2010 Renault Megane RS 250

Quintessentially French, the Renault Megane RS250 combines a serious helping of Renaultsport’s tuning expertise with the already stylish Megane. The blacked-out grille is the first clue this is not a run-of-the-mill Renault, and if you weren’t convinced right away you could peer at the red-painted brake calipers or the bright-yellow faced tachometer for further confirmation. A twin-scroll turbocharger boosts output to a remarkable 250 horsepower, considering that the engine is only 2 liters. So it’s perhaps no surprise that this fast Megane gets out of its own way with an emphatic bark from the center-exit sport exhaust. The RS250’s stiffened sport suspension also hunches the hatch down low over larger alloy wheels, improving the stance and the cornering at the same time. That’s not just lip service—the RS250 has some serious moves, helped in part by a limited-slip differential and an electrically assisted variable power steering system to keep the front wheels from churning under the ample torque.