|
By
EWAN KENNEDY
13 August 2007
Renault still doesn’t have the image it deserves in
Australia, but this latest, very special Megane sports seems sure to
change that situation. Because the ‘RenaultSport F1 Team R26’ has
extreme styling and body graphics. And it has the muscle to back up its
look-at-me appearance.
Built to celebrate Renault's victory in both the Drivers’ and
Manufacturers’ World Championships in the 2006 Formula One
season, the R26 is a superb hot hatch. Incidentally, the 26 in the
title doesn’t indicate the engine produces 260 horsepower
(pity!), rather it’s the model name of the F1 car raced by World
Champion Fernando Alonso last season.
Look at the stunning body graphics that grace the body.
Wild-looking squares and rectangles are applied not only to the
body sides and rear, but also give the roof a real workout as
well.
If you are the shy and retiring type you will simply not
understand this car, but if you like to shout that you are about
it will delight your senses. If you’re somewhere in between you
can order the car without the graphics – though you have to pay
for them whether you want them or not.
Under that stubby bonnet the ‘RenaultSport F1 Team R26’ has
a turbocharged 2.0-litre four-cylinder engine that produces up to
225 horsepower (168 kW), with a torque output of 310 Nm at what
seems to be a pretty reasonable 3000 rpm. On the road we found the
engine wasn’t all that willing to work hard below that 3000
number, as it’s on the peaky side at times.
On the other hand, should you need to use the R26 as a daily
driver you will find that gentle to moderate running below 3000
revs is handled with ease; it’s only the high-performance
running that suffers.
In any case the six-speed close-ratio manual gearbox
(thankfully there's no auto option) is moderately light in
operation and it’s not hard to find the ratio that best suits
the engine’s characteristics.
Race-bred innovations in this latest RS Megane include a clever
launch-control setup that lets you get the car off the line in the
shortest possible time and a limited-slip differential to improve
cornering power and safety.
A genuine performance car needs a fine chassis to go with a big
power engine; the R26 certainly doesn’t disappoint. The
suspension has been pulled down slightly and runs firmer spring,
damper and bush settings. These complement high-performance
Michelin Pilot Sport 2 tyres with the huge dimensions of 235/40
R18. Brakes are Brembo units with ventilated discs at the front
and sold discs at the rear.
The RenaultSport chassis is brilliant in the way it works. The
ride is firmer than that of the standard Megane, but certainly not
objectionably so. We did a lot of driving in the hinterland behind
Brisbane, on roads that are in need of a revamp in many places,
and at no time did any of the bumps catch the car out. The brakes
needed an increase in pedal effort on one car we drove after an
extended series of steep downhill stretches, but slowing distances
didn’t seem to increase.
Only 80 examples of the ‘RenaultSport F1 Team R26’ are
planned for importation to Australia. Each will have its own
individually numbered plaque in the cabin. However the local
importer says it may be able to get some extra cars if there's a
big rush on the model. Note that word ‘may’. If you are
serious about one of these hot little beasts it would be wise to
get in touch with your Renault dealer as soon as possible. Some 24
of the 80 were snapped up by keen car nuts who had read of them on
the internet before the first cars went on sale in this country
today.
Two colours are on offer: Black and Yellow, the former is
priced at $43,990 and the Yellow at $44,990. The extra money
indicating the high cost of the special paint and the additional
time needed for its application.
© Copyright
Marque Publishing Company
|
