Renault Megane GT Turbo (2014) Review

Renault South Africa is on a roll at the moment as its stock is flying out of the showrooms and numbers are up from 2013 in a huge way. The Clio, Duster and the new Sandero are its big sellers and generally speaking Renault has struggled with shifting bigger models out the door. Think about the Laguna Coupe, Koleos and to an extent the Megane has begun to slide down the sales charts. It’s time then for a refresh and that’s what we’ve got with this Megane GT Line and specifically this GT Turbo variant.

What is a Renault Megane GT Turbo?

The Renault Megane GT Turbo is a medium to spicy hot hatch, but without any of the associated performance looks. Sort of like a wolf in sheep’s clothing. On the outside it looks like a standard Megane GT Line, it’s got the facelifted bumper kit on the front, darkened door handles and the side mirrors look identical to the 1.2-litre version of the GT Line. Look a little closer and you’ll note it has 18-inch wheels, GT Turbo badging sneakily placed on the front and rear and a small red number 220 placed between the side windows. 220 refers to the brake horsepower figure, but we know it as 162 kW.

Does it go?

It feels just like its big brother the Megane RS when you boot it off the line. It has less power, but there’s the same induction grunt from the front, teamed with a roaring exhaust note from the back. It’s exciting to listen to and very addictive. Pace wise it’s no match for the RS, but it’s still capable of a 0-100kph time of 7.6 seconds and that’s plenty of speed to keep you entertained. Economy has been improved with the reduction in power from the RS so the GT Turbo consumes around 7.3L/100km. Over the week with us we mostly saw figures of 8L/100km and above, but that included some spirited driving.

Any Other Improvements?

The interior has had a slight makeover with the newest introduction being the tablet-shaped touchscreen on the dashboard. It can be controlled via touchscreen or through the toggle switch behind the gear lever. Initially it isn’t the most intuitive system to get the hang of and I’ve never been particularly fond of the TomTom navigation system that’s built in.

The rest of the interior is pretty much as you were with the older Megane and the GT Line gets some nice cloth/leather seats that come with a heater button that’s very well hidden down the side of the chair. This GT Turbo gets sport dials for the instrument cluster as a bonus as well. Room all around the Megane is pretty good and the good news is the whole range is available in coupe two-door format or hatchback four-door variant.

What’s it like to drive?

It’s a lot of fun. The GT Turbo rolls on the same chassis as your standard Megane RS. In the Megane RS it’s a pearl for driving fun with no compromise. In the GT Turbo though, it’s a bit more biased towards comfort. It doesn’t feel as rock-hard stiff as the RS and has a result probably doesn’t corner as fast, but you’ll never notice the difference unless you put it on a track or back-to-back them. The sharp turn in is there from the steering, the car still feels amazingly agile, but it will understeer eventually. The traction control system is a killjoy as it can’t be turned off fully and re-engages at low speeds automatically. The rest of the driving parts are exceptional fun, the brakes are sharp and return great feel through the pedal as does the steering.

Verdict

The Megane GT Turbo represents a fun and particularly good value prospect for the enthusiast on a budget. The GT Turbo is also the cheapest car you can buy in SA with 150kW or more. The interior updates have made it more modern and returns healthy spec sheets. The likes of USB, Bluetooth, Navigation and five-star safety systems are standard throughout the range. It won’t leave wishing you’d bought the RS version, both as it provides similar thrills in the handling and performance departments and saves you R70k over the RS.

Second Opinion

The new Renault Megane GT is a well-balanced performer. Not only are you getting RenaultSport performance from the 2.0-litre turbocharged engine, but you’re also getting the RS chassis. Admittedly it’s geared towards comfort, but that won’t stop you from charging about like a wannabe racer. The TomTom HD Live navigation isn’t the most intuitive, but when you get the hang of it it’s terrific and I liked the live traffic jam updates. Best of all, it’s a standard feature. Top marks from me for this fast Frenchman.

Renault Megane GT Turbo quick specs

We like:
. Performance bargain
. Addictive driving personality
. New higher specification

We dislike:
. Traction control dampens the fun
. Infotainment system is difficult to get to grips with

Also consider:
Alfa Romeo Giulietta
Audi A3
Opel Astra GTC