Renault Sport Technologies has helped create two new sporting versions of the New Mégane – GT and GT Line. Mégane GT and GT Line, unveiled at the Geneva Motorshow in March, are available across all of the Mégane family (Hatchback, Coupé, Sport Tourer, Coupé-Cabriolet) and go on sale in June. These new versions bring distinctive styling and genuine driving pleasure within reach of as many motorists as possible and also bridge the gap between mainstream Mégane and the all-out performance of Mégane Renaultsport 250.

• GT Line is an option pack available on Mégane Dynamique versions. They feature a specific chassis and are powered by the Mégane’s core-range of economical and ecological engines.
• GT is available with the 2.0 TCe 180 and 2.0 dCi 160 powerplants and combines sporty exterior and interior details with a specially-tuned chassis which takes its inspiration from Mégane Renaultsport 250

GT versions of Twingo, Clio and Laguna have been available for some time and have met with considerable European success, with annual sales amounting to more than 10,000 cars.

The UK is a key market for Renaultsport with the country achieving the largest sales volume after France and this success points to a healthy market here for the new GT and GT Line versions. Building on the reputation and success of its existing performance models, Renault now provides a sporting option for all Mégane body types.

New Mégane GT and GT Line demonstrate that motoring enjoyment can be affordable, and also serve as eloquent illustrations of Renault's new brand signature, 'Drive the Change'

New Mégane GT and GT Line are manufactured in the same factories as those that produce the core-range versions: Palencia (Mégane Hatchback, Coupé and Sport Tourer GT and GT Line), and Douai (Mégane Coupé-Cabriolet GT and GT Line).

New Renault Mégane GT and New Mégane GT Line will go on sale in the UK in June.

I. SPORTY LOOKS

New Mégane GT and GT Line stand out due to their sporty styling cues, both inside and out. Their sporty character is further accentuated by the Malta Blue body colour (exclusive to these versions) and by the anthracite grey or polished carbon finish of certain details.

Front: the specific GT/GT Line bumper features a reshaped central air intake incorporating a gloss black centre section that supports the number plate. The foglamps are housed in profiled, anthracite-coloured recesses on either side of the bumper, black headlamp backgrounds round off the uniquely striking personality of Mégane GT and GT Line.

Rear: the body colour lower section of the rear bumper incorporates an aerodynamic diffuser.

The windscreen frame and cabin surround of New Mégane Coupé-Cabriolet GT and GT Line is picked out in anthracite (instead of chrome satin-finish).

New Mégane Hatchback and Sport Tourer GT Line and GT inherit the same 'sport' chassis as Mégane Coupé. As is the case with Mégane Coupé, the ride height has been lowered by 12mm.

The GT Line and GT versions of New Renault Mégane Coupé-Cabriolet place the accent more on comfort and feature the same ride height as the standard model.

Inside, the GT Line and GT versions share several sporty appointments with Mégane Renaultsport 250:

• Renaultsport front seats with additional lateral support (not on Coupé-Cabriolet)
• aluminium-faced pedals
• analogue rev-counter

Further exclusive touches include the polished carbon interior door pull handles, outer air-vents and dashboard trim.

Specific features of GT Line pack
Mégane GT Line versions have 'GT Line' badging on the grille and tailgate, and sit on anthracite-coloured 17-inch ‘Celsium’ wheels. The door mirror housings also come with an anthracite-coloured finish.

Inside, 'GT Line' badging can be seen on the dashboard trim strip, head rests and front door sills (no sill branding on Coupé-Cabriolet).

Specific features of GT version
Even more exclusive are the New Mégane GT versions which come with 'GT' grille badging 'GT Renault Sport' badging on the tailgate. They sit on 18-inch anthracite-coloured ‘Jetow’ aluminium wheels.

Inside, 'GT' badging figures on the dashboard trim strip and front head rests, along with ‘Renaultsport' branding on the door sills (except Coupé-Cabriolet).

Drivers will also appreciate the thick-rimmed leather-trimmed steering wheel (incorporating thumb rests) from the Mégane Renaultsport 250.

II. SPECIFIC ENGINE RANGES

The engines available for New Mégane GT and GT Line have been selected to meet customer demand and match the performance characteristics of each version.

Mégane GT Line are available with the same engines as the mainstream Mégane range and deliver a combination of driving comfort and impressive fuel consumption.

GT versions are powered by the Mégane range's more potent, more exclusive powerplants for even greater performance.

Mégane GT Line engines
The New Mégane GT Line range will appeal to customers who are looking for affordable, fuel-efficient performance thanks to a choice of core-range petrol and diesel engines, the majority of which qualify for Renault eco²-criteria.

Petrol engines:

• 1.6 16V 110, with a six-speed manual gearbox,
• TCe 130, with a six-speed manual gearbox,
• 2.0 16V 140, with CVT transmission

Diesel engines:

• dCi 106 Renault eco², with a six-speed manual gearbox,
• dCi 110 DPF Renault eco², with the brand new EDC (Efficient Dual Clutch) automatic transmission,
• dCi 130 Renault eco², with a six-speed manual gearbox,

GT versions
The more exclusive GT versions are available with either of the Mégane range's two most powerful turbocharged engines: the petrol TCe 180 or the diesel dCi 160.

The TCe 180 Euro5 (132kW) is a new evolution of the turbocharged 2.0-litre petrol engine and delivers outstanding driving enjoyment. With peak torque of 300Nm at 2,250rpm, it is extremely responsive and provides exceptional pick-up from low revs thanks to its twin-scroll turbo and continuously variable camshaft angle at the intake port which optimises airflow into the combustion chambers and enables the turbine to spin up to speed more quickly. The turbo responds to the slightest touch of the accelerator from as low as 1,200rpm. This engine drives through a six-speed manual gearbox.

The dCi 160 Euro5 (118kW) is derived from the Alliance's 2.0-litre diesel turbo engine and is acclaimed as one of the most efficient of its class. With peak torque of 380Nm available from as low as 2,000rpm, this engine climbs smoothly and swiftly up the revs to 5,000rpm. Its 1,600-bar fuel injection rail, piezoelectric injectors, its advanced piston design and variable geometry turbo all contribute to making this four-cylinder diesel engine one of the most efficient in its class. The two balancer shafts efficiently filter out vibrations and contribute to an exceptionally quiet ride for even greater driving pleasure and comfort. The dCi 160 Euro5 engine is mated to a six-speed manual gearbox.

III. DRIVING PLEASURE

New Mégane GT and GT Line were designed to deliver everyday driving enjoyment for the GT Line pack and sporty driving thrills inspired from Mégane Renaultsport 250 in the case of the GT versions.

The suspension of Mégane GT Line and Mégane GT shares its DNA with the rest of the Mégane family:

• the front suspension features a MacPherson-type arrangement coupled to the new 'horned' subframe, a layout which has been engineered to deliver impeccable directional precision by restricting lateral movement of the engine subframe in relation to the body structure (three times more rigid than Mégane II).
• the rear suspension is based on a programmed-deflection flexible beam with a closed-section that is both lighter and more compact than a multi-arm solution for equivalent stiffness.

Mégane GT Line: everyday driving enjoyment

In order to lower their centre of gravity and produce a more dynamic handling package compared with core-range Mégane, the GT Line versions of New Mégane Hatchback and New Mégane Sport Tourer come with the 'sport' chassis that was developed for New Mégane Coupé.

The GT Line versions of Mégane Hatchback, Mégane Coupé and Mégane Sport Tourer are also equipped with the same seats as Mégane Renaultsport 250 providing additional lateral support for drivers.

The thinking behind the GT Line version of New Renault Mégane Coupé-Cabriolet is slightly different inasmuch as it comes with the same chassis and seats as the standard version offering a compliant ride.

Mégane GT: a chassis tuned by Renault Sport Technologies

Renault Sport Technologies’ engineers have fine-tuned the suspension of the GT versions of New Mégane to deliver a genuinely sporty ride that is perfectly suited to everyday motoring. The technical solutions they have adopted have been chosen to ensure a perfect balance between driving enjoyment and comfort.

The GT versions feature the same 'sport' chassis as used by New Mégane Coupé, but adjusted to suit the specific features of the different body types to ensure a quality ride and feedback from the road of the highest order.

The package includes:

• front and rear springs adapted to each body type
• specific dampers: although the size of the housings and pistons is unchanged, the calibration and valving are based on those used on New Mégane Renaultsport 250
• the same rear bump stops as Mégane Renaultsport 250 for a more balanced ride with the larger 18-inch wheels

For optimum grip and efficient transmission of power and torque, the GT versions of New Mégane come with the same high-performance Dunlop Sport Maxx TT 225/40 ZR18 tyres seen on Mégane Renaultsport 250

The GT versions of New Mégane are equipped with the same new electric power steering as the rest of the Mégane line-up and consequently benefit from the same improvements in steering feel. However, the calibration differs to that of the mainstream Mégane to take into account the GT versions' specific tyres and chassis settings and provide a more responsive, firmer and sportier feel.

The brakes of the GT versions of New Mégane have also been adapted to its higher performance with:

• 296mm-diameter ventilated front discs, with solid 260mm-diameter discs at the rear
• firmer, more progressive servo-assistance thanks to the fitment of the Mégane Renaultsport 250 master cylinder

IV. THE MARKET AND RENAULT'S LINE-UP OF SPORTING CARS

The introduction of Mégane GT Line and Mégane GT alongside its Renaultsport-badged cars (Twingo Renaultsport 133, Clio Renaultsport 200  and Mégane Renaultsport 250) and GT versions of Twingo, Clio and Laguna see Renault expand its line-up in the increasingly popular and clearly-defined sporting car market which incorporates both 'high performance' and 'performance' cars.

The European hot hatch market grew threefold between 2001 and 2009 to reach sales of almost 30,000 units, and Renaultsport's cars have emerged as benchmarks in their respective classes.

Renault's sporting cars benefit from the combination of Renault Sport Technologies' expertise, founded on experience acquired in the world of motor sport and the production skill of the Renault Group.

RENAULT SPORT TECHNOLOGIES: THE ACCENT ON SPORTING PERFORMANCE

Renault Sport Technologies is a subsidiary of the Renault Group. Its overall mission includes three main areas of activity:

• the design, development, manufacture and sale of production sporting models - Twingo Renaultsport 133, Clio Renaultsport 200  and Mégane Renaultsport 250
• the manufacture and sale of competition cars for rallying and circuit racing use (Renault Formula 2.0, Renault Formula 3.5, Twingo R1, Twingo R2, Clio Cup, Clio R3 and Mégane Trophy),
• the organisation of international single-make championships (World Series by Renault, Clio R3 Trophies) and Renault Sport Experience customer activities (trackdays and events)

Building on the reputation and success of its existing sporting models, Renault now provides a sporting option for all the body types that make up the Mégane family: Mégane Hatchback, Mégane Coupé, Mégane Estate and Mégane Coupé-Cabriolet.

GT Line, GT and Renaultsport: a clear range structure for customers

Renault Megane GT and GT Line pictures :

• Renault Megane Coupe GT Renault Megane Coupe GT
• Renault Megane Hatch GT Renault Megane Hatch GT
• Renault Megane Sport Tourer Renault Megane Sport Tourer
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