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The last Renault performance car to wear the RS emblem – and likely its last hot hatch with petrol power – has been revealed, before Megane RS production concludes towards the end of this year.
Renault has revealed the final performance car to wear its fabled Renault Sport badge, the 2023 Renault Megane RS Ultime – and it could make its way to Australian showrooms.
The Megane RS Ultime represents not only the last model in the Megane RS line, but likely the final high-performance petrol-engined car Renault will ever build – as it plans to go electric-only in Europe by the end of the decade.
The Renault Sport brand will be replaced by the French car maker’s revitalised Alpine sports-car brand, which plans to introduce to a range of electric cars – from a city-sized hot hatch to a sports car and a range of SUVs.
The Ultime edition is yet to be confirmed for local showrooms, however news of the special edition was let slip by Renault Australia general manager Glen Sealey to Drive last year, when confirming Megane RS production would end for Australia in 2023 – suggesting it is likely for local sale.
“For Australia, we will miss this car. There will be a limited production of a final run, but I don’t know what that will be as yet,” he said at the time.
If the Megane RS Ultime comes to Australia, it would serve as the end of the line for the Megane hatchback locally as we know it – as the Megane name is set to morph into a small electric SUV called the Megane E-Tech Electric, due in Australia in late 2023.
The Ultime will be limited to 1976 examples globally – honouring the year of Renault Sport’s founding – each with plaques signed by Renault development driver Laurent Hurgon, known for piloting RS-badged Meganes to various race-track lap records.
The special edition is based on the flagship Megane RS Trophy – and appears planned to become the final Megane RS variant in production, with the current RS and RS Trophy variants of the car to be discontinued between March and May 2023.
Differentiating the Megane RS Ultime from its standard counterparts are matte black decals on the roof, bonnet, rear bumper, doors and wheel arches, including ‘1976’ branding on the right side of the car.
Four exterior colours are available – Star Black, Pearl White, Sirius Yellow, and Tonic Orange – while the badges, door handles, window surrounds, 19-inch ‘Fuji Light’ alloys, wheel-arch accents, front bumper trim and rear diffuser are now black.
The accent across the front bumper – dubbed the ‘Formula One blade’ – is also finished in black, and wears ‘ULTIME’ branding.
Renault’s media announcement also references 60mm wider front and 45mm wider rear wheel arches, RS-unique headlights and a central exhaust – but these appear to be shared with the Trophy model the Ultime is based on, rather than being special-edition exclusives.
Inside, there are Recaro bucket seats with black Alcantara upholstery and red RS embroidery, unique door sills, a new key with black diamond patterns, and a numbered build plate signed by Laurent Hurgon.
As it’s based on the Trophy, the Megane RS Ultime is powered by a 1.8-litre turbocharged four-cylinder petrol engine developing 221kW and 400Nm or 420Nm, powering the front wheels through a six-speed manual or dual-clutch automatic transmission – the higher torque figure produced with the automatic
Renault claims a 0-100km/h sprint time of 5.7 seconds, aided by a Torsen mechanical limited-slip differential.
Highlights under the skin – shared with optioned-up Trophy versions in showrooms today – include Bridgestone Potenza S007 track-day tyres, Brembo brakes with red calipers, the ‘Cup’ chassis tune, and four-wheel steering.
Standard features in Europe include a 9.3-inch touchscreen with RS telemetry and satellite navigation, a 10-inch digital instrument cluster, a Bose premium stereo, adaptive cruise control, and a 360-degree camera.
Options are limited to a unique car cover – plus, in left-hand-drive markets only, a head-up display and a sunroof.
The 2023 Renault Megane RS Ultime is due to make its public debut later this week at the Tokyo Auto Salon in Japan – a country where Renault says it has “an estimated 10,000 fans of the brand’s sports models” – ahead of first European deliveries due by May.
Australian arrival timing is yet to be confirmed – however it will be made in right-hand drive, opening the door for a local launch.
Cars have played a central role throughout Alex’s life, from flicking through car magazines at a young age, to growing up around performance vehicles in a car-loving family.
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