Renault Megane RS: How does it perform as a daily driver?

Renault Megane RS: How does it perform as a daily driver?

Much has been said about the Renault Megane RS on this website, and the big chunk of it revolves around the hot hatch’s superb handling and fun to drive qualities. That’s only natural, since the Megane RS 250 is one heck of a driver’s car, balancing deceptive turbo pace and nice fluidity and poise on B roads.

While we have never failed to mention the hot Megane’s duality of purpose, its ability to perform as a daily driver with acceptable comfort, and the decent practicality in every review, it rarely gets the spotlight. This time however, we take the car out for a stint and focus on these qualities. The car may be a blast on track (as we detailed the last time around), but can we live with it on a daily basis?

Renault Megane RS: How does it perform as a daily driver?

My original plan was to whisk my hot date in yellow to a romantic location far away, but like how most of these good intentions end up, the realities of life intervened. No matter, the work, errands and running around meant that I could use the Megane RS in a “real world test” as substitute to my own set of wheels. So I drove it like I owned it (maximising fuel economy is main priority), as opposed to driving like I stole it.

My backpack (laptop and camera) is with me with on every journey, and my normal routine is to open the passenger’s door on the driver’s side to place the bag. Less hassle with the Megane. With the driver’s Recaro set in my position, there’s a sizable gap behind it for my bag, simplifying my getaway routine. I’m sure this isn’t intended as a selling point, but I found it really useful.

Renault Megane RS: How does it perform as a daily driver?

Yours truly is in the process of moving house, and I’m doing it gradually, transporting few Tesco boxes at a time. While that small French butt doesn’t look like it can carry much, I was pleasantly surprised at the depth and width of the boot. As you can see, it took two of my boxes side-by-side, with room to sandwich in a laptop bag.

Of course, the rear seats can be folded down for more room, or long items. The load lip may be on the high side, but there’s good hatchback practicality here within a sexy shape.

Renault Megane RS: How does it perform as a daily driver?

I currently live in Rawang, and the NKVE is my lifeline since everything happens down south. Driving it like I own it means highway cruising between 90-100 km/h most of the time – yes, I am that slow! In sixth gear, the Megane RS does the highway speed limit at a relaxed 2,500 rpm.

Other than tyre roar (European cars generally let in more) the engine is very subdued (no exhaust drone, too), which is an important point for me. Will never understand how people can do extended highway runs on big exhausts that go BOOOORRRRRRRR!

Renault Megane RS: How does it perform as a daily driver?

The same highway runs also make me appreciate cruise control, which takes up the buttons on the steering spokes. Where then are the audio buttons? Controls for the stereo and R.S. Monitor (stopwatch with memory function, acceleration timer, g-force meter, turbo pressure, oil temp, torque/power figures, throttle map settings) are clustered into one stubby stalk below the wiper stalk.

There’s a button everywhere you feel, plus a jog dial, which takes some learning, but once you’ve mastered what does what, it’s convenient. The trip computer is controlled with buttons on the wiper stalk tip, so your hands don’t have to leave the wheel.

Renault Megane RS: How does it perform as a daily driver?

The Megane RS is a performance hot hatch, so we often harp on yummy stuff such as the Cup chassis, Recaros, LSD and four-pot Brembos, but it’s also rich with amenities one would expect from a premium badged exec.

Auto lights and wipers, bi-Xenons with LED DRLs, tyre pressure monitor, keyless entry with push start, dual-zone air con, stereo with Bluetooth/USB/AUX, wing mirrors with defrost and front/rear parking sensors are all standard. And it’s five-star EuroNCAP rated with front, side and curtain airbags. That’s quite a list, if you ask me.

Renault Megane RS: How does it perform as a daily driver?

Are we ignoring the elephant in the room, space for occasional family duty? The Megane RS’ three-door only hatch format may not be ideal for those with ageing parents, but it’s possible. I loaded the Megane with my parents and family for dinner and we managed.

Admittedly, three abreast behind was pushing it a little, but headroom and legroom is passable. Those behind don’t have much of a view out, though. We’re not saying it’s a great family car, but the Megane is more than a two-seater with token rear seats – those things are usable!

Renault Megane RS: How does it perform as a daily driver?

Since this is all about living with the car, we did some research on maintenance as well. The Megane RS has a 10,000 km service interval, and the first service costs RM537, the second one RM842 and the 30k km service RM958. This French lady takes in six litres of ELF fully synthetic engine oil per service at RM295, while an oil filter goes for just RM38. We think that these figures are reasonable, and very affordable for anyone buying a car in this price range.

All in all, I did 415.9 km in the Megane RS over a few days and averaged 9.7 litres per 100 km over mixed conditions. Not bad considering the performance on offer, and certainly better than my own ride. As mentioned, I didn’t manage to go anywhere far with the Megane, but colleague Anthony did. Read his account below. For the more exciting aspects of the Megane RS’ repertoire, read our road and track review.

Anthony says:

I wasn’t supposed to write about the Megane RS 250 – all I was supposed to do was assist in returning the car, since Danny wasn’t able to. Having picked it up on a Sunday night, I ventured to take the yellow canary out for a tango, since it was an unknown entity to me and I was curious to find out if it was every bit as entertaining as it has been claimed to be.

Firm, even a bit brutish in how it parades it wares, were my first impressions of the car, spent taking in as many lonely roads as possible that very night; after all, it was then or never, given the scheduling. The car seemed happy to be charging along, displaying all the positives said about it to a T. Still, based on that drive alone, there was little to suggest that it’s as good a daily driver as it is a demolition charge on the cheap.

Renault Megane RS: How does it perform as a daily driver?

In the end, however, I managed to cover more mileage than Danny did (around 470 km), and in just over a day or so, all brought about by the need to drive up to Ipoh to visit a lawyer about a family-related matter. I decided to utilise the Megane RS for the task, and TCE was happy to oblige by sparing the car a day longer.

I set out keeping to the national speed limit for most of the journey up, and the Megane RS wasn’t too fussy about having to be bridled as such. Granted, it wasn’t the most comfy way to do the run, but the Megane has good temperament and isn’t as jarring as one would think (which is what I’d assumed). Noise levels are decent, with the tyres contributing most of it.

Renault Megane RS: How does it perform as a daily driver?

There was even a fair amount of in-town driving managed in Ipoh, and the Megane didn’t feel unwieldy in such conditions, even in heavier traffic conditions. The clutch has workable bite and useful travel, and the car remains nicely tractable and poised at low level speeds, so ambling along is accomplished easily enough.

Five different stops were made, and about the only minus I’d say about it would be it’s not the best to have if you need to hop in and out of it on a continuous basis, the ingress and egress aspects in a coupe being evident. Or just maybe, I’m getting old.

Renault Megane RS: How does it perform as a daily driver?

The return trip was done in far faster fashion, taking around an hour and 15 mins point to point. By the time I got back to KL, it had been nine hours since I started out, and I had gotten thoroughly accustomed to the Megane’s ride – it didn’t even feel that firm any more (certainly, the VW Polo GTI’s is firmer).

Blasting along on the return had demanded more attention and focus, but though tired, it wasn’t a case of being completely drained by what turned out to be a very rewarding drive back at speed.

Renault Megane RS: How does it perform as a daily driver?

So, to answer the question as posed by Danny, would the Megane RS 250 be able to be used as a daily driver? I’m inclined to believe it can, but then again, I’ve always had an affinity for stick shifters, and don’t have to fight my way through morning madness on an everyday basis. Its ability to behave in composed fashion at low-level speeds does stand it in good stead, for those who have to. Probably not if you’re doing recurring door-to-door deliveries on a daily basis, but for everything else, what a tool.

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Danny Tan

Danny Tan loves driving as much as he loves a certain herbal meat soup, and sweet engine music as much as drum beats. He has been in the auto industry since 2006, previously filling the pages of two motoring magazines before joining this website. Enjoys detailing the experience more than the technical details.

 

Comments

  • VOLVO FOR LIFE on Mar 09, 2012 at 5:48 pm

    the golf gti scratch that GOLF R killer

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  • The seats don’t seem to wear very well.. look like the fabric is already starting to give way. Is that so , or it’s just a trick of the eye based on the seat material?

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    • SpeakUp on Mar 10, 2012 at 4:11 am

      This is probably the same test car that was used by Dennis recently … seems that its clock a lot of kms and hence the worn out seats. Abused well la …

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      • Danny Tan (Member) on Mar 10, 2012 at 11:03 am

        Yes, this unit has been TCEC’s demo car since day 1. It has gone through a very tough life, being loaned out to journos and doing frequent track runs

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  • mystvearn on Mar 09, 2012 at 6:16 pm

    First question to both of you. If you had the RM 200k+ and want a hot hatch, would you buy this or the Golf GTi for normal daily usage? Both cost RM200k+.
    4 doors, DSG gearbox and traffic jam seems a more attractive option in the long run. You do loose the stick shift…

    Second, since most petrol head are young adults and not many have the RM 200k, what is the best alternative at half the price? I’m guessing the Satria Neo R3 for the hothatch category. Maybe some will say the Honda CR-Z-looks over performance and 6 speed stick shift.(Only discussing new cars here)

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    • intermilan on Mar 09, 2012 at 9:22 pm

      The Megane got 2 doors only.
      If I got the $$ and is looking for a hot hatch, i’ll go for the Renault.

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    • kington on Mar 09, 2012 at 11:48 pm

      I’d go for the Golf, especially with the LED option package. Haven’t driven this before, but in this segment, the Civic Type R’s stick shift is the best.

      Having said that the GTi is already becoming a very common sight on our roads these days… hence for exclusivity, the Megane R does seem better.

      What about the MAzda MPS? I’ve seen a few souped up units and from far it looked like the current Subaru STi hatch.

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    • You could consider the Mazda 3 MPS as well.

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    • khylie555 on Mar 10, 2012 at 1:14 am

      you forgot to mention the pug 308 turbo.

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    • JeremyNg on Mar 10, 2012 at 12:53 pm

      half the price ??!! I will go for Suzuki Swift Sport …… it’s a bloody little fun car to drive !!! Waiting for latest version bcs current version onlt gt 5speed which is not enough (close ration)

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    • bobdbilder on Mar 10, 2012 at 7:45 pm

      The second question is what I’m trying to comment

      I am young at heart :) The R3 is my daily driver. I used it to send my 3 kids to school before going to work. I’m 44 and have no problems with it other than Bridgestones being expensive. Im on Hankook V12 Evos.

      Its all in the head. Its what and how you perceive it. I am not driving for some people to watch me. I am driving it for me. I am happy with it. I love manual hatches. So alternatively it would have been Swift, Clio or Fiesta.

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      • bobdbilder on Mar 11, 2012 at 5:49 pm

        Well they don’t sell the Clio anymore except the RS version which is 200k. So we’re stuck with R3, Swift or Fiesta.

        So if you tend to be a bit of a wuss, you’d go for the Fiesta (1.4 Manual /1.6 Auto). But if like twitchy corners; R3. The Swift goes in the middle for those leaning towards comfort.

        But even so, these cars are beyond reach of normal petrol heads; brand new. Good ol boys are stuck with squeezing every bit of power from older cars. Which is good, because they can. The newer cars have less flexibility to be tuned. Without a full ECU change, the only thing you could do with these are exhaust system and intake. Current ECUs are too intrusive in chasing power and emissions.

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      • mystvearn on Mar 13, 2012 at 8:15 am

        Hopefully proton will update the Satria R3 this year with the CFE engine. Then maybe can rebadge it as Satria Neo GTi :)

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    • Go take a look at Peugeot RCZ, killer look and definitely look like a more than rm220k car.

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  • with the CUP chassis, is the ride a bit too stiff to be used as a daily driver?

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  • theanswer on Mar 09, 2012 at 7:15 pm

    wow..what a large door. i like the performance..hurmm i’ll go for golf gti.

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  • seats already look worn off.

    I think given kl’s massive bad jams, the best is still an auto and golf gti would be the saner choice in these insane jams….

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  • BeemerFreak on Mar 09, 2012 at 8:41 pm

    Hope VGM would loan you guys a Golf R for such purpose too. Would really like to find out how would that compare to the Megane RS. And since I would not have such a chance to obtain such a loan, why not let you professionals do what you are best at doing.

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  • Megane on Mar 09, 2012 at 10:00 pm

    Haha i ve clocked 30k with my Megane and the car never seems to fail to amaze me and puts a lot of smile on my face …this is one hell of a car ! Golf gti ? Hehe not enough fun factor guys !

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  • lkhoe on Mar 09, 2012 at 10:15 pm

    I’ve been in this situation where I had to choose between this and the GTI.

    Being a family man, it was only sensible to take the GTI, even though my heart wanted the RS250 so much.

    Put it simply, the megane is kinda like forbidden love for a married man…ehehe.

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  • SpeakUp on Mar 10, 2012 at 4:02 am

    The Megane is a lovely car to drive, I am sure on the track she is superb but as a daily driver this car for me feels very engaging. After a 15-20 mins test drive I feel tired. I guess perhaps it’s more for those who really love the way a car handles etc. Its not for the average joe who wants to merely commute and get from A to B. Perhaps I am just getting old!

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  • To be fair, I think the both of you are in the minority when it comes to your definition of daily driver. To most, going through traffic on a daily basis is a key factor in choosing a daily driver – the ability of the car to do so without trying to consume your left leg. And that is why the stick-shifter in the Megane makes it a no-no straight away. Giving it up for say a Scirocco 2.0T with the DSG to a lot of people is a worthwhile compromise (yes, the Roc is slower) in order not to have your left foot fall off in KL traffic crawls.

    So until the Megane comes with a stick-shifter, it will always only attract a small group of clienteles who for one reason or another have no issues with driving through bad traffic, and maybe this is what Renault Malaysia is shooting for…

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  • JeremyNg on Mar 10, 2012 at 12:58 pm

    Many people keep mention about manual car is un-drive-able at KL due to KL traffic BUT Malaysia is a country form by many states,not just KL only ok ??!!………… I think it will work well at Malacca as daily car since that our traffic nt as worst as KL except public holiday

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    • Ash Menon on Mar 11, 2012 at 11:51 pm

      Hahah well said. I think those of us living in the Klang Valley area tend to forget sometimes that there’s more to Malaysia.

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    • KL got many highway, fun to drive powerful car…

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  • The name of Renault will probably won’t appear in your mind when you consider purchasing a car due to its high price beyond the affordability. I could not accept forking out an amount equivalent to a condo price in buying the brand. I have more options to choose if I want to buy an European make, e.g. Merz or BMW where these two brands appear to be generally well received by all.

    Nonetheless, the car is good. I have nothing to complain on the design (except for occasionally weird design’s models attempting to catch attention). I still love Scenic Megane till now though there were many small MPV rolled out recent years. Scenic Megane should be the world first small MPV produced way before Jazz appeared.

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    • The name Renault will definitely appear on your mind if you are looking for a hot hatch and know your cars… Especially the 2 words Renault Megane!

      FYI – BMW and Merc don’t do hot hatches.

      Let’s compare apples with apples…

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      • squawk on Mar 12, 2012 at 12:33 pm

        I’ve always admired how Renault managed to make cars handle so well with torsion beam rears. No one else can quite match them at that.

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    • What merces or BMW can you get at rm200k? Recond car maybe, but risky.

      So many BMW 5 series on the road, boring nowadays.

      I like merces more, but again boring for the entry level. SLK is way too high price.

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  • Just me on Mar 10, 2012 at 3:52 pm

    I saw in youtube video clip, 5th gear compare this hot hatch against scirocco R & Ford RS. Apparently Scirocco R has highest power among the three and megane has the lowest. But megane is fastest on the track and scirocco is the slowest. Simply because of the superb handling capability of this car. But I think VW looks more gorgeous.

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  • P Fan on Mar 10, 2012 at 7:52 pm

    EU already launched the facelifted 265 rs. this year.
    when will we get it…. there is no way i am going to buy an RS when its at the end of its life.

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    • John Kim on Mar 15, 2012 at 11:02 am

      Hi, P Fan, thanks for this piece of info.
      It’s gonna be very limited as there’ll be only 50 units in the UK.
      Based on a review, it is somewhat the same except for the increased 15 hp (250+15 = 265)
      It’s more to an “enginelift” I’d say.

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  • John Kim on Mar 12, 2012 at 3:52 pm

    I’ve been driving my little Savvy AMT for nearly 4 years and it is still giving me the driving pleasure and fun. Next up would be this yellow mellow masterpiece as my second car! :D

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  • orang minyak on Mar 12, 2012 at 4:53 pm

    .. if i got $$… Megane RS is way to go….

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  • nbiii on Mar 14, 2012 at 3:51 pm

    driving my little Savvy AMT for nearly 4 years

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    • John Kim on Mar 15, 2012 at 10:56 am

      Yea nbii, it’s a great car in the sense of handling.
      And this RS 250, when I test drove it, It’s like a magnified version of Savvy. Of course, that goes for the price, too! :D

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  • 1 malaysia on Jun 08, 2012 at 9:53 pm

    the answer is in your mind, there is no 1 stone hit 2 bird…. just like give+take… make up your mind..human give itself problem….

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  • hi all, with regards to the matter arising, i was in a fortunate position to have tested both the golf gti as well as the rs250. i must say i agree with the comments and feedback made by the readers in this forum. if you have a family, go for the golf, otherwise go for the rs250 as it is a superb car to drive, although tiring at times, maybe i havent driven a manual for a long time or just getting old!!! anyways, for a car without modern safety features like traction control nor 4wd, it handles fantastically and i must admit, i was totally smittten by the drive. whilst i was test driving it, i just felt that there was always not enough road and having to arriving at the traffic lights too soon..:)

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