It wasn't so long ago that the hot hatch recipe was simple.
A humble car was plucked from mundane obscurity, it had an oversized engine squeezed into where a minuscule one once sat and its suspension was stiffened up. Their familiar bodies were adorned with the proverbial go-faster additions - flared arches, chunkier wheels, a big spoiler, a larger-than-necessary exhaust - and away you went.
They were hilariously honest, simple, characterful and absolutely loveable.
While everyone loves omnipresent 0-60 sprints to brag about, hot hatches have always been more about entertainment and cocking a rear wheel on your favourite tight turns. They didn't take themselves seriously, until recently. In 2015, hot hatches of old are mere relics in comparison.
Ten years is a long time in the motoring world and so trick limited-slip differentials and turbochargers have replaced natural talent and normally aspirated screamers. We now have a whole new generation of supremely talented hot hatches that are more potent, friendly and luxurious than ever.
The new Renaultsport Megane - which moved away from the shaking-that-ass image associated with its predecessor - has received a midlife facelift and a small boost in power from 250 to 265bhp. Within a minute you know it's going to be a formidable weapon to pilot on any road you find yourself on.
The driving position - particularly in the optional Recaros - is sublime. The clutch is light and the gearbox is a delight to run through, but it's its steering's character that really shines.
This car, fitted with the optional Cup chassis, is 15 per cent stiffer than a non-Cup car, but its ride is still perfectly admissible.
Unlike any other Renaultsport model before it, there's a real well-made feel to its interior, with less in the way of scratchy plastics and more soft-touch leather on its surfaces.
It flows impeccably from corner to corner. Turn in is quick, precise and absolutely controlled by your every input, despite how insignificant it may appear to be. Combine its full-blooded dose of turbocharged grunt with a powerful set of Brembo brakes and you're in no doubt that the 265 is a seriously quick car.
You've got the added bonus of a limited-slip differential, which effectively pulls the car round a corner and keeps it true to its line, even when you're clearly asking too much of it. Your seemingly impossible requirement is lapped up and before you know it you're doing it all again; it never bites, snaps or grumbles and under no circumstances does it fail to feel anything but utterly unfazed. It inspires absolute confidence.
When a new generation of a hot hatch comes out there's always a hint of trepidation as you know in this day and age that it comes with more weight. That can sometimes spell disaster for the way it drives, but the Megane shares many traits with its predecessor - great engine, punchy mid-range, flawless handling - but the newer car is a far better place to be.
It's taken a great car and ramped it up by ten per cent.
