Little has changed from the standard Megane, although the steering wheel has stitching at the top to mark when it’s centred – a feature borrowed from motorsport, but with little relevance to the Renaultsport Megane other than to enhance the overall experience. It suffers from the same foibles as the rest of the Megane range – the upright curved rear window necessitates a tiny wiper that only sweeps a small part of the screen.

The Renaultsport Megane is unlikely to intimidate the typical Megane driver, being as roomy as standard models, and embellishments limited to snug sports seats in the front, aluminium pedals and a few metallic effect trim inserts. Air conditioning is standard (Lux models upgrade to electronic climate control) and the front seats offer an exceptionally wide range of adjustment.

The diesel engine is exceptionally quiet – perhaps even less intrusive than the petrol version – and allows for huge mile-munching ability.