Renault has launched the new version of the Mégane RS. It is a vehicle that’s now trying its luck in the European market, which has not proven much good for many performance cars, but still, we need to celebrate its continued existence.
The French market, was once were friendly to the hot hatchback, but now, many related brands seem to be avoiding it, mainly because of tightening emissions taxation. In France, you can’t buy the Hyundai i30 N, and you can buy the Audi RS3, but you will have to pay a good amount in emissions tax before you can take it out of the showroom. If you would like to purchase Ford Mustang V8, you will have to pay even more.
For Renault, whose Mégane RS will also be subjected to a fairly good amount of tax, it would be very challenging to do well here. The company’s biggest market is the domestic one, so such issues can be very damaging.
This is why the company has decided to remove the manual version of the vehicle for the latest model year. The customers are now only provided with the dual-clutch automatic, and even though it’s just a little more CO2-efficient, in France, even small changes can save thousands. So, that’s why it was very important to provide only one option, that too, the one that can save people a good sum of money. So, while you, dislike the fact that the manual option is not provided to you, you should also think, whether you would have liked to pay such an amount in tax only.
The vehicle comes with a new infotainment system, instrument display, and a headlight and tail-light designs. There have been no changes to its mechanicals, except for the removal of the automatic gearbox. So, you might be thinking why should you spend more on the trophy versions, when both offer the same option. You are right, as there are other reasons as well.