Renault has a lot to prove with the new generation Megane RS, so the car has to be better than its lauded predecessor.
First, it needs to lure some buyers away from the Ford Focus ST and Honda Civic Type R, and second, it needs to snatch the Nurburgring lap record for front-wheel drive production cars from the Honda.
But how are they planning to do so? Why, with some smart engineering, four-wheel steering, which is a segment-first, and the engine of the new Alpine A110, which was slightly updated for the French hot hatch.
The 1.8-liter engine feeds 280PS (276hp) and 390Nm (288lb-ft) of torque to the front axle, and it’s mated to either a six-speed manual or a six-speed dual-clutch gearbox. This allows the new Megane RS to complete the 0 to 100km/h (62mph) sprint in just 5.8sec.
Its top speed remains undisclosed for now, but a new video shared by L’Argus shows the hot hatch going flat out, using the Launch Control. The first part of the digital speedometer is covered in no time, and the car eventually reaches 237km/h (147mph) after one minute of constant acceleration.
We reckon that, given enough space, the fourth-gen Megane RS would eventually max out at around 250km/h (155mph), so the Trophy version, which will be launched by the end of the year, will probably be even faster.