly into the surroundings of autumn Paris. So lucky that I almost rammed one like this at the corner of Duchamp and Masran. In general, the new Megane RS is the most unusual hatch on the planet. Moreover, this is the case when the car does not need a background at all - it looks great in Parisian lanes, in the field, on the track, highway and in the rear-view mirror. But not everyone will get used to her appearance and not immediately.
The French simply could not take and make an ordinary car. And if the form factor did not work out (it looks like an ordinary five-door), then in the little things Renault reminded of itself in the 1980s, when experiments like the Gabbiano concept were commonplace.
The most memorable element in the exterior of the Megane RS is, of course, its optics. There is only one car in Russia that is stylistically very close to the Megane RS - Koleos. A large crossover is mentally a completely different car, but it is the only Frenchman in Russia who carries the spirit of European Renault.
The inside of the hot hatch seems simpler than the outside. Of the unusual solutions - only a vertical multimedia screen (like on Koleos), digital tidy and sports seats. For the rest, Megane does not try to shock: the usual front panel with hard plastic, rectangular air ducts and an unremarkable engine start button. But it is she who changes everything.
Megane RS communicates only in bass. Even in "comfortable" mode, every second it hints that it would be nice to accelerate with a pedal in the floor, then brake abruptly, screech across the cobblestones and rebuild through four rows on the highway. Terrible provocateur.
And while I was trying to find out if Yandex knew about Parisian speed cameras, drove the right turn and hopelessly got out of schedule - I had to make a 12-kilometer detour along the forest road winding between French villages. Here it would be time to switch to "Sport": the steering wheel immediately became heavier, and the gas pedal became so sensitive that it immediately reminded of the Peugeot 205 GTI from childhood.
At first it seemed that the chassis settings of the Renault Megane RS were almost like those of the main rival of the Volkswagen Golf R. The hatch is just as angry and uncompromising on bumps, even in civilian modes. But the very first turn put everything in its place: the front-wheel drive Frenchman first slides with the front axle, but then magically corrects itself due to the fully-controlled chassis.
And this is the first hot hatch in the world with all four wheels turning. Moreover, at speeds up to 60 km / h, the rear wheels turn in antiphase with the front wheels - this scheme helps to just fit into a turn or turn around faster, for example, in a cramped yard. If the speed is higher than 60 km / h, then the rear wheels turn in the same direction as the front - the hatchback will behave more stable at high speeds if you need to sharply change lanes.
But the main problem with the Megane RS is that with the change of generation, it did not receive all-wheel drive. On paper, the characteristics of the engine look intimidating: with a modest volume of 1,8 liters, the supercharged "four" produces 280 hp. and 390 Nm of torque. Moreover, a few months ago, the French released the track version of the Trophy, the engine of which was pumped up to 300 forces and 400 Nm.
It is because of the monodrive that the Megane RS will never become the champion of traffic light races. With a dynamic start from a standstill, Renault has two scenarios: either it diligently grinds the asphalt in the first two gears, or the stabilization system heartlessly chops off traction. Hence, 5,8 s to 100 km / h - the figure is still impressive, then the same Volkswagen Golf R based on the sixth generation drove 0,1 s faster with a power of 256 hp. And with the generation change, the 300-horsepower Golf R is almost a second faster.
But in acceleration, the Renault Megane RS is excellent - the six-speed "wet" EDC robot with two clutches, no worse than the DSG, understands when and which gear to turn on, so that everything is as reckless as possible. And it was at that moment that I realized that Megane RS and I were a couple.
The French hatch has been on sale since February this year. At home, the price tag starts from 37 euros (for the version with "mechanics") and from 600 euros (for the modification with a robot). Yes, in the "base" the Megane RS is well equipped, but, for example, they will ask to pay 39 euros for the projection display, and another 400 thousand euros for the seats and steering wheel made of Alcantara. If you want Bose acoustics - another 400 euros, a large hatch - pay 1,5 euros extra. Styling elements are also worth a lot. For example, for an exclusive yellow or orange color, the dealer will ask for as much as 600 thousand euros, and 800-inch wheels will cost another 1,6 euros.
That is, the most equipped Megane RS will cost under 45 thousand euros. If you add the recycling fee and certification costs here, you get an amount that-cannot-be-named. Renault has created a very bright and fast hatch, but we can't drive one. Circumstances.
| A type | Hatchback |
| Dimensions (length / width / height), mm | 4371 / 1875 / 1445 |
| Wheelbase, mm | 2670 |
| Curb weight, kg | 1430 |
| Gross vehicle weight, kg | 1930 |
| engine's type | Gasoline supercharged |
| Working volume, cubic meters cm | 1798 |
| Max. power, h.p. (at rpm) | 280 / 6000 |
| Max. cool. moment, Nm (at rpm) | 389 / 2400 |
| Drive type, transmission | Front, RCP |
| Max. speed km / h | 254 |
| Acceleration from 0 to 100 km / h, s | 5,8 |
| Fuel consumption, l / 100 km | 7 |
| Price from, USD | Not announced |
