Hot hatch shoot out

[carnutter]

http://motorv8me.com/car-news-articles/what-happened-to-the-type-r-spirit

Some interesting observations -

Focus RS had the most power and torque but wasn't the quickest around a circuit.

The Megane must have some witch craft done to it, beating all comers on the circuit, including the AWD WRX, and the far more powerful Focus RS.

Civic Type R has lost the plot. A supposed track car comes dead last at the track and on the road.

 

[Yugguy]

Like I've said ad nauseum, argue all you will about French build quality but the fact remains that handling-wise the Renaultsports are unbeatable.

The original civic type-r was a cracker, then Honda went and made the suspension worse basically.

 

[bigbadjoe]

The original civic was light and nippy. The added 1 extra bhp and added about half a ton of weight. So it is now a fat pig!

 

[Toby57]

I have a friend who was a manager at a Honda dealer and let me take it around brands hatch when it first came out. I do like the car but it was very very slow and it just did not handle as well as the old Type R... it was very disappointing as it was a struggle to get it around brands hatch.... they added to much technology and wait

 

[obi_waynne]

The Megane is a superb piece of engineering. I think a lot of it is down to gearing and diff selection. It was a real suprise to read the write up though.

 

[carnutter]

Agree with Waynne.

The Megane really surprised me. Didn't have the most power or torque. Didn't have AWD. Wasn't the most expensive to buy, yet, it smoked all on the circuit.

 

[turbonutter69]

Isn't that Megane stripped out though and fitted with poly windows and such for weight saving?

 

[Yugguy]

Isn't that Megane stripped out though and fitted with poly windows and such for weight saving?

No. The new MeganeSport 250 is a belter, plain and simple.

 

[obi_waynne]

The Megane R edition is the stripped out sporty one.

 

[carnutter]

Isn't that Megane stripped out though and fitted with poly windows and such for weight saving?

Wayne and Yugguy are right - the Megane they tested is the "normal" Megane RS250. Both the Golf GTI and Civic Type R weigh less than the RS250.

The stripped out Megane you're thinking about is the Menage 225 R26.R, which is basically a race spec car for the road:

http://www.topgear.com/uk/renault/megane-225/road-test/renaultsport-r26.r

 

[turbonutter69]

No. The new MeganeSport 250 is a belter, plain and simple.

That's a matter of opinion. Quickest doesn't mean best.

 

[Yugguy]

Renaultsport swept the board in best hot hatch this year. Best driver's hot hatch out there.

 

[herb]

A lad at work has a remapped megane 250 and when he took me out in it i couldn't believe my own eyes when he left a porsche 911 behind as if it was a 1ltr micra:-o

A very impressive car!

 

[obi_waynne]

They also remap pretty nicely! If only it was made by someone else!

 

[Yugguy]

Meh. All you renault haters just make the used prices even lower, great news for us performance bargain hunters.

 

[obi_waynne]

That's the spirit Yugguy!

 

[carnutter]

Although Renault make some cracker hot hatches, I do agree that they have a history or perception of poor build quality.

Fast but fast to fall apart too?!

 

[Yugguy]

Well if you read honestjohn up to 2006 you'd be right, then they had a huge quality drive and turned things around

BIG IMPROVEMENT IN RELIABILITY: 9th from top in 2006 Warranty Direct Reliability Index

A Megane II renaultsport R26, has the full interior spec, but also the improved cup chassis and an LSD as standard. remappable to 260/270 bhp easily, absolute cracker.

 

[carnutter]

If they've improved the quality and reliability, then I'd definitely consider one, especially considering that the new RS265 has just set the fastest FWD record at the Nurburgring.