THE Driver's Hot Hatch Bargain? // Renault Megane RS 250 Review

This was a review I could not wait to film, one of my favourite hot hatches of all time with an affordable set of mods on top!

I've recently driven a Hyundai i30N, Renault Megane RS 250 Cup (Stock), 2019 Honda Civic Type R, Renault Clio 182, 2018 Ford Fiesta ST, 2019 Suzuki Swift Sport and the 2007 Renault Megane R26 F1. So how does this compare?

00:00 Intro
01:28 The Drive
06:32 Interior & Living With A Megane RS250
08:51 Reliability - Can You Trust It?
10:22 Negatives & Rival Comparisons
13:43 The Verdict - Should YOU Buy an RS250?

What would you do in Nick's position and what mods would you recommend or not?

[cutdepiefails]

A quick note, megane rs are fairly reliable BUT, do not cheap out on maintenance and use the best bits available for it and as much as possible, use Renault. Gearboxes are not the most reliable things, not particularly unreliable, but a new one is 800 from Renault, they are shared with trafics and diesels, flywheels need changing with the clutch, especially if it's one of the early cars, just get the lastest parts and balance the whole assembly, the slave likes to go tits up if there is a problem with clutch/flywheel. Some whine in high gears, that's the gearbox roller bearings, less than 200 pounds for a proper rebuild kit with metal bearings, so if changing the clutch might as well do slave, roller bearings, the crank seal (they weep if you use shite oil, ester based will sort it).
Same with belts, do everything Renault says to do and try to find the latest parts (cup s / trophy r).
Coils, ngk has a great oem upgrade, as oem like to die. There is a tube with washing fluid going on top of the bonnet on early cars, that if it was not recalled they usually weep into one of the coils.
Plugs, use oem stuff, get 6, as they need gapping even oem, but even more with tune 0.6 to 0.4, VERY CAREFUL to not ruin the platinum, mechanics could not care less, but you should, as it will misfire and cause you an headache, gap them yourself carefully and always have some spare ones to diagnose and in case you ruin the coating.
Use rbf660 on clutch/brakes if you track, and I bloody love redline 5w40 - 5w50 on summer (again these run VERY HOT).
Decat, for some reason no one does this, but DO USE A HEAT SHIELD, that will take a lot of heat from the back of the engine, helps a LOT with misfires and keeps your oil nicer for a little while and it helps a bunch of rubber and plastic way too close to the downpipes survive a lot longer.
Tune, custom rs tuning. No real need to re-invent the wheel, they do torque limit wich helps keeping your rods inside, your clutch healthy, your power delivery smoother, your power band much wider (they get slow at top end), they know all the tricks on these so just go to them.

That's mostly it.

Oh and best brake setup for track was pfc discs and Carbon Lorraine pads. What a wonderful fckng combo, you can beat the day light out of those discs with the most abrasive pad you can find and they just forget to wear down.

[samtreach]

Great watch, love that you start talking then get lost in the moment just having so much fun driving, which it's all about! Love it. 👏

[sirjakethebrit]

Enjoyed the video. Engines are wicked, I have a 2015 cup with 65k on, stock internals and 400bhp, trackdays and hard road use, clutch is still holding strong

[swedeyp]

Done the meg mk3 RS thing years ago, went back to Evo's, then FK2R then A45 AMG, now I'm back in a meg mk3 RS, pound for pound you can't beat them. And I'm not renault fan boy.
👍

[thelostvisuals]

Love that the mx5 creeps into every video 😄

[TheKiefmike]

I'm looking at buying one, and this video has sealed the deal. Great video. Subscribed 🍻🍻

[vMaxHeadroom]

Absolutely agree! I was about to buy a new car and just get another Focus ST but after watching some reviews (old EVO Chris Harris review), I decided to test drive the Megane RS and that was that! Bought a low mileage second hand RS 250 white, leather, sunroof (near on the same) and now have put 50K miles on it. This has been the most fun car I have driven, more than enough power, handling that is second to none and in the 2 years no mechanical issues other than rain settling in the rain scuttle but an easy fix (British weather!). For the money it is without a doubt an immense car...great video...

[ajames]

As a current 275 Trophy owner, this is a very accurate review if you're considering. Combining the steering wheel feedback with the playfulness of the rear and front end grip, this car really makes it hard to justify the extra dosh for a brand new hot hatch.

[GEARED_MrLucas]

Subbed mate! Good watch and a cracking bit of editing 👌🏻 Reviewed a 305bhp 250 Cup at Cadwell not so long ago, amazing bits of kit! So good on track and they fly round the Nürburgring 🏁

[stoneisland]

Great review pal, I have a 2015 265rs with heated leather seats mint, superchipped, best car I have ever driven, I have had most hot hatches from the early days, I will never change now from Renault, thanks for a great review 🤙

[aaronmachado]

Great video man. Love the RS 250 and one of my dream cars. Once they are legal I’m importing one here in the USA cause to me it’s one of the best looking hatchbacks around with performance second to none

[JamesAlberts]

Great review on a car I never considered before! Looking forward to the next one.

[trque]

Epic review Jim! Really summed the car up well and I hope this helps anyone thinking of getting one.

[Roginator]

Cracking video, you’ve earned a new subscriber my friend.

[willheptinstall]

Best review I’ve seen on one of these!

[purple-porker-productions]

Great video, loads of info and very entertaining.

[davidod]

Such a good review! And completely agree being a former owner of 250 cup and 275 trophy

[MrSunnyBhoy]

I like your content and style. Very easy going, not lots of intro video footage. This car is beautiful, I used to have an Hyundai i30N, I sold that to buy a hybrid, couldn't live without enjoying driving so now I'm getting a Renault Sport Megane 265, :) but the i30N is a lot better than the megane

[thorns]

Great review, I have the exact same though process, was about to pull the trigger on a new Type R but stepped back and thought, you know what, Megane RS is probably nearly as capable but for a fraction of the cost.

[jonnyhoath]

Great video, interesting to hearing thoughts from your perspective :)