TC Euro Cars, the authorised distributors of Renault here in Malaysia are actually selling the new Renault Megane GT. The Megane 4th Generation was first launched over in Europe at the end of 2015 with sales commencing in 2016. Now, in 2018 the car is officially on sale, albeit quietly, without much fanfare here in Malaysia (only on preview at the recent Malaysia AutoShow 2017 a while back). Great looking car, but the price for this C segment GT hatchback is RM228,000.00. A little eye watering...
This was exactly what I told the chaps at Renault Malaysia but when we start with the specification and the fact that it is fully imported, from Renault's plant in Spain, you can see why it was priced as such (which is maybe why they did not do a large official type of launch and just started selling it).
The Mégane GT is actually a high performance variant of the Megane. In Renault talk, the GT moniker sits just below the RS badged cars and waaay above any GT Line badged cars (like the Clio GT Line sold here). It gets most of the goodies that Renault will put into the RS minus a hotter engine and more customer suspension and body bits.
It will have the same interior but with less power. It actually is the hot hatch in the Renault Megane line-up with the Megane R.S as the top most model. If you folks want a good example, this, is Renault's Golf GTI and the R.S is the Golf R version if we use Volkswagen talk. Oh, and do check out the instrument display in its 'Race' model or whatever its called. Quite like a STACK instrument readout.
The Malaysian specced Megane GT comes with a 1.6 litre 4 cylinder turbocharged petrol engine. It makes a heady 205ps and a very useful 280Nm torque. If you actually note, it comes close to what is stuffed in a Golf GTI but using a smaller capacity engine to reach nearly the same amount of horses. It also incorporates a four-wheel steering system (4Control) as standard and 7 speed dual-clutch automatic gearbox with paddle shifters. 0-100kmh is 7.1 seconds and top speed is 230kmh making this slightly slower than the leading cars in its class but still not that slow.
So it is actually a performance variant of the Megane and so far, the only variant on sale here in Malaysia. The question is who is it really for as whilst it is fully loaded with useful tech like its infotainment system and chassis technology, it isn't a car which current R.S owners will fall for. They will be waiting for the new R.S to make its debut. Now as for the Megane RS, expect the price to be close to the previous model, around the RM300K mark or slightly lower. Fingers crossed.
I suppose this car is for those that want something European, something slightly different and one which is decently fast. It still comes in cheaper than its C-segment warm or hot hatch competitors - It is more affordable than the Golf GTI (the facelifted mk7.5 variant should make its entrance here soon) or the Mercedes A250. It isn't as affordable as the Volvo S40 facelift which actually offers so much pace (245hp) for a RM180K price and against the BMW 120i or 118i in terms of a more prestigious badge.
So yes, this is a car for those that want something French. A croissant instead of a bagel, some escargot instead of a bratwurst or Eva Green instead of Heidi Klum. Ultimately the choice is yours. I also think that with the Megane GT, the chassis tech could be something to marvel at. And I have to add, I like its subtle looks too...just a hint of sportiness to the overall package. Suitable for those who don't want a flying Honda.
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