Megane RS

The most powerful iteration of Renault’s rival for the Volkswagen Golf GTI and Honda Civic Type R until the arrival of the hardcore Trophy next year, the RS is offered in Lux and Cup specifications with the latter sporting a Torsen limited slip differential, 19-inch alloys versus the Lux’s 18 and the stiffer chassis after which it is named.

Both variants however gets Renault’s 4Control rear-wheel steering system similar to the Megane GT, red Brembo brake calipers, the five-mode Multi-Sense drive selector with Comfort, Normal, Sport, Race and Preso settings and RS Drive Monitor.

Up front, the Megane RS swaps the long-serving 2.0-litre turbocharged petrol for the development of the new 1.8-litre motor fitted to the Alpine A110, which has been retuned, by one kilowatt, to produce 205kW with torque remaining unchanged at 390Nm.

While the Cup comes fitted as standard with a six-speed manual gearbox, more than likely in response to the manual only Type R, Renault has opted to equip the Lux only with its new six-speed EDC in order to compete with the DSG restricted Golf GTI. Despite a claimed 0-100km/h sprint of 5.8 seconds regardless of the gearbox fitted, the manual will top out at 255km/h with the EDC reaching a v-max of 250km/h.

In addition, Renault has also not differentiated the RS on price with both models sporting a sticker of R549 900, and featuring five year/150 000km warranty as well as a three year/45 000km service plan.

Revised Megane line-up

Despite being hobbled by supply problems since the beginning of the year, an issue which also affected the Kadjar, the standard Megane range has now been streamlined with the biggest surprise being the axing of the aforementioned GT.

In its place, the GT-Line now serves as the new flagship with the 1.2-litre turbocharged petrol still producing 97kW/205Nm linked to either a six-speed manual or seven-speed EDC in Dynamqiue trim level. The entry-level Expression meanwhile retains its 84kW/156Nm 1.6-litre normally aspirated petrol and five-speed manual ‘box.

No changes to the exterior has taken place, with the standard colour palette consisting out of seven hues; Glacier White, Diamond Black, Mercury Silver, Dune Beige, Titanium Grey, Berlin Blue and Passion Red.

In terms of equipment, the Expression comes outfitted with a Bluetooth enabled four-speaker sound system that gets Aux and USB inputs, 16-inch alloy wheels, dark fabric covered seats, manual air-conditioning, daytime running LED, electric window all around, Tyre Pressure Monitor, ABS with EBD, EBA, ESP and ASR, four airbags, cruise control, auto lock/unlock doors and Hill Start Assist.

Building on these, the Dynamique comes with the portrait-style 8.7-inch touchscreen infotainment system incorporating added satellite navigation, a four-speaker Arkamys 3D sound system, front and rear curtain airbags, 16-inch “Flex” alloy wheels, leather covered steering wheel and gear lever, carbon black cloth upholstery with leather being optional, a seven-inch TFT digital instrument cluster, dual-zone climate control, auto on/off lights and wipers, ambient interior lighting and rear parking sensors.

Like the RS, the standard Megane has a five year/150 000km warranty and a three year/45 000km service plan as standard, with prices starting at R274 900 for the Expression, rising to R314 900 for the Dynamqiue manual and topping out at R344 900 for the Dynamique EDC.