Here's Your First Look At The New Renault Sport 'Megane 300'

Pictures of the next Renault Sport Megane have been leaked via the patent authorities, giving we lucky pups our first proper look at the French hot hatch contender.

The 2018 car will have around 300bhp, putting it right in the sweet spot of the market against the likes of the Ford Focus ST, Seat Leon Cupra 300 and Peugeot 308 GTi 270. The car is due for its debut at the Frankfurt Motor Show in September.

The first thing you’ll probably notice is that it’s not as dramatic as the hottest hot hatches, firmly placing itself at the ‘everyday’ end of the spectrum rather than at the hardcore ‘track day’ end with the likes of the Mercedes-AMG A45.

Although you can’t see it in these pics, the development cars we’ve seen in testing videos have all had flappy-paddle twin-clutch gearboxes and just two pedals. It remains to be seen whether manual shifting is gone for good or whether the twin-clutch unit will just be a lap time-slashing option.

Renault Sport has already told media that the car will have four-wheel steering and a choice of two chassis setups as per many previous hot Meganes and Clios, where a ‘standard’ chassis is teamed with a ‘cup’ spec. The latter chassis is likely to be available with a standalone Cup or Trophy model and as an option for the standard car.

The massive exhaust looks like it might even pass the double-fist test, and the diffuser flanking the huge trapezoidal tailpipe is more aggressive-looking than ever. There are vents behind the front wheels to aid aero performance and potentially add a little bit of engine bay hot air extraction. At the very front, two gargantuan vents should Hoover up all the air the turbocharged engine will need. Plus, of course, a tonne of insects, wildlife and the occasional small child.

Renault is apparently working damn hard to try to win back its Nurburgring lap record from Honda. The front-wheel drive production car rivalry is turning into the Game of Thrones of the lap record list, with the crown having changed hands a bunch of times in the last few years alone.

Via: Auto Express