By Seán Creedon
The Renault Megane RS I was driving last week, got a lot of curious glances, from people in the shopping centre car parks, students on their way to and from school and curious pedestrians.
Now the inquisitive looks had nothing to do with the design of the car, it was all about the colour of this hot hatch. The test car came in a bright Volcanic Orange which drew nearly as many glances for me as I got when driving the powerful Ford Mustang a few years back.
A lot of new cars no longer use the traditional ‘turn-key’ ignition system. You can start the car by pressing the start button on the dash, once the key is your pocket. But with the Renault Megane you need never touch the key fob, until are changing your clothes.
You can open the car door once the key is in your pocket and then you simply press the start button. Then when your journey is over and you would normally be searching to see where you placed the key fob, you just walk away from the car and it automatically locks itself. Brilliant.
This boy-racer is set fairly low and my wife and daughter were not big fans of the sporty front seats, which had a ‘lip’ and can be a big awkward to get in and out of. My wife has a touch of arthritis, but my daughter is young and has no such problems; I think she just prefers regular seats.
True, those sporting-looking seats are more suitable for ‘boy racers.’ In the front the driver also gets racing-type aluminium pedals. Power is provided by a 1.8-litre turbo petrol engine which has 280 brake horse power. You can get from zero to 100km/h in just under six seconds, so it’s difficult to stay within the speed limits.
The exterior look in complemented with a wider front and rear track with bespoke front and rear wings. You also get a rear spoiler to improve aerodynamic performance, rear bumper with diffuser and central exhaust.
One of the unique features of the Megane RS is the ‘4CONTROL’ four-wheel steering system. At high speeds, the front and rear wheels turn in the same direction for extra stability. At low speeds, the front and rear wheels turn in opposite directions for more agility.
The RS is available with a manual gearbox or an EDC 6-speed automatic gearbox. Then you can choose different driving modes that suit you age and style.
The back seat could cope with three people at a squeeze, two in comfort. There is a decent-sized boot, but not surprisingly for a car like this, no spare wheel.
Prices for the regular Megane start at €22,140, while the RS version starts at €41,995. The price of my test car, which included a few extras, came to €48,270. Road tax is a bit steep at €750.
Naturally the RS is aimed at boy-racers, but how many boys can afford one of these cars? And of course you will need the 19-inch black Interlagos alloys, which compliment the Volcanic Orange. They will cost you an extra €350.
It’s gorgeous and is brilliant to handle. But at this stage I am probably a bit too old for a boy-racer.
Maybe it wasn’t just the colour of the car that attracted the curious glances from pedestrians last week, but the age of the driver!
