True GT car that ticks all the right boxes . . . N
OW this week’s test motor is a true GT car - loads of pace and space - but it also has something I have not seen on a mainstream production car since the 1980s.
For the ‘all-new’ Megane Sport Tourer GT has active four wheel steering - something only found these days on top-of-the-range Porsches, BMW’s and Audis and which Renault claim is a first in the hot hatch segment.
It was during the late 1980s Honda with its Prelude and Mazda in the MX6 lead a wave of Japanese manufacturers that introduced four-wheel steering in their sportier cars.
The advantage is that at lower speeds, turning the rear wheels slightly in the opposite direction to the front gives a smaller turning circle and faster cornering. At high speeds, turning all four wheels in the same direction improves stability.
The development was shortlived, though, as the complicated mechanical systems used could also result in scary handling and high maintenance bills. However, modern electronics mean that fourwheel steer is back and the latest systems are so fast you can’t tell when they’re working.
It was not until I looked at the spec sheet that I discovered why hard cornering and low speed manouvering in the GT had felt a bit weird with the car seeming to pivot about its centre.
But linked with the GT’s superb seven-speed auto gearbox and turbocharged 1.6 petrol engine that produces an impressive 205bhp (there is also a 163bhp diesel option) the ‘4Control’ system really works meaning that, once you get used to the slightly unusual sensation, you discover grip and stability while cornering that I suspect would need a track day to test to its limit.
It is basically the same system as found on Porsche’s 911 GT3 and GT3 RS... but on a car costing under £28,000. It means that this Megane – longer and wider than its forebears – feels like a true hot hatch half its size. And the GT really is hot in the performance department with a 7.1-second 0-62mph time and 143mph top speed.
Renault say customers will also be able to choose between a Sport chassis, which combines high performance and ride comfort in everyday use, or a Cup chassis, engineered to deliver the ultimate track performance experience.
The alcantara sports front sports seats are great too (a £1,200 option on our car) and the whole interior is good quality and well built - much improved from Renaults of the past.
The Megane’s large (8.7in) i-pad style infotainment screen is simple to use, with smartphone-like pinchand-zoom, and big buttons that are simple to read and press while driving.
The TFT instruments can also be personalised, thanks to several different layouts and five different colours. Likewise the ‘Multi-Sense’ drive select system - put everything in Sport and you get an encouraging synthesised engine note and the gearbox hangs onto second and third longer to keep the revs up. Other settings are Neutral, comfort and personal.
Facts and figures-wise the petrol GT Sport Tourer will return a shade over 47,pg overall with a CO2 figure of 134g/km. The standard car is £27,740 while our version’s on the road price with a number of options was a shade under £31,000. The Sport Tourer range starts from £18,840 for the Expression+.
Standard kit on the GT also includes a rear camera, parking sensors all round, cruise control (adaptive on our car as part of a must-have £400 safety pack option), lane departure warning, traffic sign recognition, ABS, EBD, EBA and ESP, hill start assist and full LED headlights.
Inside sports seats are standard as is rear tinted glass, hands free keycard entry and start (with walkaway self locking) DAB radio and a TomTom Sat nav.
So it looks the part and drives the part - and that is all the GT boxes ticked. More information at www. renault.co.uk.