New car news

15 September 2009 - 16:00

Frankfurt show: Megane Renaultsport 250

The minute the new and finely styled Megane coupe appeared, TG's thoughts turned to Renaultsport. The hotted-up Clio 200 Cup made such a case for itself in this year's supercar shootout that a more grown-up and more powerful big brother was bound to get pulses a-racing.

The Megane Renaultsport 250 Cup produces, as the name suggests, 186kW from its turbocharged 2.0-litre engine. This is backed up by 338Nm of torque, 80 percent of which is available from as low down as 1,900rpm.

From launch the car will be offered with either the standard ‘Sport' or more track-focused ‘Cup' chassis with its uncompromising ride and limited slip diff.

Drivers will also now benefit from a ‘Renaultsport Monitor' on either model. This is essentially a simplified on-board telemetry device that keeps the driver updated on the engine's stresses, real-time performance and throttle input while reading acceleration times, lateral Gs and lap times. It will also give you a gear change warning, vital when there's so much else to gawp at.

Performance figures and pricing have yet to be confirmed, but with 20 more power and torque than the previous generations, you can expect the 250 to be quick, and to undercut the likes of the Focus RS and Golf GTI.