We’re only about a month away from the official reveal of the new Renault Megane RS at the Frankfurt Motor Show in mid September, and we’ve now seen yet more leaked photos of the new French hot hatch completely void of disguise.
After being leaked on Facebook, the red unit seen here bears all the same cues that were revealed by Renault themselves at various different times, such as when the car was undergoing winter testing, being driven by F1 racer Nico Hulkenberg, and followed by a pre-race lap around the Monaco Grand Prix circuit in front of tens of thousands, to their own patent images.
If one exerts enough concentration to looking past those rather thin layers of black/white or black/yellow camouflage, extrapolating the final look of the car isn't all that hard, with only rather restrained alterations made to the base Megane hatch to bulk it up appropriately to have it become more Renault Sport ready.
The most obvious exterior change would be the chequered flag-inspired fog lamps that also appear on the latest Clio RS. Other visually apparent changes include lowered suspension, wider wheel arches, vented front fenders, and a more pronounced rear diffuser.
We do know that the all-new Megane RS will be the first to offer a dual-clutch automatic transmission alongside the fan-favourite 6-speed manual, and that it will also feature four-wheel steering (called 4Control). Drive will, as before, be sent to the front wheels and likely with an optional limited slip front differential.
What is still a little muddy is the car’s engine situation. While it’s certain to be a turbocharged four-cylinder petrol, we do not know how much power it will produce nor its displacement. Though a 2.0-litre would be in keeping with its predecessor, Renault Sport has also helped develop a 1.8-litre unit for the new Alpine A110 with 186kW and 320Nm.
Should the new motor be able to handle more aggressive turbocharging (which should be one its primary design objectives), it’s likely RS would have it tuned to over 220kW in the Megane. And as usual, customers will be given a choice between either a standard Sport or firmer Cup chassis.
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