« Back Renaultsport Megane RS 300

We are huge fans of hot hatches here at BOTB and over the years one company has made more absolutely amazing hot hatches than any other – Renault.

From the 5 Turbo, to the Clio Williams, 172, 182 Trophy, V6 and 200, to the sublime Megane 250 Cup they have rarely produced a duffer. But the current hot hatch landscape is very different to the one of a few years ago – now it’s the norm to be pushing for over 350bhp and to have AWD and dual clutch gearboxes.

But we like to think of these (Focus RS, A45, RS3 etc) as the mega hatches, with cars like the Golf GTi, Civic Type-R and Hyundai i30N sitting in the traditional hot hatch market.

Thankfully Renault has stuck to what it knows with the new Megane RS, so it’s still front wheel drive and while there is no manual option any more, this RS 300 comes with a fantastic 6-speed dual clutch gearbox option which is more than up to the job.

Visually the Megane RS looks fantastic, in the typical Renaultsport way of making it look a little more sporty and a little more aggressive, but not overtly so. It’s certainly more subtle than the Civic Type-R. Power is provided by a 1.8 litre turbo four cylinder which produces a staggering 296bhp, meaning the performance is on a par with rivals.

Of course, a Renaultsport car is all about the handling though, and the new RS really nails that too especially as this comes with the Cup chassis package! 

If this is one car you really can’t wait to get behind the wheel of, get your tickets for a chance to win one next week!