Used Renault Megane RS review

Likes

A critically acclaimed and celebrated hot hatch.
Incredible value for money.
Stunning looks, immense performance and decent practicality.
Excellent fanbase and support network of owners and experts.

Dislikes

Can suffer from a wide range of issues and problems.
Parts and labour can ask a premium.
Many examples have been mistreated and possibly abused.
Requires regular attention and maintenance.

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Publish: May 26, 2023

Stuff you should know

While Renault have been producing critically acclaimed hot hatches since the late 1970’s, this cheat sheet is focussing purely on the 3rd generation Renault Megane based RS models.

Exclusively available as a 3-door hatch (or coupe) body style, these RS models were manufactured from 2010 to 2016, featured a 2.0-litre turbocharged 4-cylinder engine powering the front wheels all via a 6-speed manual transmission.

During this production period the Megane did receive a couple of updates, firstly in 2012 then again in 2014, both featuring the usual spread of tech and equipment updates, some mechanical revisions but most obviously with the second update, a substantial facelift,

In the same way that it’s often immensely frustrating trying to decipher and choose between the vast range of different French wines and cheeses, all being incredibly similar yet substantially different, the same can be said for trying to make sense of the various Megane RS models.

Here in Australia, we’ve had no less than 17 different trim specs across this generation. From the early base spec RS 250 Cup, to the higher spec and more potent RS 265 Trophy, all the way through to the stripped out, ultra focussed track destroying RS 275 Trophy R.

In an attempt to make sense of the confusion, firstly the three different number identities represent the engines power, 250 equating to 250 PS (247 bhp or 184 kW), 265 equating to, 265PS (261 bhp or 195 kW) and yep you guessed it, 275 representing 275 PS (271 bhp or 201 kW).

In addition you have the Cup models and their variants and the Trophy models and their variants.

The Cup is the base spec and the Trophy receives more bells and whistles, although in saying that, and depending on which example you’re looking at, this can vary within itself.

You then have the range of limited edition variants which are sometimes purely aesthetic enhancements, other times not and we highly recommend looking through the model breakdown below to decipher the confusion.

What goes wrong

Exterior:

Owners have reported that anything that has electricity running to it, can have dramas. Specifically door lock actuators and rear parking sensors are known to suffer failures.

The pumped rear guards are susceptible to stone chips which can lead to superficial corrosion if not sorted.

Being an affordable performance car, it is critical to inspect for accident damage and dodgy repair work.

Interior:

Many owners have complained that the door handles can simply fail. The potentially larger problem is, replacing the handles with OEM parts will be very expensive as it often requires all new door cards. There are cheaper non OEM alternatives although, we’d be cautious cutting corners in regards to a Megane RS?

The Recaro seats side bolsters are very susceptible to damage and having them repaired or restored often won’t be cheap.

Make sure to check that every button works as there are many reports of various electronic gremlins.

For example there are reports that the cruise control works only sporadically, sensors can fail and can cost well over $1000 to fix and there are plenty of reports of quotes asking over $2500 to fix failed air conditioning compressors which again, is apparently a common fault.

The speakers on lower spec models not only sound average, they apparently don’t last long if you enjoy your tunes at anything above whisper volume plus, plus being French, the sizes are odd and that limits what speakers you can replace them with.

Plenty of owners have complained about infotainment systems glitching out, not sending signal to certain speakers and just being rubbish to use.

Also, if not cared for, the carpet can become quite shabby very quickly.

Mechanically:

While the Megane RS has developed quite a negative reputation surrounding mechanical reliability online, in terms of the ordinary problems such as brittle engine bay plastics, cooling system complications, computer and electrical issues, it’s important to know, they are really no worse than any other European car of its age and value.

Maintenance wise, it is critical the timing belt is changed every 90,000km or every 4 years (many owners seem to miss this), and while the timing belt is being changed, changing the cam and crank oil seals are recommended.

The harmonic balancer (crank pulley) is prone to failure as well so it is a good idea to change that at the same time.

Clutch hydraulics are a common problem. More accurately, leaking clutch hydraulic dampener and slave cylinders are common as are clutch plate and dual mass flywheel issues.

On that dual mass flywheel, a single mass flywheel conversion is a good idea and can often be cheaper in the long run.

Engine mounts are known to fail prematurely,

Exterior:

Owners have reported that anything that has electricity running to it, can have dramas. Specifically door lock actuators and rear parking sensors are known to suffer failures.

The pumped rear guards are susceptible to stone chips which can lead to superficial corrosion if not sorted.

Being an affordable performance car, it is critical to inspect for accident damage and dodgy repair work.

Interior:

Many owners have complained that the door handles can simply fail. The potentially larger problem is, replacing the handles with OEM parts will be very expensive as it often requires all new door cards. There are cheaper non OEM alternatives although, we’d be cautious cutting corners in regards to a Megane RS?

The Recaro seats side bolsters are very susceptible to damage and having them repaired or restored often won’t be cheap.

Make sure to check that every button works as there are many reports of various electronic gremlins.

For example there are reports that the cruise control works only sporadically, sensors can fail and can cost well over $1000 to fix and there are plenty of reports of quotes asking over $2500 to fix failed air conditioning compressors which again, is apparently a common fault.

The speakers on lower spec models not only sound average, they apparently don’t last long if you enjoy your tunes at anything above whisper volume plus, plus being French, the sizes are odd and that limits what speakers you can replace them with.

Plenty of owners have complained about infotainment systems glitching out, not sending signal to certain speakers and just being rubbish to use.

Also, if not cared for, the carpet can become quite shabby very quickly.

Mechanically:

While the Megane RS has developed quite a negative reputation surrounding mechanical reliability online, in terms of the ordinary problems such as brittle engine bay plastics, cooling system complications, computer and electrical issues, it’s important to know, they are really no worse than any other European car of its age and value.

Maintenance wise, it is critical the timing belt is changed every 90,000km or every 4 years (many owners seem to miss this), and while the timing belt is being changed, changing the cam and crank oil seals are recommended.

The harmonic balancer (crank pulley) is prone to failure as well so it is a good idea to change that at the same time.

Clutch hydraulics are a common problem. More accurately, leaking clutch hydraulic dampener and slave cylinders are common as are clutch plate and dual mass flywheel issues.

On that dual mass flywheel, a single mass flywheel conversion is a good idea and can often be cheaper in the long run.

Engine mounts are known to fail prematurely, especially if the car is being driven enthusiastically.

The front upper and lower ball joints wear prematurely which are expensive when repaired with genuine parts however the ball joints can be renewed separately without replacing the entire upright and control arm plus there are plenty of aftermarket options available.

Transmission bearings can wear prematurely (even when well serviced), which usually requires a complete transmission overhaul.

It is important to know, the Megane RS in every form is a very popular track day car so make sure that all modifications (especially engine tuning) are done properly and with the highest quality components.

Recalls:

October 2019 – The Renault MEGANE (2018-2019) has a defect where the oil pressure solenoid valve wiring was not manufactured to the required specifications, leading to potential engine failure, posing hazards such as heavier steering, loss of auxiliaries, and increased braking effort, thereby increasing the risk of accidents and injuries to vehicle occupants and other road users (580 affected units).
October 2020 – Renault issued a recall for 824 units of the MEGANE IV (2016-2017) due to an error in the owner’s manual wording, potentially leading to incorrect operation of child safety features on the rear doors, increasing the risk of injury or death to vehicle occupants.