Showroom Experience: Renault Megane R26 & Renault Clio RS

Hello AW readers,

You’re reading my first piece of writing as a contributor to this blog. Those of you from the forum might probably have seen some of my scribblings under the nickname TheGunner. Like most of you, I believe, I am also a massive car enthusiast who probably spends hours a week poring through car mags, blogs, sites and forums to satisfy my passion. Therefore, the when the opportunity to write for this blog came, it was too difficult to refuse.

Unlike the more established journalists, I will not be getting test cars to keep for the weekend and will have to make do with short test drives secured courtesy of showrooms. However, that should not stop me from delivering quality write-ups for the readers on a regular basis. I will be adopting a different approach to most testers, where I will not only review the car, I will also be reviewing the quality of service I receive from the sales branch and determine whether or not to recommend them to the readers.

Remember that a car can be quite a hassle to buy, what with things like hire-purchase applications, insurance, JPJ registrations and all sorts of paperwork to go through during the purchasing process. After you get the car, you also need to deal with all the maintenance, servicing, and (touchwood) warranty claims. Therefore, it is absolutely essential that you not only choose your car right, but you also choose your salesperson right. A salesperson who won’t even invest ten minutes of his or her time to take you out on a test drive isn’t likely to be willing to pull all the stops to ensure you, the customer, get the best possible service after you sign on the dotted line.

Here’s my tip, whether or not you’ve made up your mind: Insist on a test drive! You are not just testing the car, you are testing the salesperson. Don’t just use the test drive to push the car’s handling limits but also use it to evaluate the salesperson’s character and see how enthusiastically he or she serves you and answers your questions. If you like the car, but dislike the salesperson, go and test drive the car again at another branch. Remember, as a customer you have options!

And speaking of options, TC Euro Cars Sdn Bhd have simultaneously introduced FIVE new Renault models into the Malaysian market. Feel free to have a read on the write-up on all the five cars by YS Khong on the AW main page. Not to be left out, I also headed to the showroom at PJ Section 14 (next to Jaya 33) to have a look at them. As I stepped in the showroom, I walked around aimlessly for a few minutes, admiring the cars, with my eyes particularly fixated on the two that bore the RenaultSport badge: the Megane R26 and the Clio RS.

Making sure we all know about Alonso’s exploits 

After that, it didn’t take long for me to exchange a few pleasantries with a man, who turned out to be the branch manager, and after delegating one of his salesmen to serve me, off I went to the road in the Megane R26. This baby houses a 2.0-litre turbocharged engine under the hood that packs 230hp of power and 310Nm of torque. Impressive? You bet, each horsepower churned out by the engine is worth a thousand of your ringgits.

That adds up to a lot of money to pay for one car, but then, this is also a hugely capable machine. The congested roads of PJ did not allow me to give this car the test drive it deserves. Nevertheless, what I managed to gather was fortunately, mostly positive. The steering was sufficiently weighty, which gives confidence going into corners. The suspension was taut enough for the car to corner flat, but yet still provided the car with a compliant ride.

Accelerating on a straight road, the 230hp/310Nm motor gave the car plenty of pulling power. The six-speed manual transmission that channels all that power to the wheels shifted precisely, but a gripe is that the gates were too close to each other. You need to be a little delicate in your gearchange. The car corners with sufficient confidence, but there was never a chance to push it to its limits.

Stickers add 10hp.

Going from the R26 to the RS, one might expect the RS to be at a disadvantage being compared to its bigger sibling. Skimming RM20k costs you 33 horses, 95 Nm of torque, and 0.4 seconds of your 0-100 time (6.9s vs 6.5s), but curiously none of the fun. The RS more than held its own against the R26, and in my opinion, I would much prefer the RS than the R26.

While the RS does not have as much power in the R26, it delivers what it has in a more linear and somehow more satisfying manner. It felt more rewarding to push the RS than the R26, and it corners with almost as much confidence. The RS‘ steering is less weighty, but the quality of its gearchange is identical to the R26, sufficiently precise, but require a little delicacy in operation.

Unfortunately, the biggest gripe for the RS for me is a pretty serious one. Compared to the R26, I could not find a seating position that I was comfortable with. Naturally, for such a car with sporty designations, you sit low, but then again, the dashboard is slightly aligned upwards, which made it a little awkward for me

RS holds its own against more expensive R26, and more fun somehow

At RM210k and RM230k respectively, the RS and R26 will have a lot of expectations to live up to, and also they have the likes of the hugely capable 200bhp Golf GTI undercutting both of them by a significant margin to compete with. Then not forgetting the Civic Type-R and Mini Cooper JCW, the salespeople at TC Euro Cars will have a real task at their hands. They are truly capable cars, but it would take some convincing to justify their lofty price tag.

Not forgetting the rest of the range.

Visitors treated to a small buffet.

See the French connection?

Verdict

R26: (+) Handles confidently, responsive engine, weighty steering, manual transmission; (-) Lofty price tag, gear change, grabby brakes
RS: (+) More fun than R26, manual transmission; (-) Equally lofty pricetag, uncomfortable seating position.

Showroom Service: Sales personnel were enthusiastic, greeting everybody with smiles. For those bringing their families, there is a section of the showroom for the kids to play. A showroom I would recommend.