The first official images of Renault’s 2018 Megane RS have emerged on the eve of the Frankfurt Motor Show where the French hot hatch will celebrate its world premiere.
Renault Sport’s more aggressive take on the standard Megane brings broader wheelarches with the front ones incorporating air vents, spoilered up bumpers on both ends and chunky rims with low profile performance tires.
Other distinguishing exterior features include the front bumper’s lower light units that form a chequered flag motif and the prominent rear diffuser with a central mounted exhaust. There’s also a rather inconspicuous rear wing.
From the single interior photo we have we see that the RS gains a sporty steering wheel with a red marker at 12 o’clock, body-hugging bucket seats and a combination of red trimmings and aluminum décor throughout.
While it was previously thought that the new Megane RS might get a 2.0-liter turbo mill, it’s now believed that it will use the use Alpine’s turbocharged 1.8-liter petrol instead, possibly producing around 300 horses. Renault has confirmed that it will offer both a six-speed manual gearbox and an automatic dual-clutch transmission driving the front wheels.
As with other sporty Megane models, the RS will get Renault’s ‘4Control’ rear-wheel steering that’s controlled by an electromagnetic actuator mounted on the rear axle fitted as standard.
We’ll have full details on Renault’s Honda Civic Type R challenger on Tuesday. In the meantime, you can catch up on all the debuts taking place at the coverage of the Frankfurt Motor Show here.
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