The French have a long established reputation for their automotive inventiveness. They can lay claim to the first self-propelled road vehicle — a military tractor (1769) — self-propelled passenger-carrying vehicle — a steam tricycle — (1770) and the first road accident (1771). The driver managed to hit a wall that was going even slower than the 6kph top speed of his vehicle. All these events were the personal triumphs of one inventor Nicolas-Joseph Cugnot who was followed in short order by the magnificently named Onesiphore Pecqueur, who invented the first differential gear.
A century later, the first company to form exclusively to build automobiles was also French; Panhard et Levassor. Formed in 1889, they were quickly followed by Peugeot two years later.
What I am maneuvering round to is the fact that the French know a bit about light, fast cars (as any Formula 1 aficionado will tell you.) So when Renault do something as eccentric as fit a 221 horsepower two liter twin-cam turbo engine and six-speed manual gearbox into a 1361 kg Mégane — an otherwise rather bland family hatchback — then you can be sure somebody had a canniption over the canapés and you had better expect something eccentric and exciting with a lot of automotive experience behind it.
You will not be disappointed.
The Mégane is a rather strange vehicle to behold. However, the Sport version captures street-cred with its lower ride height, huge 18-inch spoked wheels and the twin exhaust pipes at the rear that mollify the famous bulging derriere somewhat. Oddly, our test version had been decorated by a deranged florist, turning it into a natural target for the shebab — who were in for something of a surprise. This little car is an animal!
Performance of a standing start to 100 kph in six seconds is matched by brakes that lift you out of the seat against the belts. Top speed of — wait for it — 236kmh and road holding that was positive and predictable through the light and tactile steering and sees off anything apart from the most serious of rather more expensive sports cars. This is a beast in hairdresser’s clothing.
The transversely mounted 1998cc L4 engine is of all-aluminium construction and has belt-driven dual overhead camshafts that operate 4-valves per cylinder with variable valve timing. Prodigious power boosting comes from a small turbocharger and air-to-air intercooler. This all adds up to a maximum power output of 165kW at 5500rpm with maximum torque 300Nm delivered at 3000rpm.
In the un-hoped for eventuality that the tree stops you even quicker than the brakes (unlikely), eight airbags (front driver/passenger, front sides, rear sides, curtains) provide real wraparound protection. The 320mm vented front brake discs are not overly large. The source of the Mégane’s car’s prodigious stopping power is the mighty Brembo callipers. These are almost intimidatingly powerful but eventually very reassuring. And because they’re Brembos, brake fade is rarely a problem.
Open the long and satisfyingly heavy driver’s door, and inside the build quality is several orders of magnitude ahead of the standard family version. It is a fairly modern looking interior with stylish use of heavy silver plastic and some elegant fittings. The Mégane uses a ‘keycard’ system. About the size of a thick credit card, coupled with a start/off button. Frankly, I would prefer a key or keyless ignition — this halfway house is annoying. A keyless option is available, however.
The substantial steering wheel sports cruise control buttons — though why anyone would cruise in this defeats me — with stereo hi-fi controls on a stalk located conveniently to hand under the wheel. Layout of the central console is satisfyingly minimalist although the buttons on the radio setup are rather small. Not an artistic critique this; it just makes them difficult to locate quickly when you are driving.
The analogue tachometer and speedometer are clear and well located. The digital screen located between them politely informs you that your ‘oil level is correct’ — the nearest thing you are going to get in most modern cars — and almost out of sight at the bottom of the display is the ‘spanner’ light (the one that costs money to extinguish) and the ‘stop at once’ light — (which costs even more.) The seats are sporty, hold the driver in a well-positioned perch and have sufficient wings to prevent sideways movement. You will appreciate that: A lot!
As with most hatchbacks the short wheelbase makes the car very easy to drive. A light clutch and a slick shifting six speed unit that rarely gets snagged meld together well. I would have liked the gearshift to be a tad crisper — there is too much sideways slack for my taste — but that’s personal.
To précis; this is one of the best front wheel drive performance cars that I have driven. Deceptively quick with a very forceful turbo-surge torque from 3000rpm onwards up to 6000, the stiff sports suspension adds exceptional handling to the setup. Try as I might even brutal cornering at well in excess of road legal speeds failed to out-do the grip. (And for those who monitor such matters, this was on the Jeddah Raceway where it is entirely legal!!) It kept a very flat stance through corners showing minimal body roll — brought about with chunky anti-roll bars — and slight but entirely controllable understeer all made for an exciting drive. I know breakaway on corners could be achieved — but this is a road car and few would try, would they?
The Mégane does however suffer — as most high power front wheel cars do — from some torque steer — the tendency to pull to one side when under acceleration round a corner — that can catch the unwary. When sprinting from a standing start, a slightly too heavy right foot results in some loss of grip and wobbly steering — understandable given the power output, but still to be watched for.
Altogether, the Mégane Sport is as far from M. Cugnot’s tractor as you are likely to get in the automotive field. However, slow moving walls are still there.
Enjoy, but have a care.
