This mighty powerplant slingshots the Mégane to the top of 2004’s hot-hatch tree for sheer pace. Wheelspin-hampered standing-start acceleration figures don’t do it justice, so while the 6.1sec 0-60mph figure matches the time set by Alfa’s formidable 147 GTA and betters the Focus RS’ by a couple of tenths, it’s the in-gear stuff that really demonstrates its potency. Try 40-60mph in third and fourth gear: the Renault takes three and four seconds dead, but the GTA requires 3.8 and 5.3sec.
Harder to explain was our test car’s tail-off in performance over 60mph compared to the car we drove in France, which bested this UK car’s Focus RS-matching 16.4sec 0-100mph time by over a second.
The recalcitrant gearchange is a handicap. Its action is long-winded, imprecise and easily fluffed when you’re really on it.
Thankfully, Renault’s work on the front suspension has, in the main, been successful. It’s a surprise to discover just how much power you can deploy when exiting a tight corner. But push above a certain limit and the inevitable laws of physics will intervene. Torquesteer is of the fruitless variety here, and you’ve little choice but to feather the throttle and await better traction.
The Renault’s steering puts the biggest dent in its challenge. Despite power-assistance tweaks, it still betrays that disconnected, gluey sensation that constantly afflicts the regular Mégane. Tuck the nose hard into a corner, change direction suddenly and the assistance varies uncomfortably, rapidly eroding your confidence.
It’s the same story with the body control and overall chassis balance: entertaining, but lacking when you really ask questions of it. And, surprisingly, the ESP is non-switchable above 30mph, so throttle-off Clio 182-style slides aren’t on the menu. Overall, we can only be disappointed that a company with this much performance heritage has, dynamically, missed the target set by the now-defunct Focus.
