Renault has always been a market leader when it comes to hot hatches. If we look back through the long history of hot hatches you will see numerous Renault’s, all of which were at the very top of the game. The term hot hatch was actually coined in 1984 by the British motoring press after a number of small sports cars burst on to the scene.

French manufacturers, Renault and Peugeot, were certainly at the forefront of the hot hatch scene with cars such as the Renault 5 Turbo in 1980, the Peugeot 205 GTI in 1984, the Renault 5 GT Turbo in 1985 and the Peugeot 205 Rallye in 1987. These were, and still are to some extent, highly desirable cars and it can be argued they spawned the even hotter hot hatches we have today. Renault are, naturally, still considered as one of the forerunners in the hot hatch world with cars such as the Clio Sport V6 and the Mégane RS.

However, many other car companies have joined the fray. For example, Ford with their Focus ST and Focus RS, or Fiat with their 500 Abarth, amongst a whole variety of other manufacturers who have jumped on the hot hatch bandwagon in recent times.

Renault’s latest edition, the aforementioned Mégane RS, has recently undergone further modifications thanks to a British tuning company, RS Tuning. The ECU has been remapped and stainless steel exhausts have also been added.

The Stage 2 package for the car delivers stronger performance figures, with the 2.0 litre turbocharged hot hatch now firing out a magnificent 316bhp with 360lb-ft of torque. The standard car still has very respectable figures at 247bhp and 248lb-ft of torque, however that extra 69bhp that comes from the new modifications will most certainly be noticeable. Especially in something so small and light!

Renault and Peugeot also have a history of turning their hot hatches into racing machines, such as the Renault 5 Maxi Turbo, the Renault Mégane Trophy and the Peugeot 205 Turbo 16 that actually originally started life as a rally car, but in order to gain homologation, Peugeot had to produce at least 200 road-going versions. The 5 Maxi Turbo and the 205 Turbo 16 are two of the most iconic and exciting rally cars ever produced, with the Renault winning the Monte Carlo rally on its 1981 debut, and the Peugeot enjoying great success in the 1985 and 1986 World Rally Championships as it wrapped up the Constructers’ and Drivers’ titles both years.

If it wasn’t for such legendary cars in the 80s, we would most certainly not have the fast, exciting hot hatches we do today, and we definitely would not be talking about modifying the Renault Mégane RS!