What can one learn about a gentle pootle to the Nurburgring's Nordschleiefe and then a pacy thrash around it? Perhaps not much if the car in question is a lowly city car or hefty MPV.But when the car in question is the very hot Renaultsport Megane 250 Cup the track is probably as good a place as any to evaluate what it can do.A few details first up. Based on the Megane coupe, the Cup version adds a few visual clues and tweaks, a Renaultsport Cup chassis and a 247bhp 2.0-litre turbo petrol engine that is a real gem. Free-revving, responsive and pleasantly burbling, the engine throws the Megane to 62mph in an impressive 6.1 seconds.All that power - and torque of 250lb-ft - goes through a new six-speed manual box to the front wheels alone and while it occasionally takes a little longer to hit its stride when pulling, it goes all the way up the rev counter without a complaint after 2,500rpm.The way the Megane develops the power is what makes the Cup so enjoyable to drive, though, courtesy of the Renaultsport-tweaked Cup chassis, which adds a revised suspension set-up with stiffer springs and thicker anti-roll bars, limited-slip differential and Michelin tyres.There's also a sports-tuned ESP along with traction control and plenty of airbags and ABS, should things get pear-shaped - and a rev limiter to warn you if you're over-reaching what the car can handle.It means that the Cup never feels less than assured into the bends; indeed, it only took some serious abuse for a note of understeer to creep in during a thrash around the track, which is where such hot hatches will surely spend a lot of their time.As a result of the clever set-up it's possible to get on the power early out of the corners and not worry about the Megane twitching through the bends. Brembo brakes feel firm too, not overly so, but noticeably stronger than vanilla models.Power steering is progressively weighted so it's light at low speeds and firms up noticeably with the pedal down. Meanwhile the manual box has a reasonably short throw, allowing for fast and confident shifting.The overall impression is of an absolute corker on the track. We didn't spend much time with the Cup off the track so can't judge what it's like to with with day after day. Having said that the Cup didn't feel overly stiff and the engine feels happy enough at low revs and speeds.Hot hatch fans may wish for a more characterful exhaust note, but the lack of a raspy roar seems to fit in more with the car's all-round character.Visually there front bumper and wheel arches betray a more sporty intent, while inside there are yellow seatblets and stitching and the odd spot of badging. Again, there's little to suggest that this isn't a car that's perfectly driveable in more mundane conditions that the Nordschliefe's testing track.As in the Megane coupe, rear space feels a tad limited and access is best described as challenging, but the Cup retains probably as much practicality as will be required of it. Load space is a decent 377 litres.In combined cycle driving, the Cup will return a respectable 33.6mpg, while CO2 emissions are rather hefty at 201g/km.So, you wouldn't by one if you were going to spend all your time commuting to work and back in it, but for a car that has serious track-day chops and is practical and affordable enough to make sense on the road it's a heck of a car.Coming it at well under £25,000 it looks like a much better all-round proposition than some rather more brutal alternatives like the Ford Focus RS.And those seeking confirmation of Renault's know-how with hot hatches need only look to the next car up in range, currently the Megane RS265 Trophy, the fastest FWD car around the Nordschleife... in the world.
