This week saw Renault release firm details and pictures of the new Renaultsport Mégane 250, its latest hard hot hatch tasked with dispatching potent rivals such as the Ford Focus RS, SEAT Leon Cupra R and Mazda 3 MPS.

And you have to fancy its chances – it boasts a 2-litre turbo petrol engine that produces 247bhp and 251lb ft of torque, pushed through the front wheels but done so via trick technology in the shape of PerfoHub, which is designed to eliminate torque-steer and boost traction into and out of tricky bends.

There’ll be Cup and Sport chassis options to choose from, the former boasting springs up to 38 per cent stiffer than the latter to make it the drivers’ choice. It also kicks off the range at £21,995, cheaper than a considerably less potent VW Golf GTI.

Read evo's full RS Mégane 250 story here

Watch our video of the RS Mégane R26.R

See the mega-Mégane take on the Focus RS

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