Review of the new Renault Megane RenaultSport R26.R

Renault's Renaultsport tuning arm was let right off the leash with this one. The Renault Megane Renaultsport R26.R, is a stripped down road-legal racer. Packing the same engine as the standard fast Meganes but with a 135kg weight saving, numerous suspension upgrades and optional semi-slick tyres, this is the ultimate Renaultsport product and it's seriously quick.

From the gates of the Renaultsport factory in Dieppe have emerged some of the greatest fast hatchbacks of our times. Modified Clios and Meganes steeped in the hot hatch ethos with the pace to humble machines costing twice or three times as much, these models have turned Renault's Renaultsport brand into a byword for all that's great about affordable performance cars. Now the Renaultsport engineers look to have surpassed even their own star-studded CV with the ultimate Renaultsport Megane, the R26.R.

It's hard to imagine it at this point but the original Megane Renaultsport 225 received a lukewarm response from commentators upon its launch. It was too soft and not sufficiently focused for a true hot hatch, or at least that was the consensus. Renault responded with the Cup chassis upgrade that firmed the suspension and gave the first hints at just how much the car was capable of. The plaudits began to flow as the honed Megane Renaultsport progressed through its F1, Trophy and F1 Team R26 editions, each one upping the anti in terms of sharpness and response. Now, with the current Megane entering its twilight years, Renault has really let its hair down with the Megane Renaultsport R26.R.

The R26.R is not for the fainthearted. It's a car that's designed with the capability to transcend the hot hatchback class and give the world's leading performance cars something to think about. Having lapped the Nurburgring in 8 minutes 12 seconds, it's undoubtedly worthy of consideration alongside the cream of the performance car crop. Perhaps more remarkable is that all this has been achieved with the exact same 2.0-litre turbocharged engine which powers the F1 Team R26 Megane. It develops an identical 230bhp at 5,500rpm and 310Nm or torque at 3,000rpm. Rather than through brute force, the R26.R gets is speed from light weight and phenomenal grip. The R26.R is 135kg lighter than the Megane F1 Team R26, helping it hit 60mph in six seconds, 0.2s faster. Crucially, the car is also available on with Toyo Proxes R888 semi-slick tyres in place of the standard Michelin Pilot Sport and these together with the upgraded suspension help the car sustain its high cornering speeds.

"The R26.R is not for the fainthearted.."

The Megane Renaultsport R26.R utilises the same limited slip differential and independent steering axis front suspension that were so successful in reducing torque steer on the other Renaultsport Meganes. Elsewhere, however, its suspension is thoroughly revised. All new springs front and rear, recalibrated shock absorbers, alloy wheels that increase the track by 4mm and stiffer bushes all serve to make the car a more focused track day weapon. The braking system features 312mm ventilated discs with Brembo four-piston callipers with the discs grooved rather than drilled to reduce fade.

The weight loss programme that was so vital to the performance of the R26.R was an extremely far-reaching one with the vast majority of the standard Megane's creature comforts ending up in the skip. There are no rear seats in the R26.R and the front ones are replaced with Sabelt carbon fibre racing seats with six-point harnesses. The rear and side windows are replaced with polycarbonate so the heated rear window and its wiper had to go and the metal bonnet was superseded by a carbon fibre item. Then the front fog lights, headlamp washers, the stereo and most of the soundproofing material were also deemed surplus to requirements. After all that, there's not a whole lot of the Megane left.

The less is more approach also saw the passenger and curtain airbags get the boot but Renault is confident that the safety advantage of the racing seats with six-point harnesses will compensate for their absence in the event of an accident. The R26.R is differentiated externally from humbler Renaultsport Meganes by its rear spoiler but it's the unique R26.R graphics and the various colour scheme options that will really mark it out. Inside, it's obvious that this isn't your ordinary Renault Megane, with the dashboard stripped of all its controls (bar those for the air-conditioning system) and the race seats dominating the cabin. Opt for the roll cage and it all takes on an even more extreme look.

You can look at the Megane Renaultsport R26.R in one of two ways - as an expensive hot hatchback or as one of the biggest performance car bargains around. Cars that can match the sub 8m 20s Nurburgring lap time of the R26.R routinely cost twice as much and a lot of them go for considerably more than that. Renault is targeting the R26.R at trackday regulars and driving enthusiasts who want this kind of super-focused product and with only 500 of the cars being built, it should have few problems shifting them. Every R26.R comes with a numbered plaque showing the model number and the country to which it was allocated. 230 of the 500 will be heading for UK shores, a mark of the appreciation the Brits have for a truly uncompromised sports car.

The roll cage and Toyo tyres are available as a £700 option for the R26.R but customers selecting the semi-slick tyres and intending to use the car on the road will get a warning from Renault concerning their wet weather performance and tendency to aquaplane. There are also metallic and pearlescent paint options and the R26.R decals can be deleted at no extra charge.

Light weight is the friend of fuel economy and despite its hardcore remit, the Megane R26.R is actually a little more fuel efficient than the standard F1 Team R26 Megane. The car can return 33.2mpg on the combined cycle and emits 199g/km of CO2 which will make it reasonably affordable to run.

The Renault Megane Renaultsport R26.R takes Renault's acclaimed line of performance hatchbacks to its logical conclusion. Stripped of everything bar the bare essentials and subjected to a plethora of chassis and weigh-saving upgrades, the car has the raw pace to leave some of the world's most highly regarded performance cars in its wake.

The R26.R pushes the boundaries of just how much is possible with a front-wheel-drive car, taking the standard Renaultsport Megane engine and incorporating it into a skeletal body that's 135kg lighter than standard. Race seats with six-point harnesses and an optional roll cage with semi-slick tyres underline the car's intent while a UK market allocation of 230 guarantees exclusivity. For the committed driving enthusiast, this is the Megane Renaultsport to have and on track, only a select few production cars at any price will be able to touch it.