In celebration of Renault and Red Bull Racing’s third consecutive F1 world championship win – RenaultSport tinkled and tweaked their hottest hatch and brought to life the latest instalment of the Megane RS; dubbed the RB8. Today, TC Euro Cars launched the limited edition pocket rocket with a total allocation of 15 units for the Malaysian market against the 815 units total production. Looking relatively similar on the outside, the RB8 promises to offer more than just exclusivity.
Based on the RS265 Cup, the RB8 will set you back a premium of almost RM15k over the standard RS265 however looking unjustifiable on the exterior. Illustrated in Twilight Blue, a special coat of paint inspired by Sebastian Vettel’s championship winning F1 car; it is complimented with a contrasting shade called Platinum Grey on the RB8’s side mirrors, rear spoiler, door handles and front winglets. The signature Red Bull livery is then presented on rear and sides of the car together with 19″ alloys to match the aggression.
The bulk of the premium however is presented in the interior of the car where it matters. If most would find the Megane RS a little dull on the interior, the RB8 will certainly change the perception. The usual fabric Recaro buckets are now exchanged with leathered ones and the dash features a 7″ touchscreen colour display to replace the previous mini monitor.
With the availability of the new display – the RB8 benefits from the new RS Monitor 2.0 system which is more interactive than the previous generation. This display includes engine/torque curves, g-force diagram, bar graphs to show the turbo pressure, oil temp, intake temp, throttle, etc, , stopwatch and oscilloscope to watch your steering angle. We are most fascinated by the traction monitor that displays the slip from the LSD.
At the same time; the touchscreen monitor also features a system called R-link that brings together controls for the navigation, multimedia, telephone and vehicle systems into a set of buttons and a joystick control located next to the handbrake. More conveniences that comes with the RB8 includes a reverse camera, a feature that has never appeared on the pocket rocket.
Performance remains unchanged with the 2.0-litre turbocharged 4 cylinder engine that produces a maximum output of 265bhp and 360nm of torque. Zerotohundred will be achieved in just 6 seconds flat and all the way to a top speed of 250km/h. Being one of most respected after hot hatch in the market, the Megane RS265 is the fastest front-wheel drive car to lap the Nurburgring in just 8 minutes and 17 seconds – marking a true driving machine.
Priced at RM252,888 (on the road with insurance), the limited edition RB8 is the Megane RS that the market has always wanted, with all its luxury features. The 15 units allocation to Malaysia is indeed a small number, however 10 has already been booked by some lucky owners – leaving only 5 units for grabs. For more information, visit www.renault.com.my
