Engine/transmission: (GT) 1,998cc, four-cylinder turbocharged petrol with DOHC and four valves per cylinder; 165bhp at 5,000rpm and 199lb ft of torque at 2,000rpm. 1,995cc four-cyl turbodiesel with DOHC and four valves per cyl; 150bhp at 4,000rpm and 251lb ft at 2,000rpm. (TR26) 1,998cc, four-cyl turbocharged petrol with DOHC and four valves per cyl; 230bhp at 5,500rpm, 229lb ft at 3,000rpm. Six-speed manual gearbox, GKN torque-sensing limited-slip differential on TR26, front-wheel drive.
Performance: GT petrol, top speed 137mph, 0-62mph in 8.3sec, EU Urban fuel consumption 26.6mpg, CO2 emissions 184g/km. GT diesel, 131mph/8.7sec/ 41mpg/146g/km. TR26, 147mph/6.2sec/24.6mpg/ 200g/km.
We like: Performance, benign handling, ride, interior appointment and comfort, appearance.
Alternatives: Alfa Romeo 147 2.0TS, from £17,150. Audi A3 FSI Sport, from £17,805. BMW 120i Sport, from £20,735.
The GT option
The more garishly liveried sporting model will doubtless grab the headlines, but the two new Mégane GTs - one petrol, one diesel - will be the volume sellers.
Available as three- or five-door hatches and embellished with some of the sportier aerodynamic cues (extended chin, side and roof spoilers) but smaller wheels, these are intended to bridge the gap between the RS models and the rest of the range.
Renault does say that some of the chassis tinkering from the TR26 has also been applied to the GTs, but if this usually translates as stiffer suspension settings all round, both petrol and diesel models still feel delightfully fluid on the road. Each is powered by a two-litre engine and both feature a turbocharger - the norm for diesels but less common in petrol engines. In this case, the turbo is not an attempt to lift the ultimate power (165bhp is comparatively modest for a two-litre these days) but instead puts back some of the low-down punch that emissions compliance has removed.
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