As we draw closer and closer to the full reveal of the all-new Renault Megane RS, Renaultsport is perhaps trying to keep up with the hype beat after previewing the car at the 2017 Monaco Formula 1 Grand Prix, and probably to combat the Honda Civic Type R in the war for attention.
Renault Sport, through their Facebook account, has released more photos of the development car - we assume it to be close to production form - undergoing some cold weather testing around what looks to be in Europe’s far north.
Obviously, the car seen here has still got a fair amount of camouflage over its body, but it’s getting easier and easier to see past the distracting patterns and approximate the mega hatch hiding underneath. While our comments cannot go too far, we would admit that it already seems to be the best looking among its competitors, subjective as that is.
From what we know so far, and yes we have repeated this multiple times, the new Megane RS will use a 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder petrol engine to produce roughly 224kW, which is harnessed by either a 6-speed manual transmission or Renault’s 7-speed EDC dual-clutch and sent to the front wheels.
While the rear wheels continue to not be used to transmit thrust to the road, they will reportedly be able to make small steering adjustments. The rear-wheel steering system has the ability to alter any car’s handling characteristics, making it more agile at low speeds or more stable at high speeds.
There are other reports that Renault Sport will instead use the smaller 1.8-litre four-cylinder to power their premiere hot hatch, shared with the new Alpine A110 sports car in a mid-mounted, rear-drive layout.
