Renault, just returned to New Zealand, is flexing its muscle with the introduction of the Megane RS 265, arguably the hottest hatch on offer here. John Oxley reports.
Hampton Downs. Early. I park the car and walk over to the bright yellow beast. It’s cool, very cool. Rain clouds threaten but I don’t care. I’m going to drive this pretty French monster, on the track, at high speed. Worth getting up at the crack of dawn.
But wait, there’s more. Another in white. And one in silver. That means there’ll be plenty to go around as motoring journos gather to take their turn at the wheel; more track time.
It was a brave move for Renault to choose Hampton Downs, the tricky circuit between Hamilton and Auckland, for the launch of its new Megane RS 265, but to make sure they were kept on the island each driver was accompanied by a racing driver/instructor.
This helped us to find the right lines, but really, although the RS 265 is unsanely quick, it’s also quite benign in the way it handles, turns-in, brakes, and otherwise reacts to driver input, so that in the end you’d have to be stupid to get it wrong.
Although not your average fleet car, the RS 265 is aimed at showing off what Renault is capable of. And to be fair, it IS a car you could drive comfortably every day, without having to worry about constantly changing gears or slipping the clutch to keep going in traffic.
Built at the Renault Sport workshops in France, and yours for $55,990, the RS 265 packs a 195kW punch, seats four people (five if you want to be really cozy), and if Renault NZ can get enough, you can order one right now.
But, says Renault NSZ boss Chris Blair, you might have to wait a while. Or you can hang around until next year and maybe get your hands on the next generation RS Megane, the 201kW RS 275.
Blair was very upbeat about Renault’s re-emergence here. Renault, he says, is the fastest-growing French brand in New Zealand, with sales up 98.2 percent on last year, and the new Clio, launched in March, is going gang-busters, with more than 80 sold YTD July.
Renault NZ national aftersales manager Jacob Moolman told me the Renault Sport models are not just modified production cars, but are built from scratch at Renault Sport, and are completely different from the standard Megane models.
Under the bonnet is a 2-litre turbo-charged engine, linked to a six-speed manual gearbox, and all RS 265s for New Zealand get the Cup chassis and its double axle strut suspension.
The interesting thing about the engine is that it develops no less than 360Nm of torque, making it eminently driveable even at low speeds. In fact, if you’re watching the on-board computer you might see 7.5L/100km thanks in part to its auto stop/start system.
Other go-faster/stop-faster equipment includes 8.25 inch wide by 18 inch wheels shod with ultra-low profile rubber and Brembo four-piston calipers in the brakes, and Renault claims a top speed of 255km/h with zero to 100km/h in 6 seconds.
But it’s not all about speed, and commensurate with the $56K price tag it comes well stacked.
Never mind the sexy exterior and its projector lens headlights, inside is just sports car heaven, with carbon fibre trim, red stitching on the thick-rimmed steering wheel, red seatbelts, and Renault Sport seats covered in cloth, so you don’t get too hot. And yes, the rear seats can fold forward, in a useful 60/40 split.
Add in climate aircon and electric windows and mirrors, plus the Renault R-link multi-media system, with Bluetooth, rearview camera, pluis an alphabet soup of safety electronics and six airbags.
If you want more, well the option list includes Recaro seats in either cloth or leather, leather Sport seats, 19 inch alloys, and a glass roof.
