New Megane RS previewed in Malaysia
When a new Megane RS comes out, the likes of the Type R and Golf R nods in respect I suppose. It’s not about horsepower – which is usually just a matter of some component getting larger – because while the latest Megane RS previewed to the media today boasts a respectful 280ps and 290Nm, the real magic of this marvellous machine is in the driving. It doesn’t need four-wheel drive (or rear-wheel drive for that matter), or a high-revving engine; not when Renault Sport has never failed to surprise.
The previous Megane RS was mega nice, but something tells me the new one will be rather special. It’s now got four-wheel steering (Renault calls it 4Control) and the first in the segment to have it. Also new is the twin-clutch EDC gearbox; I am told that while the Clio is the first RS to get the twin-clutch, the one is the Megane is much improved. Good, because I wasn’t particularly impressed with the Clio RS’ transmission.
Not that you don’t have an option because TC Euro Cars is selling the new Megane RS with the automatic or 6-speed manual box. You already know which one you’d have, don’t you?
The 1.8-litre engine is also in the latest version, now with new cylinder heads, reworked twin-scroll turbos, Diamond-Like Coating fir the valve lifters and Mirror Bore Coating for the cylinder sleeves. A key quality for this engine is that plenty of focus was given to heat management. The air intake was redesigned, for example, with a second air inlet and a new larger filter element.
We’ll have more to talk about the new Megane RS soon but first you’d probably want to know the price. It’s RM279,888 for the three-pedal car, while the EDC automatic is RM299,888. Yes, it is quite a bit to pay, but you’d struggle to find an RS owner who’d not say it will be worth it. A big drawback for the time being is that test drives are only available from August onwards, and only for the manual gearbox variant too.
But here’s something else to ponder – the first 10 customers to book the Megane RS before 31 May 2019 will get an all-expense paid trip to France, including a visit to the Renault Sport facility in Dieppe. Interesting…
[Read out test drive report of the Megane RS, here]