Even more power for Renault RS coupe

RENAULT’S most powerful ever road car will be available in Australia after all.

The French maker this week revealed an upgraded Megane Renaultsport (RS) coupe, powered as standard by the same muscular 198kW/360Nm turbocharged 2.0-litre petrol engine that was fitted to last year’s limited-edition Megane RS265 Trophee, which remained off-limits to Australians.

Now, however, Renault has confirmed the upgraded Megane RS265 coupe will be sold in Australia, but it doesn’t yet know when.

“Australia is a big market for Renault Sport and they are great supporters of ours – in fact, we were the fourth largest market globally in 2012 for Megane RS250,” said Renault Australia spokesperson Emily Ambrosy.

“We definitely will see RS265 in Australia, but we do not yet have confirmed timing.” Like the limited-production Megane RS265 Trophee coupe, which emerged in Europe last June as Renault’s wildest production model ever, the 2012 Megane RS265 coupe delivers 14kW more power and 20Nm more torque than the 184kW/340Nm RS250 coupe launched here in November 2010.

The extra outputs come courtesy of a boost in peak turbo pressure, from 2.3-bar to an even more explosive 2.5-bar, and reduce 0-100km/h acceleration by 0.1 seconds to six seconds flat, while increasing top speed by 4km/h to 254km/h, making the RS265 Renault’s quickest and fastest ever road car.

The most direct rival for Opel’s Astra GTC Coupe, which has also been confirmed for release in Australia, will come with two selectable power settings: 247hp (187kW) and the full-house 261kW (198kW) Sport mode, which also delivers a beefier exhaust note.

So far Renault has revealed just one image of its upgraded Megane RS coupe, which will be available in Europe in two specifications – 265 and 265 Cup.

In the UK, the latter adds a limited-slip front differential, red brake callipers and 18-inch alloy wheels with 235/40 R18 Michelin Sport 2 tyres, plus stiffer springs, dampers and anti-roll bars, all of which can also be fitted to the standard 265 for an additional £1350 ($A1995).

Available in Britain from April, the RS265 Cup will also come with the new option of carbon-grey Renaultsport cloth with red stitching and red seatbelts.

The 2012 Megane RS coupe range will also be available in a new Arctic White exterior paint colour, along with three other new options – a ‘Red Design Pack comprising red striping to the car’s front and rear aprons and side skirts, Renault’s Visio lane departure warning system and a reversing camera with front/rear parking sensors.

Renault has sold 10,000 RS Meganes in 40 countries since 2010. The Megane RS is the best-selling hot-hatch in both France and Spain, as well as one of the top three in Europe, accounting for 15 per cent of overall Megane Coupe sales.

In Australia, where Renault released a Monaco-edition RS250 last October, the two-door Megane Coupe is available only in RS250 guise, priced from $41,990 (RS250) and $46,990 (RS250 Trophee).