Renault Australia gets Monaco-inspired Megane RS250

AUSTRALIA will be among the few markets to receive a limited edition version of the sensational Megane Renault Sport RS250, which has been named in honour of one of the world’s most glamorous motor races.

The Megane RS250 Monaco Grand Prix edition contains, fittingly enough, touches of luxury over the standard model including heated, electrically-adjustable leather sports seats and – for the first time on this car – integrated satellite-navigation.

The limited edition model will be sold in only about a dozen world markets and is available only in pearlescent white paint with piano black side mirrors, rear diffuser and foglight surrounds. The car also gets bi-Xenon directional headlights.

The theme is continued on the inside, with centre console, dash-strip and doorhandles getting white cabin details, while the seats and floor mats receive exclusive Monaco GP stitching.

The cabin also gets a large fixed glass roof with shade cover, and there are black headlight masks and Monaco GP badges on the flanks.

The Monaco GP Megane is fitted with the same 19-inch alloy wheels as available on the up-spec RS250 Cup Trophee variant, which cover four-pot Brembo stoppers with red callipers.

The car is powered by the same revvy 2.0-litre turbo four as the rest of the Megane Sport RS250 family, with output unchanged at 184kW and 340Nm peak torque (arriving at 3000rpm.) The addition of the Monaco GP edition goes some way to making up for the fact that the local market missed out on getting the Megane 265 Trophee coupe that was released overseas in June, which had an additional 14kW over the standard version to make it the company’s fastest-ever road car.

Renault Australia managing director Justin Hocevar said: “The Mégane RS250 will appeal to lovers of hot hatches who don’t want to compromise on their everyday creature comforts. The snug and cosy Monaco GP sport seats will win over even the most a sceptical spouse.” Renault Australia has been allocated 50 individually-numbered examples of the Monaco GP limited edition car and Mr Hocevar said he anticipated they would sell-out quickly and gain cult status down the track.

“I urge customers to hurry into their Renault dealership quickly,” he said, “as these exclusive cars are sure to become collectors’ items and won’t hang around for long.” With a retail price of $48,990 (plus on-roads), the RS250 Monaco GP commands a premium over the entry-level RS250 ($41,990) and the higher-spec RS250 Trophee ($46,990.) To coincide with the release, the French car-maker is also lifting the factory warranty across its Renault Sport range (comprised of Megane and Clio) from three-years/100,000km to three-years/unlimited km for models purchased from August 27.

The Megane Renault Sport has been a relative sales hit for the French manufacturer since its Australian release in November last year and is among the host of new products that have helped the company post sales growth of 80.8 per cent here year-to-date.

According to industry statistician VFACTS, the RS Megane’s 49 sales for July were enough to net it an 8.2 per cent share of the segment for sportscars priced under $80,000.

The Monaco Megane is the second limited-edition Sport model released here in recent months.

Renault Australia released just 30 AGP Clio Sport RS200 models to coincide with the Australian Grand Prix March.