As is the case with Renault in Australia fans have been made to wait for the manufacturer’s latest and greatest hot hatch. But now, a year after its European debut, the Megane RS 265 is available down under.
Obviously the 265 refers to the peak horsepower figure within the car’s 2.0 litre turbo four; if you deal in kilowatts the magic number is 195. Coupled with a very handy 360Nm of torque and a good old fashioned 6-speed manual box, the front-wheel drive master can reach 100km/h in six seconds flat.
The Megane RS 250 was launched in Australia in late 2010 and to find the extra 15 horsepower for the RS 265 Renault has turned up the boost on the turbo by 0.2 bar, to a new peak of 2.5 bar. They also upgraded the air intake and tweaked the ECU to suit.
With a steady right foot Renault reckon you’ll use fuel at the rate of 8.2l/100km, but, really, why buy a hot Megane to drive it like a nanna?
Renault has made the RS 265 available in four different specifications. The range starts with the Cup model, which has a manufacturer’s list price of $42,640. There are three Trophy specifications: the regular Trophy is priced from $47,140, the Trophy+ from $51,640 and the limited edition Trophy 8:08 (pictured above) is $49,990.
The Trophy 8:08 is a reference to the car’s Nürburgring lap time, which stands as the current front-wheel drive record for a production vehicle around the famed 20.832km Nordschleife. Only 100 will be heading to Australia and you can have any colour you like so long as it’s liquid yellow or pearl white.
We reckon the RS 265 range is pretty good value for money and in the entry-level Cup model you get things like 18″ alloy wheels, Brembo brakes, LED daytime running lights, rear parking sensors, limited slip diff, dual zone climate control, Bluetooth audio and more as standard equipment. You can read the full list in the detailed Australian press kit, available below.
Over and above the equipment found in the Cup the Trophy adds Recaro seats, 19″ Steev alloy wheels, hands free entry and tyre pressure monitoring. In addition to those features the Trophy+ includes Renault Sport heated leather seats with electric adjustment, integrated sat nav with a 7″ screen, reversing camera, bi-xenon headlights, a fixed glass roof and front/rear parking sensors.
The Trophy 8:08 drops the sat nav and reversing camera from the Trophy+ along with the fixed glass roof, but picks up model specific decals.
A comprehensive range of 50 wallpaper-friendly photos and detailed press information awaits after the break. Once you’ve read all that, don’t be surprised if you find yourself making contact with your local Renault dealer. Actually, it may surprise you to learn that Australia is the world’s third largest market for the Megane RS models.
