The Renault Mégane RS is the most fun I had, on track and off, in a long time writes Geraldine Herbert What is it? Sitting lower to the ground than the regular Mégane, the RS 280, the latest hot hatch to be unleashed by the French marque, is low, orange and racetrack-ready. Its predecessor was revered by hot hatchback aficionados, so much is expected of it. First impressions of the new Renault Mégane RS? Despite being painted an outrageous orange, the overall look is fairly muted, but there is no fear you will be mistaken for a regular Mégane driver. Look closely and there are a few clues: Renault sport logos, the centrally mounted exhaust and an oversized grille. What about the interior? Behind the wheel, the finish is simple and will be deeply familiar to Renault loyalists. The sports seats wrap around you and the controls are intuitively located so there is no need to resort to the instruction manual just to change the radio station. Hot hatches are that delicate balance between solid but practical family transport or flick of a switch sports car, and the RS is no exception. Adults will happily fit in the back, though larger ones may be slightly cramped. The boot is a shopping-friendly 384 litres ­- but storage is in short supply throughout the cabin. Under the bonnet? Under the bonnet is the world’s most powerful 1.8 engine with 280hp and 390Nm of torque, 0-100 is achieved in 5.8 seconds and the RS comes in two flavours, “Sport” and “Cup”. On the track?It is on the Jerez De La Frontera race track in the south west of Spain where we uncover its gutsy flamenco soul. Here, the horsepower makes sense and you quickly surrender to the charms of the RS. From the moment you reach the first apex it is a treat. The steering is beautifully weighted and rewarding. Our more hardcore track version Cup car gets a slightly firmer suspension and comes with a Torsen limited-slip differential. Life is too short to explain limited-slip differential, but it allows you to corner faster and generally makes you feel like a much better driver. But the RS will reward any driver with stability and genuinely impressive road holding and handling. Reassuringly, it also comes with some serious stopping power. And on the road?...