Skip advert
Advertisement

Renault Mégane GT

A pleasant warm hatch but no Renaultsport R26

Renault Mégane GT
Evo rating
RRP
from £16,170
  • Perfectly capable warm hatch
  • Not exactly an adrenalin pump

When ordering a Mégane Renaultsport 230 F1 Team R26, do not lose heart halfway through trying to say its name and go: ‘Sod it, I’ll have a GT instead.’ If you want a hot hatch, you want an R26. The new GT, despite its punchier and more evocative name, is barely warm. Nothing wrong with that, of course, so long as you’re not expecting anything more.

Advertisement - Article continues below

Available as a low-pressure turbo petrol or a turbodiesel (163 and 148bhp respectively), it actually works better as an oil-burner, the fatter torque delivery and more relaxed demeanour suiting the GT’s comparatively soft and comfortable chassis set-up (springs 24 per cent stiffer than regular, slightly stiffer anti-roll bars, revised damping, recalibrated electric steering and 10mm lower ride height). Although the petrol turbo is quicker in absolute terms, it’s also more frustrating because it never really gets on it.

The GT feels pleasant rather than potent, effortlessly brisk and easy to drive – the six-speed ’box in particular is a honey – but without approaching the grip and precision that make the R26 so astonishingly rapid and rewarding. That said, both ride comfort and refinement are excellent, it’s very well equipped and the fact that the GT undercuts most of its German rivals by around £2k has to count in its favour.

Specifications

EngineIn-line 4-cyl, 1998cc, turbo
Max power163bhp @ 5500rpm
Max torque199lb ft @ 3250rpm
0-608.3sec (claimed)
Top speed137mph (claimed)
On saleNow
Skip advert
Advertisement
Skip advert
Advertisement

Most Popular

£15k off Alfa Romeo Stelvio Quadrifoglio super SUV
Alfa Romeo Stelvio Quadrifoglio
News

£15k off Alfa Romeo Stelvio Quadrifoglio super SUV

If you have to have an SUV, a Stelvio QV is acceptable. Now it's being heavily discounted.
8 Jul 2025
MST Mk1 Sports is a more affordable less extreme Ford Escort recreation
MST Ford Escort front
News

MST Mk1 Sports is a more affordable less extreme Ford Escort recreation

Costing a tenth of most made-new classics, the MST Mk1 Sports is comparatively accessible
8 Jul 2025
Mini JCW 2025 review – too feisty for its own good
Mini JCW – front
Reviews

Mini JCW 2025 review – too feisty for its own good

The petrol-powered JCW lives on – for now. But in its latest incarnation, has this supermini survivor become too hardcore?
6 Jul 2025