The latest version of Renault Megane RS265 has arrived to stake its claim as most powerful front wheel-drive hot hatch in the Malaysian market. Shipping fresh from the Nürburgring in Germany, the ace up this machine’s muscle-hugging skin lies in a revised engine and some additional tech goodies under its sexy skin. This RS265 pumps out 15-horspower more and 20Nm extra torque over its predecessor.
RS265 Looks
The RS265 ups the visual ante with slightly more aggression with new 18-inch matt black “Tibor” alloy wheels which are standard equipment and a F1-style front blade which is a characteristic of Renault Sport models. It features two rows of six LEDs and darkened headlights masks. This RS265 still comes across as somewhat understated. Sure it is menacing from all angles but not in an all-up-in-your-face, boy racer kind of a way.
RS265 Cabin
This is a cabin designed for a driver. It is focused around the driver introducing a drive position that will only be appreciated by few and mocked by simple-minded drivers. You get plenty of rake/reach steering wheel adjustment plus a pair of very supportive Recaro sports seats that give this Renault the best driving position in its segment and some. Getting in and out of these seats need some training and ladies with short skirts might just feel intimidated by it. There is also new interior trim that showcases a sport ambience; black lacquer finish for the center console and air vents surrounds, plus a carbon-effect finish to the door panel inserts ends the visual appeal. Rear passengers get decent room for a coupe as the high roofline and wide seats offer decent comfort for the average adult.
RS265 Drive
This Megane RS265 has given sleepless nights to many of its segment competitors with its ability to hold the corners of the Nürburgring Nordschleife race track better than all the rest lap after lap. This R265 produced the fastest lap time of 8 mins 8 secs for a production front wheel drive car which was previously held by its sibling the older more upright Megane II R26R. Its German rivals are not too happy with this feat as they have infused a lot of motorsports technology into their hot hatches with little ability to our do Renaults proud RS265.
Not only is the RS265 great at the corners, it also now has more power to keep ahead of the competition. Performance of the 2-liter turbocharged engine has been improved with a 0-to-100km/h time of just 6.0s (down 0.1s), a top speed of 250km/h (up 5km/h) and the 1,000m standing start in 25.4s (down 0.3s). The finely-tuned set-up of the Cup chassis and the limited slip differential delivers outstanding traction which contributes to the car’s drivability and exceptional road-holding, especially through tighter turns on a regulat highway off-ramp or during a track day outing. Fuel-efficiency has been carefully optimised to return combined-cycle fuel consumption of just 8.2 litres/100km which is good but seriously, in our subsidised fuel market there is little reason to worry about efficiency.
The well-balanced chassis works hard to impress the driver and you really need to push exceptionally hard to make it understeer. Get aggressive with the steering wheel, and you can even make the rear end step out (provided you’ve already deactivated the stability control, of course). The engine rasp at every gearchange is a delight. It is happy to rev to 6200rpm and keep you excited that that there is more power available at the next gearchange up.
RS265 Conclusion
If you are looking for a all out sexy sports car that shows its ability to shame some middle road supercars costing twice more, visit TC Eurocars and take this RS265 for a test drive. With its silky manual gearshift, perfectly spaced pedals, perfect driving position and impressive power distribution, the Renault Megane RS265 takes the lead for outright dynamics and fun in one great looking coupe suit. It remains the coupe to beat for under RM300k.
Renault Megane RS265 Specifications
Engine: 4-cylinder Turbocharged
Power: 265bhp @ 5500rpm
Torque: 360Nm @ 3000rpm
Capacity: 1998cc
Transmission: 6-speed manual
0-100km/h: 6.0secs
Top speed: 255km/h
Price: RM233,487.80.
