Megane R26R

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Cootie

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Well according to Autocar they've just achieved a 8.12 lap of the Ring in this, a second quicker than the current BMW M5! They also labelled it one of the best drivers cars available at any price...

It seems very much in the Honda Integra Type R mould but more extreme, with two seats, full buckets and a rollcage.

Think they're only doing a limited run of a few hundred cars but if I see one I'll have to think twice about picking a fight cross-country!

I'd be interested to try a standard R26 having heard a lot of good things about them - has anyone on here tried one and what did they think?
 
There's a big back-to-back preview of the R26R and Focus RS in this month's evo mag. Its still "only" 227bhp and 229lb/ft - but its weight is down to 1220kg. I think on a straight your S3 would kill it - but over a long track like the Nordschleife it would pick up time on every bend with a 200+ kg weight saving over the S3.

Still no looker though is it ?
 
I was really interested in the Megane 225 a few months ago, they are wonderful to drive, but I couldn't bring myself to pay that much for a French car which would be worth next to nothing about 6 minutes after I bought it.

I quite like the looks, nice and quirky which is a change from the usual bland boxes we see.
 
I agree with you on the standard shape - but I meant the stripped out roll caged hardcore mega lowered R26R is no looker.

The extreme-ness of it works against its cute quirky charm I think.
 
Its French - it will rattle and break down and the dealers are some of the worse going !
A car to drive / borrow but not to own !

Richard
 
Hmm, i'm sorry to ruin the party a bit but it's a Megane with roll cage and that's all i need to know!
I'm sure it goes like the proverbial off a shovel but it couldn't be any further from my cup of tea.

Horses for coarses obviously!
 
Renault build has come on leeps and bounds , even my 2004 182 was well put together , true the dealers are sharks!

p
 
as far as killing an r26 in a straight line that aint going to happen, yes the s3 is marginally quicker but a poor start could give away any advantage.

They arent as classy or as well put together as the s3 but then again they dont cost as much and as a drivers car they are much better setup and handle well.
 
When looking at the R26 it also brings added perspective when you can get brand new R26s for £16.2k if you shop around, which sounds like a real bargain.

I've also seen speculation in the past that Renault was contemplating putting the R26 engine and LSD in the Clio - now that surely would be a monster!

Will certainly be interesting to see what direction Audi take with the next generation S3 to counter the new breed of uber-hot hatches from Ford and Renault (and the BMW 135i), or whether they'll be happy to stick to their own niche and discount these cars as direct competitors........
 
I think we're talking in the region of 50bhp for the S3 over the R26 , some don't even make 220bhp ( Renault very rarely make there book figures ), but the R26 is lighter and has decent Brembo brakes.

A remap will only take one to around 260bhp. ( RStuning in Leeds is the best bet ) That will be close.

p
 
Sohrob said:
as far as killing an r26 in a straight line that aint going to happen, yes the s3 is marginally quicker but a poor start could give away any advantage.
Click to expand...

Exactly - so if the Renault driver gets a "poor start" the S3 will kill it.
 
for pound per fun factor you cannot begrudge the 225/R26 considering you could pick up a new R26 for about £17,000 which is at least £10,000 less than a S3, i wouldn't expect the build quality to be similar.

But having owned a 225 cup for 2.5 years and never had a single problem, i wouldn't be so quick to knock them down, i'm sure this new version of the megane will be highly rated as one of the best hatchbacks to come for many a year.
we'll have to see when the road tests start to come out from the magazines.
 
Also i think were forgeting why most of us bought the S3 in the first place instead of a cheaper more fun car.....4WD!

I live in Manchester and it rains a fcuking lot :laugh: with that in mind on most days of the week i could hold my own with pretty much anything!

I had a duel with a Meg sport 225 on the motorway , he joined , i let him in the fast lane , i was keeping a respectful gap , traffic cleared so he tried to get away , but he couldn't , i was holding back ( to keep my respectful gap ) so in the end he moved over , i put the foot down and flew past in 5th. :)

p
 
matmaxedout said:
for pound per fun factor you cannot begrudge the 225/R26 considering you could pick up a new R26 for about £17,000 which is at least £10,000 less than a S3, i wouldn't expect the build quality to be similar.
Click to expand...

Your spot on.

As i said about my old 182 the buid quality is very good IMHO , and if i ever needed to downgrade money wise , the R26 would be a great fun car to own.

p
 
matmaxedout said:
i wouldn't be so quick to knock them down
Click to expand...

I wasn't - they'll be faster than any other hot hatch round a long track like the Ring. I was just making the point that in a straight line (where handling counts for zilch) a 226 bhp 227 lb/ft car weighing 1220kg just AIN'T going to beat a 295bhp 300 lb/ft car with 4WD weighing 1455kg.
Can't see there could be much disagreement there. A standard Lotus Elise (weighing 860kg) is a lot slower than a standard S3 to 60 in a straight line .....
 
Doesn't the R26R have super-sticky semi-slick tyres?
If so, I wonder how impressive the Nurburgring times would be on more 'standard' rubber.

Taking Phantom's point, my 147GTA was lively in the wet on standard tyres - so god knows what a lightweight, semi-slick and LSD equiped car would be like.....

Bet it's a demon in the dry though!!!!
 
R26 is great drivers car and i have to say the R26R Ring time is pretty impressive. That said IMHO they are just butt ugly ......... would i personally pay 10k more for an S3? Well, yes i did and with no regrets. There's hot hatch's to suit everyones wallet so fair play to em,
 
Has the S3 got a Ring time with a pro driver behind the wheel? ( never mind sticky tyres ) the S3's handling isn't shabby by any means and the extra power and torque on such a big track must count for something!

The S3 was 1 second faster than the R26 round Autocars track in there " hothatch " group test.

p
 
Iggu said:
Exactly - so if the Renault driver gets a "poor start" the S3 will kill it.
Click to expand...

well roles reversed if the audi gets a poor start the renault will kill it!!!! the audi aint no supercar and it wont kill an r26 end of.

Your also quoting the stock figure for the renault vs a rr figure for the s3, i have seen a few r26's put higher than claimed plus they dont have 4wd sapping the power.
 
Iggu said:
I wasn't - they'll be faster than any other hot hatch round a long track like the Ring. I was just making the point that in a straight line (where handling counts for zilch) a 226 bhp 227 lb/ft car weighing 1220kg just AIN'T going to beat a 295bhp 300 lb/ft car with 4WD weighing 1455kg.
Can't see there could be much disagreement there. A standard Lotus Elise (weighing 860kg) is a lot slower than a standard S3 to 60 in a straight line .....
Click to expand...
I'm sorry mate, but power/weight doesn't back your point..
The R26-R will have a 6bhp/tonne advantage over the S3, or even if you take the S3's 280+ readings into account, there is still only a few bhp/tonne in it, so a S3 is hardly going to mother it in a straight line mate.. Once into silly speeds the S3 will have the legs i'm sure. But if you think you will leave one for dead on the straights, I think you'll be in for a shock..

Oh and from what I read, the Nurburgring lap was done on standard rubber, not the optional semi slicks.. :blink:
 
Sohrob said:
well roles reversed if the audi gets a poor start the renault will kill it!!!! .
Click to expand...

I know but you brought in the "poor start" thing and assumed it was the Audi that would have it. It was me doing the role reversing.

Saying "if the Audi gets a poor start it could give away any advantage" is like saying my car could beat a Ferrari Enzo "if the Enzo was being driven by Jimmy Saville".

Why would you presume such a thing ?

I still believe that off the line, with the same quality of start, the S3 would pull ahead noticeably (that's my definition of "kill") based on higher torque output, 4WD and more bhp.
 
As with most S3 `v` Car X debates, you would need to consider many scenarios to make a judgement on which is `faster`.

Round a track
0-60 Drag
0-100
0-V Max
Standing 1/4
Timed run across twisty B Road
Rolling start race
etc...

ALL of the above would need to be conducted in dry and WET conditions (remember this is the UK)

On balance though, I cant see the Megane coming out on top.

I had a few, dry road, rolling start duels with EVOs and STIs in my REVOd MK 5Gti and I kept with them over a `certain range` approacing silly speeds.
As fun as it was, I never saw my 250bhp fwd Golf as a real match for 280bhp (ish) 4wd cars as in pretty much every other scenario I would be thumped.
Factor in a wet or even damp road and the difference is significant.......

Paul
 
I think that you guys are comparing apples with bananas...S3 is another type of car compared to the hardcore Megane R26-R.

The S3 is a first class hot hatch, where you have comfortable and sporty ride and alot of luxeries compared to the hardcore R26-R with light weight, special wheels, light bucket seats etc.

If you want to campare and S3 to the R26-R, then do some weight reduction first:

4 x 18" Ultraleggeras: about 17 kg weight saving
Milltek turboback: about 5 kg weight saving
Take out the back seats: about 15-20 kg weight saving
Bucket seats ( not the stock one) : about 35 - 40 kg weight saving

That would bring the S3´s weight down to about 1375 kg and if you get some 17" wheels you could shave another 12 kgs getting the S3´s weight down to 1363 kg.
Now compare that to the megane R26-R and it will be another story:eyebrows:
 
S3 is very well put together and good quality!

But I have to say that some little niggles are really anoying... like creaking windows?

I have never had that anoying thing in other very cheap cars!!!!

Pedro
 
Thats it , the R26 won Autocars group test ( inc the S3 ) , but how much of that was reviewer choice/bang for buck?

The S3 was/is faster in all scenario's 0-60 , 0-100 , 1/4 mile , in gear , round the track , top speed , and in all weathers.

The Meg is a fantastic/fun drivers car with very little to moan about! defo when you think 17k will get you a one brand new spec'd up inc full leather and Recaros.

For the price of a S3 ( 30k ) you could have a nearly new R26 and R27.

You pays your money and take your choice.

p
 
newbiecrg said:
S3 is very well put together and good quality!

But I have to say that some little niggles are really anoying... like creaking windows?

I have never had that anoying thing in other very cheap cars!!!!

Pedro
Click to expand...

Haha...Pedro I have the same problem with the creaking window. I just play a good cd and then I forget about the creaking window:happy:
 
If I wanted a fast FWD car I would have bought the new Integra Type R or the Japanese Civic Type R. The megane R26 doesnt do it for me and it´s french!
 
Iggu said:
I know but you brought in the "poor start" thing and assumed it was the Audi that would have it. It was me doing the role reversing.

Saying "if the Audi gets a poor start it could give away any advantage" is like saying my car could beat a Ferrari Enzo "if the Enzo was being driven by Jimmy Saville".

Why would you presume such a thing ?

I still believe that off the line, with the same quality of start, the S3 would pull ahead noticeably (that's my definition of "kill") based on higher torque output, 4WD and more bhp.
Click to expand...

Off the line is a different thing,there wont be a noticeable gap and certainly no killing going on.4wd isnt in the equation once rolling but i do agree off the line unless its bone dry the s3 will have a good advantage.

And Jimmy saville in an enzo would beat you :think:
 
Sohrob said:
Off the line is a different thing,there wont be a noticeable gap and certainly no killing going on.4wd isnt in the equation once rolling but i do agree off the line unless its bone dry the s3 will have a good advantage.

And Jimmy saville in an enzo would beat you :think:
Click to expand...

To help settle this, do we know the 'Ring time for the S3? A car's true performance isn't just about horsepower - brakes, suspension, steering and tyres should be taken into account, which is why a lap time is always a good indicator.
 
I saw the car yesterday at the motorshow, it looks nice but does have a rather large amount of scaffolding in it !!! it also had a carbon fibre bonnet !
 
not the scenic, its the worst car on our fleet the A/C needs charging every year bulbs are always being replaced... having said that they are quite and comfortable and the quality of materials used is very good.
 
marriedblonde said:
Or audi have stayed the same and the other lesser brands have caught up?
Click to expand...

Or even audi are making/selling so many cars now ( in the UK alone ) that they can't give each car the attention there past reputation was founded on!

p
 
Have I missed something?
Since when did AUDIs become ***** quality?

AUDI are selling their cars like hot cakes and at a hell of a premium.
Are AUDI just fooling all of their customers?

Anyway, I think weve been here before and Im sure Cootie didnt intend this thread as an AUDI bashing session.

cheers
 
Luck of the draw maybe - but mine's not ***** quality, nor was my last one. Never had a single thing go wrong with either of them which is more than can be said for all my previous cars. Very happy Audi customer me.
 
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