Grudge hatch

Hot hatches are great. But unless you're 75 years old and live in the Outer Hebrides, trying to insure one can leave you with quotes that sound more like the GDP of a South American country.

It's a dilemma that Renault has looked to solve with its new Mégane GT variants - the 2.0 Turbo 165 and 2.0 dCi 150.

Aimed squarely at the Golf and Peugeot 307 GTs, the diesel and petrol hatches achieve pretty reasonable insurance groups of 10 and 12 respectively.

Renault says the GT is aimed at customers who aren't quite ready for the performance - or more significantly the insurance - of its Mégane Renaultsport 225.

So while the performance isn't in the roastingly hot-hatch category - more simmering, perhaps - it's still more than respectable.

The 165bhp two-litre turbo petrol engine will hit 62mph in 8.3 seconds, before going on to a top speed of 137mph, while the 150bhp diesel will reach 62 in 8.7 seconds and still manage 51mpg.

The GT looks the part, too. It's got the full sports body kit, a tasty-looking set of twin exhausts and the obligatory honeycomb air dam.

From £16,170 for the petrol model and £17,170 for the diesel, Renault reckons that the GT has got more pound-for-pound performance than its Golf equivalent.

Squaring up to a former Top Gear Car of the Year? That sounds like fightin' talk to us.

© Source: original article on topgear