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http://www.motoring....ticleId=3589817Renault Megane R26 � fantastic fun
December 12, 2006
By John Simister
Specifications
Model: Renault Megane R26.
Price: �19 570 (about R270 000).
Engine: 1998cc, four cylinders, 16 valves, turbocharger, 170kW at 5500rpm, 310Nm at 3000rpm.
Transmission: Six-speed gearbox, front-wheel drive.
Performance: 235km/h, 0-100km/h in 6.2sec, 8.6 litres/100km official average.
Haven't we been here before? A very powerful hot hatch with front-wheel drive, a limited-slip differential and a mission to be the top choice for those of us who still love driving?
A couple of weeks ago it was the Mazda3 MPS that proved a curiously uninvolving drive and so missed the point and there was something of the problem found in the first Renault M�gane 225, a car too civilised - gagged, if you like - to be really exciting.
Since that M�gane there have been other versions of Renaultsport's medium-size fast hatchback.
Most notable was the Trophy (a good step in the right direction) and latterly the limited-edition 225 F1 Team. OK, it was in effect a Trophy with a fancy paint-job but it had a soul.
So what's new about the livid yellow car I drove? The length of its name, for a start: M�gane Renaultsport 230 F1 Team R26.
The reason for its existence is Renault's victory in this year's F1 championships. More significant is that the Renaultsport engineers (one of whom, like me, keeps a Peugeot 205 GTI as a hot-hatch reference point), have continued their quest to make the M�gane a real driver's car.
There was never much doubt that they knew what was needed; the problem was how to do it with modern chassis systems.
Extra energy
As the name suggests, engine power is up from 167 to 170kW. Two things bring on the extra energy: a small rise in the turbocharger's boost pressure and a less restrictive silencer that makes more audible this engine's characterful throb from 2200-2800rpm, giving it an aural signature lacking in many of today's cars.
This throb, and the surge of energy felt the instant you press the accelerator, set the mood for the drive. I'm heading for the Ard�che Gorge in the south of France, a fabulous road with short straights linked by every shape of bend, where I shall discover the effect of the changes to the ultimate M�gane's suspension and steering.
The M�gane range has undergone a facelift that, among other things, brought in a new electric power-steering system. The so-called Cup suspension system - the extra-sporty one - has its own steering settings with less artificial self-centring and less aggressive assistance when turning.
Getting the subtleties of assistance right is a challenge, helped here by more powerful electronic processors. The effect is to make the steering feel more fluid, more consistent, more natural.
Free flight of brilliance
In the first M�ganes you had no idea what was going on under the tyres; if you ran into wet leaves or ice the steering felt the same. It was unnerving. The latest M�ganes are much better but the R26 takes things to a new level with different spring and shock-absorber settings and a rear anti-roll bar added.
All these changes, together with the 235/40 R18 Michelin Pilot Sport 2 tyres, help tip this M�gane from mere competence to the free flight of brilliance. But here we must bring in the final, crucial ingredient - that limited-slip differential.
It's made by the Japanese arm of Britain's GKN Driveline and ensures that at least a third of available engine torque is sent to the front wheel with less traction. This ensures that the maximum 310Nm of torque isn't spun away on a bend by the inside front wheel in a haze of tyre smoke, so both wheels can give of their best in pulling and steering the R26.
Like the Mazda3MPS, the R26 gives a little sideways tug at the front when you accelerate suddenly. Unlike the Mazda, though, the Renault doesn't seek to distance you from the experience as though you're playing a video game.
Perfect balance
Nor does it scrabble this way and that, sniffing out cambers and verges like a manic spaniel or a Vauxhall Astra VXR, thanks to the optimum geometry of its front suspension. It's the perfect balance between these extremes, and huge fun on a road like the one along the gorge.
Brake hard; big Brembo brakes firm underfoot, tireless in their task. Turn; feel how little the R26 leans, how tautly it changes direction. Accelerate; feel the power flow to the road, nose pulling to the exit with no desire to wash wide.
Too fast into the next bend? Brake more deeply into it, feel the tail go light and tighten the line, but controllably, no danger of a slide. Then up the next straight, the engine's full-bodied thrust letting you choose whether or not to take it towards the rev limit. It's happy either way.
Spirited drive
It's fantastic fun, this M�gane that finally makes it to the top of the hot-hatch pantheon. The six gears are just right for a spirited drive or an easy cruise; the R26's traffic manners are impeccable; it even rides quite well over bumps.
I'm standing back after one of the best drives I've ever had, contemplating the R26. The front wings are plastic and the right-hand one has gone soft with the residual heat. You don't have to have the scattered-squares graphics, but I like them.
There's a numbered plaque by the handbrake, too - "my" car is No.3 - although this isn't a limited-edition car.
I'm trying to think of a better mid-sized hot hatchback than this but I can't. I said the Renaultsport engineers know exactly what it takes to make such a car, and here, in the R26, is the proof. - The Independent, London
Fir-ar sa fie, nu gasesc nici un review negativ...
http://www.channel4....ultsport/5354/1
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