Road Test: Renault Mégane 225 Sport

Review by Jay Williams - 27/April/2010

With a power output of 165kW and 300 Newton metres of torque avaliable at 3000rpm all the way to redline, the Renault Mégane 225 Sport is a cracking little car to drive.

Having that much power in such a small car is always fun.

But, I must admit, the Mégane 225 Sport does have its work cut out, with the likes of the Ford Focus XR5, VW Golf GTI, Mazda3 MPS and Honda's Civic Type R all being strong competitors.

People love thier perfomance enhanced hatches, and, why do you ask? Because they are small and easy to park, they're cheap on fuel, they're relatively affordable to buy and, most of all they, deliver the kind of performance you would expect from a larger vehicle.

I don't know about you, but that sounds pretty good to me.

Drive: 4/5

Renault Mégane 225 Sport

Love it or hate it, the rear design is unique

The 2.0-litre turbo has plenty of kick

Modern interior

Stepping inside the Mégane 225 Sport I was greeted with a sleek looking interior, but no ignition barrel for a key.

Instead, the Mégane uses a 'keycard' system. About the size of two credit card stuck together, the keycard is slotted into the centre console and then you hit the starter button - like most cars these days.

I found myself patting down my pockets as if I'd misplaced my keys on a few occasions.

Once I had engaged the key, the car prompted me to put my foot on the brake and press the start button. So, start button pressed and the engine jumps into life with an aggressive hum coming from under the bonnet, that noise hints at the cars performance.

The clutch is light and has a short distance to travel, the 6-speed manual is a smooth shifting unit which makes changing gears easy.

Like most hatchbacks the car turns out to be very easy to drive - thanks, in most part, to the short wheelbase.

Driving around town the car is very good, especially when taking off at traffic lights (very zippy), while its size ensures that parking is effortless. That said, it became apparent that the 225 Sport was designed to be more sport than comfort, as this vehicle has a very firm spring rate. It's not impossible to live with on a day-to-day basis, but it does have an overly firm ride - much like the Civic Type R.

Sitting low to the ground, with big 18-inch wheels and fat tyres to match, the Mégane Sport 225 feels at home on winding mountain roads and deserted country tracks. 

It's based on a practical hatchback, one with plenty of boot space and room for five occupants, one that's easy to reverse park and small enough to drive in the city, yet it's not until you get out of the city that the car really begins to bring a smile to your face.

To put it simply the Mégane 225 Sport is a cracking car to drive, it delivers smooth turbocharged power and handles like it's on rails - brilliant.

It responds remarkably rapidly to steering and throttle inputs and remains incredibly flat through corners. Body roll is minimal and the ride quality doesn't suffer to much either. Super fat anti-roll (anti-sway) bars help in achieving this impressive balance, and it always feels very composed through corners.

Engine: 4/5

Sitting under the bonnet is a 2.0-litre turbocharged engine with an air-to-air intercooler. Peak power is 165kW at 5500rpm, but the real kick comes from the 300Nm of torque on tap from 3000rpm. This gives the Mégane Sport an addictive amount of acceleration from quite low in the rev range, and even though peak power arrives at 5500rpm, the engine will happily spin another 1000rpm beyond this to its 6500rpm redline.

The main benefit of having that much power lower in rev range is that it makes for easier day-to-day driving. Unlike some of the other hatches currently on the market, were you have to drive like a maniac to get the best out of the engine.

While the Mégane 225 Sport may not be as powerful as some of its rivals, it uses its available power very efficiently, as the gearbox and front differential do a great job of putting the power to the ground.

The car feels fairly zippy due to its quick revving engine, and unlike some other turbo engines that suffer from turbo lag, the 225 Sport didn't seem to lag that much. Once the tacho needle gets half-way round the dial, the engine note rises and doesn't quit until you hit the redline.

The turbo boost initiates at about 3000rpm and with a subtle whistle as the turbo spools the rev keep rising until 6000rpm. It has a kick that could rival even the WRX and Mitsubishi Ralliart, while still having a very impressive mid-range.

Fuel efficiency is not bad, with a claimed 8.8L/100km on the combined city/highway fuel cycle. Our final figure was around 12L/100km, but I wasn't really driving in the most frugal of manners.

On the freeway the engine sits on 2250rpm in sixth gear at 100km/h, the sixth gear helps the car achieve its low fuel consumption rate.

Exterior: 3.5/5

The Mégane range has copped a lot of flack for its appearance, but I've always had a soft spot for the shape of the Mégane and in particular the Mégane 225 Sport.

I think the unique styling of 225 Sport is what appeals to me the most, because there simply isn't anything else on the road that looks like it.

The 225 Sport attracts a lot of attention, particularly at the lights. On a few occasions I glanced over at the motorist sitting beside me and caught them staring at the sporty hatch. Now, I'm not sure if it was in admiration for the car or utter distaste, but it was noticed none the less.

Sitting low to the ground and fitted with multi spoke 18-inch alloy wheels the Mégane 225 Sport has an aggressive stance on the road. The bigger wheels also give the hatch better grip.

The body kit features side skirts, sporty front and rear bumpers, with large air intakes at the front for better air-flow. The front end gives away that this is the sport Mégane, as the front-mount air-to-air intercooler peaks through the lower grille.

Flared wheel arches add to the tough looking exterior, while at the rear there's a twin exhaust system, which gives away that this is a sports model.

The headlights look sleek with xenon projectors for better visibility, they also help the car look more stylish.

Interior: 4/5

This may be the sport variant of the Mégane, but, stepping inside the car and taking a look around the interior, one would think that they had just stepped into a luxuary model. Fitted with classy looking hand-stitched leather seats, that can be adjusted for your comfort. Side torso, lower thigh lateral bolsters and adjustable lumbar support combine to make the driver as comfortable as possible.

The interior also features an adjustable multi-function leather steering wheel, leather wrapped gear knob with aluminium insert.

Overall interior room is what you would expect for a hatch. Head room becomes a problem for taller people. I'm around 180cm and I found the rear seating room to be pretty cramped, but not impossible to utilise if you push the front seats forward slightly, while the 330 litre boot has enough room for the shopping or weekend luggage.

The Mégane 225 Sport may cost a little more than its competitors, but for good reason. The extra features, include eight airbags for improved safety, climate control, rain sensing windscreen wipers, automatic headlights and a 6-speaker, 6-stack CD stereo system. Along with the usual gear like a trip computer and illuminated vanity mirrors.

Overall: 4/5

So, what of the Mégane Sport 225? It's not only fun to drive but rewarding too, the Mégane Sport 225 has that turbocharged power that brings a smile to your face evey time you hit boost. While it's rigid chassis provides optimum levels of performance for high speed handling. 

The class leading Brembo brakes can't be faulted and offer brilliant stopping power.

If it's practicality that your after stick to the standard Mégane, if it's performance your after then the Mégane Sport 225 is the one you want.

The Sport 225 with its curvaceous body kit, 18-inch mags and lower ride height combine to create a vehicle that is unique in its looks and has a charm that sits well with me.

And last but not least it is one of the safer hot hatches on the market today, with eight airbags, an advanced Electronic Stability Program with understeer control and plenty of luxury features to poke a stick at. 

An impressive hot hatch in my books.