Development is well underway on the next hot Renault Megane RS, and to help it keep pace with the 345bhp Ford Focus RS , it could get four-wheel drive, rear-wheel steering and over 300bhp, Auto Express can exclusively reveal.
, it could get four-wheel drive, rear-wheel steering and over 300bhp, Auto Express can exclusively reveal. A Renaultsport insider, who is part of the new project, told us the brand is working tirelessly on the new Megane RS, and our exclusive image shows how it could look.
“When you have torque vectoring, rear-wheel steering and four-wheel drive, and you want the car to behave in a certain way, you have to have a global chassis control system,” they said. “When you see cars like the Focus RS, you can feel that Renaultsport will have to do something about it.”
The brand has been keeping close tabs on the new Focus RS as it develops the next hot Megane, likely to appear in 2018. It will be a five-door only, as the coupe bodystyle won’t be offered on the new Megane, and will cost around £30,000.
As our image shows, the RS will keep the Megane’s trademark design cues, although it will be set apart by beefier wheelarches, reshaped bumpers and larger alloys.
If it is to compete with the Ford, the Megane will need a power boost over the current car’s 271bhp – expect in excess of 300bhp from a 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo.
Renaultsport boss Patrice Ratti also told us that the RS will “probably” get a manual gearbox, as well as the EDC dual-clutch automatic option from the Clio RS.
“The EDC gearbox offers the car up to new markets, like Japan and Australia, but we would prefer to be able to offer the choice of a manual,” said Ratti.
The warm Megane GT was developed jointly by Renaultsport, and features a rear-wheel steering system that’s likely to make its way on to the full-fat RS model, too. This set-up improves mobility at low speed but also stability at higher revs.
Development of the new Megane RS was started alongside the standard model, which is something that will happen more often. Our source told us: “Renault is saying that Renaultsport is something special and it should work on more cars. At the moment, we have the RS, Alpineand Clioto work on.”
That also includes hybrids, as Renaultstarts to develop more electric models. “It’s only the beginning, but we are looking at a hybrid project,” our insider continued. “As Renault is keen to look at it, of course we will have to be involved as well.
“We are trying to be involved in big decisions, including the architecture, and how batteries will be put in the cars. If we have four-wheel-drive systems, we need to look at how to get more performance to make them fun to drive.”
Would you choose the next Renault Megane RS over the Ford Focus RS? Let us know in the comments section below...