Renaultsport Megane 225 F1 Team R26

This hatch is so hot it almost singes your fingers.

To be honest, if any team of engineers and designers can put the mega into a Megane, it has to be Renaultsport.

For most of the last decade it has been hard at work fettling Renaults of various persuasions, mainly the Megane and the Clio, turning them into fearsome road-burners by tweaking the handling and breathing heavily on the engines.

All this experience has culminated in the R26, a hot-hatch so good that Renault decided to name it after a championship-winning Formula One car. Talk about setting yourself up for a fall!

Except this hot Megane doesn't fall flat on its face when confronting a VW Golf GTi or a Focus ST 220. In fact, thanks to some pretty nifty engineering, in terms of out-and-out performance it has the beating of them.

This is the fastest Renault for many years. Maybe that's why the test car came in the eye-poping shade of liquid' yellow metallic paint, previously seen on the seriously mental Clio Renaultsport V6 (the one with an enormous engine in the space usually reserved for the back seats).

So what makes the R26 better than the old Megane 225 Cup, itself no mean performer?

The two-litre turbo engine has gained an extra 5bhp, from 225hp to 230hp and is more driveable than ever.

To tame its poke the front driveshafts are controlled by a limited-slip differential and the suspension settings have been radically revised to make the new R26 even crisper to drive.

The R26 costs exactly the same as the 225 F1 Team model it replaces. It sits in insurance group 17, which is a telling indication of its performance potential I suppose.

The biggest difference between the R26 and its predecessors is the limited- slip diff.

Designed to keep the power channelled in the right direction, even in slippery conditions, where previously power may have spun away or been killed by an interventionist tractioncontrol computer, the limited-slip diff is an old-school solution to the problem of power corruption in a 230hp front-drive hatchback.

Traditionalists will love the fact that it is a mechanical safety aid, not a computer-controlled traction control set-up, which makes it possible to drive the R26 to the very edge of its abilities.

To minimise torque steer (or steering corruption), Renault used independent steering axis front suspension mated to a thoroughly sorted limited-slip diff made by GKN.

Truthfully, the fancy diff doesn't tame the torque steer completely.

Floor it in first or second and the steering wheel still writhes around like a snake for a moment or two until the power is channelled roughly in the right direction.

Nothing can defy the laws of physics and pushing so much power through the drive wheels is bound to cause the odd upset.

But once the R26 is moving smartly, the level of grip and the feel through the steering is tremendous. This thing goes round corners like a Subaru Impreza, and that car has fourwheel drive.

Make no mistake, the R26 is a genuine missile of a hot-hatch.

There's no turbo lag to speak of, just flex your right foot and the car goes, no matter what the revs or the gear. The turbo installation is done so well it feels as though the R26 just has a huge displacement engine beneath the shapely bonnet, not a little twolitre.

The maximum 230hp is available at 5,500 rpm but peak torque - a measure of an engine's flexibility - is a hefty 310Nm at a relatively lowly 3,000rpm, thanks to specific engine mapping and a modified exhaust. Nearly 90 per cent of the engine's torque is available between 2,000 rpm and 6,000 rpm, which explains why the R26 feels so strong in the midrange.

A six-speed gearbox channels the power to the front wheels and helps take the R26 from rest to 62mph in just 6.2 seconds (a whopping .1 of a second faster than the Megane 225 Cup model by the way). The exhaust has been tuned to deliver a sporting sound, especially during hard acceleration.

Although the average fuel consumption on test was a reasonable 27.3mpg, that drops like a stone if you're using the performance to slingshot out of corners and down the road.

Don't be fooled by the hatchback silhouette, this is a car that will cost a fair amount to run. At least the CO2 emissions don't exceed 200 g/km so it shouldn't cost the earth to tax.

The R26's other great strength is its chassis, which is a development of the acclaimed Cup model but modified with specific spring/damper settings unique to this car.

By altering the size of the bump stops Renaultsport engineers have actually managed to improve the ride quality by increasing the damper travel and the car really does deal with badly-surfaced roads rather well.

It's never going to run a Citroen C9 close for softly-sprung suspension, but nor does the chassis rattle your fillings every time the wheels cross a manhole cover.

A new front anti-roll bar and rear suspension layout help the R26 maintain an even keel during hard cornering. The car flows through a series of bends flat and true.

It doesn't matter how well it goes, if the R26 can't stop it will be worthless. Peeking out from behind the R26's smart alloys the sharp-eyed will spot four-pot Brembo stoppers clamping ventilated 312mm discs for outstanding power. In normal conditions all you ever need to do is brush the brake pedal for swift and consistent retardation.

So, we've established that the R26 drives brilliantly, but is it as good to live with?

The Megane has been around for a few years now and is starting to show its age. As a result, the R26 can't hold a candle to the VW and the Ford, both of which offer more space, better cabins and higher build quality.

The Renault's kit allocation is adequate, rather than generous, and some of the plastics are a generation behind the Golf and the Focus. Although nothing rattled or squeaked, the R26 felt brittle and flimsy against the feel imparted by a Golf GTI.

There's plenty of room in the front, where driver and passenger sit in sporty (and very expensive!) Recaro seats, but precious little legroom in the rear, where three adults would soon get very well acquainted, whether they wanted to or not!

The shapely boot looks good but at 330 litres without the seats folded it's smaller than both the Focus (360-litres) and the Golf (a whoppng 400-litres).

If you need a hot-hatchback that can pull double duty as a family run-around this isn't the vehicle for you.

Judging by the sales figures, however, there are plenty of drivers prepared to put up with these compromises. The British buy more Renaultsport models than anyone else, including the French.

As a pure hot hatchback the Megane has no rivals. It is on a par with cars like the Impreza and the Mitsubishi Evo.

As a practical family car with a swift turn of speed it still doesn't have the beating of a Golf, a Focus or even a SEAT Leon Cupra.

SPECIFICATION

Engine: 2.0-litre turbo petrol
Max power: 230bhp
Max torque: 310Nm
0-62mph: 6.2 seconds
Av mpg on test: 24.9mpg
Max speed: 147mph
CO2: 199 g/km
Insurance group: 17
Spec includes: Recaro bucket seats; 60watt RDS-Radio CD with MP3 capability and six speakers; automatic double optic headlamps; headlamp washers; climate control; cruise control; switchable ESP; electric windows with one touch controls.