Next Renault Megane RS Might Go With A Smaller Engine

Renault shed some light on the next generation of the Megane RS, which is expected to pack a smaller engine under its hood.

The 2.0-liter turbocharged powertrain found on the current Megane RS will go out of production, as Regis Fricotte, the Renaultsport Vice President of Sales, Marketing and Communication, told Australian media, including CarAdvice, at the launch of the new Megane in Portugal.

“That [current Megane RS] engine was good in terms of what it can do in an RS, but it’s an engine that is not suitable for further development in terms of consumption and CO2.”

The reports suggests the engine that might be added on the future hot hatch could be the same one from the current Clio RS, meaning a 1.6-liter four-cylinder turbo. This wouldn’t be much of a surprise considering that Peugeot also went with the downsizing trend and used a 1.6-liter on the 308 GTI.

“Your engine output is part of the equation, but not everything“, added the Renault official, who continued to speak about the previous Megane RS models and subtly reminded everyone of the “Ring King”, the Megane RS 275 Trophy-R, with its standard cup chassis and 275hp coming from the 2.0-liter unit, that managed to lap the famous German track in 7:54,36.

“We will try to improve it“, said Fricotte on the Nurburgring record.

Reports indicate that the new Renault Megane RS will be available in a five-door body style only and it should produce up to 300PS from its four-pot turbo engine. An exact reveal date for the compact hot hatch is now known.

Note: Renault Megane RS 275 Trophy-R pictured