Renault Megane VS Skoda Superb

Now for the important part.

I always felt the previous Megane R.S. was as if Porsche had been involved, and an assurance that if the Zuffenhausen brand does end up building front-wheel drive models it wouldn't be the end of the world.

It was so direct, tight as a drum and predictable. What you put into it is exactly what it gave back, so the new one has big shoes to fill.

We drove the standard car with the EDC transmission, as well as the Cup pack with the manual transmission around town, and put the R.S.'s money where its mouth is on track with the Cup pack at the Norwell Motorplex in Queensland.

Beyond those fantastic looks, the seats, the steering wheel and the raspy exhaust note are spot on for an R.S.

The steering itself is quite nice, too, no doubt due largely to the front suspension's specific 'independent steering axis' steering knuckles, which move the steering axis 13mm closer to the hub face on each side to reduce torque and bump steer.

You'd expect it to ride like a rollerskate based on the 35 series rubber at each corner, but the ride comfort is actually quite livable.

This continues right through the spectrum of road conditions, with the crashiness that some hot hatches suffer over big bumps absent. This is likely due to its hydraulic compression stop dampers, which effectively puts a dampening bump stop within each shock absorber to create second stage dampening instead of a sudden thud. The new R.S. is proof that you don't have to be harsh to be fast.

The EDC transmission's tune is much nicer than in any other Renault I've experienced, regardless of drive mode, with responsive automatic shifts and quick manual shifts when needed. The manual is also fine, but the fat gear lever doesn't feel as mechanical as I'd like in a driver's car.

The new engine's smaller capacity makes itself known around town, with max torque not available until 2400rpm. Most current turbos manage this sooner, but it's worth noting that the new engine does manage to deliver peak torque 600rpm earlier than the previous 2.0-litre. Once you're underway though, it feels every bit of its 205kW/390Nm.

The 4Control all-wheel steering is largely undetectable under general driving conditions, but when it does become apparent (when you're having fun), it's pros also bring a few cons.

If you're heading through a bunch of corners of varying speeds, which let's face it, most twisty roads do, it's mildly annoying how the all-wheel steering shifts between modes, particularly if it happens mid corner. Think of it as a variable wheelbase and you'll get an idea of what I mean.

The torsion beam rear suspension on the other hand feels fine, and a more complex independent set-up would certainly push the new model's 34-57kg weight gain much higher. For the record, the manual weighs 1427kg, while the EDC is 1450.

The Norwell Motorplex circuit may be dead flat, but its surface is quite bumpy and therefore handy for performance testing a road car.

Once again, the new R.S.'s fundamentals seem fine, and the Cup's stiffer suspension didn't make it skittish on the circuit.

It puts the power down brilliantly through the Torsen diff and 245-section tyres, allowing you to get on the power much earlier and its amazing how it hauls for a 1.8 litre in a near-1.5 tonne car. The official 0-100km/h acceleration claim with either transmission is an impressive (for a front driver) 5.8s, which is also in line with the previous generation's Trophy R ultimate incarnation.

Those 355mm front Brembos reign it in nicely too, retaining a consistent feel after five or so laps of Norwell where we saw 155km/h along the back straight.

The all-wheel steering's effects are more obvious on the track, with quite a few of the corners straddling the 60km/h transition point in all modes aside from Race. The long sweeper straddles the 100km/h transition point in Race, so that's hardly the solution. You're effectively switching wheelbase lengths depending on which corner you're in, and often mid-corner.

It isn't drastic or dangerous, but it adds another dimension to your judgement of corner speeds that would take some getting used to.

Salvation is likely at hand though, as I learned after our drive that it's possible to turn off the 4Control system via the Perso drive mode that allows elements to be adjusted independently. We can't wait to give that a crack.

The Superb is just that when you get it out on the road. While it might look like a plain old sedan or wagon, it drives with quite some finesse.

For this test we weren’t able to sample the 195TSI 2.0-litre turbo-petrol which will come to our market. We drove a 2.0-litre diesel instead.

It still had quite a bit of get up and go, and we’ve driven the 195TSI in other vehicles to be confident enough to say it will remove the occasional turbo lag we experienced.

Regardless, some of the best changes to the Superb are in its suspension, steering and underpinnings. This is a tight, reactive car, with a confident long wheelbase, heaps of grip and sharp steering.

Unlike some smaller vehicles which share the same components, you can feel the Superb’s weight and breadth shift around a little more in the corners. But it does so with a pleasing amount of grace, and powers out of corners in such a way that it’s hard not to have a smile on your face.

This is a car which is pragmatic in the day-to-day, but also a dollop of fun on a curvy road. As you sit nice and low and feel a lot more connected to the road than you do in one of Skoda’s SUVs for example, the Superb is perfect for the ex-hot-hatch driver.

Ride-wise this big car proved very comfortable in our time with it. The suspension components have been upgraded for this new generation version, but so has chassis rigidity.

It’s hard to draw a definitive line through refinement, though, as the European roads on which we were testing our cars are much better sealed than Australian tarmac. Still the Superb soaked what few bumps were there up with ease.

There’s even a notable increase in refinement, thanks to acoustic lamination on the windows, and even the diesel version’s engine note was quite distant.

The drive experience here is hard to fault. Sure, this is a big car with a bit of weight to throw around, but it proved to be confident, graceful and comfortable, at least on the European roads we tested it on.