A Sports Model Infused with Motorsport Know-How

The Mégane R.S. is Renault's latest hatchback model, developed by pouring in know-how cultivated in motorsports like F1, with the goal of becoming the fastest front-wheel-drive car.

The subtitle "Resistance to Boredom" was used when the new Mégane R.S. debuted in August 2018. This signifies that it is not a mundane car, nor merely a tuned-up version of a basic model, but a genuine sports car.



Indeed, previous generations of the Mégane R.S. have competed fiercely with cars like the Volkswagen Golf GTI and Honda Civic Type R to capture the title of fastest production front-wheel-drive car at Germany's Nürburgring Nordschleife (North Loop), and the new model continues this legacy.

The current record is held by the new Civic, set in September 2017 with a time of 7 minutes and 43.8 seconds, shaving approximately 7 seconds off the previous Mégane's record at the Nürburgring. It remains to be seen what kind of time the new model, "armed" with a new engine and four-wheel steering system, will achieve, making it a subject of great interest.



The new Mégane R.S. in the test-driven Orange Tonic Metallic color measures 4,410mm in length, 1,875mm in width, and 1,435mm in height. Compared to the standard GT, its front fenders are 65mm wider and the rear fenders are 45mm wider. Its low, wide stance, along with the R.S. badges on the center of the front grille, wheels, and rear hatch, clearly proclaim its extraordinary nature.

Page02.Performance to Blow Away the "Ghosn Shock"

Performance to Blow Away the "Ghosn Shock"

The transversely mounted engine at the front is a 1.8-liter inline 4-cylinder direct-injection turbo, producing a maximum output of 279ps (205kW) at 6,000rpm and a maximum torque of 390Nm at 2,400rpm. It drives the front wheels through a 6-speed electronically controlled automatic transmission co-developed with the German transmission manufacturer Getrag, boasting a 0-100km/h acceleration time of 5.8 seconds.

Driving modes can be selected from five options – "Comfort," "Neutral," "Sport," "Race," and "Personal" – by pressing the R.S. Drive button on the dashboard.




The key feature of this car is its 4CONTROL system, which steers the rear wheels in the opposite direction to the front wheels at low speeds (up to 60 km/h) and in the same direction at high speeds. This not only makes parking and U-turns easier but also dramatically enhances cornering stability.

When actually driving it, there's no sense of awkwardness in the steering feel. Even in corners where understeer would normally occur, the sensation of the car's nose naturally guiding towards the apex is exhilarating. Furthermore, the shift pattern of the aforementioned dual-clutch transmission is well-calibrated, and shifts are completed instantaneously, suggesting that faster lap times can be achieved by the car's automatic shifting than by a driver manually operating the paddle shifters.



In manual mode, while braking, holding down the downshift paddle on the left side of the steering wheel automatically downshifts to the optimal gear based on vehicle speed, allowing for acceleration in the most suitable gear at the corner exit. This "multi-shift down" function is another feature befitting a sports hatch.

The suspension employs 4-way HCC dampers, a technology honed in rallying. By dissipating shocks at the very limit, the impact transmitted during normal city driving remains within acceptable limits, making it an excellent choice as a family car with its five-seater hatchback configuration.

It is no exaggeration to say that the Mégane R.S.'s performance is enough to blow away the "Ghosn shock." Moreover, its competitive pricing is also a strong point, with a price tag of 4.4 million yen, about 100,000 yen less than its rival, the Civic Type R.

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