Megane Renault Sport 250 Scoops Top Gear Australia

VICTORIA, AUSTRALIA – December 28, 2010: The Mégane Renault Sport 250 has come out on top in the annual Top Gear Australia Magazine ‘Car of the Year’ awards, securing further critical acclaim just weeks on from its local debut.

The Mégane Renault Sport 250 was launched in October 2010, powered by a feisty 184 kW / 340 Nm, 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder engine, and blew past a more exotic rival in a head-to-head stoush in MOTOR Magazine in October. The fast-road Renault Sport champion followed up in fine form against a clutch of rivals to secure the Drive ‘High Performance Car under $60,000’ award from the Fairfax press in November.

In the January 2011 edition of Top Gear Australia Magazine, the Mégane Renault Sport 250 secured the ‘Hot Hatch of the Year’ category in the ‘Car of the Year’ awards, as well as taking out overall honours.

“The Mégane is just too good to go past,” Top Gear Australia Magazine editor Stephen Corby wrote.

“It is sleek, sharp, cool. (It has a) sharp chassis, grunty, grippy steering, beautiful balance, absence of understeer and a feeling that you can nail the throttle anywhere in a corner and get away with it,” Mr Corby said.

“The Mégane Renault Sport 250 is the king of hot hatches, but it is not its pace alone that marks its supremacy among a talented field,” says Justin Hocevar, Managing Director of Renault Australia.

“The R.S. 250 captures the essence of a modern sports car, with its raw power on the one hand, and its immense tractive power on the other. In addition, it is one of the most eye-catching shapes on the road, a true example of chic, sporting style.

“Like all Renault Sport models, the R.S. 250 is a thoroughly engineered sporting car, with its honed chassis boasting sports suspension, sports Brembo brakes and an effective limited slip differential.

“All these elements have been crafted with extreme attention to detail by the Renault Sport engineers in France. They have created a car that delights enthusiastic drivers on all levels. That is why it has been able to evoke such a passionate response among critics, as well as among our customers.”

The Mégane Renault Sport 250 is available in two guises; the ‘Cup’ version, which has an RRP of $41,990, and the ‘Cup Trophée’, which is priced from $45,990 (RRP). Both versions use a close ratio six-speed manual gearbox driving the front wheels to reach 100 km/h in 6.1 seconds and a top speed (where legal) of 245 km/h.