During June I travelled around the Veliko Tarnovo region, where I hope Vinghen production will eventually happen. I left Elena heading towards the old capital with not particularly much fuel in the tank. The onboard computer showed around 120 km of remaining range and I thought to myself: “It’s fine, I’ll refuel in Tarnovo.”

About halfway through the journey, the fuel reserve warning light came on and the car even stopped showing the remaining range altogether. Suddenly I noticed the fuel gauge needle sitting just fractions of a millimetre above completely empty.

With quite a bit of stress, I eventually made it to Zlataritsa where, at a petrol station seemingly preserved from the era when the Moskvich was considered modern and invoices apparently did not exist, I finally managed to put some fuel in the car.

So what turned out to be the issue?

Apparently it is a relatively common problem with the fuel tank sensor. I still have not contacted the dealership, but at some point I will arrange a warranty replacement.

Otherwise, the car continues to make me happy and before every longer trip I still feel genuinely excited, which probably means I made the right choice 🙂 July passed with several similar journeys. We made it to the seaside, I enjoyed some proper driving on a few Balkan mountain passes and also attended yet another Club Speed BG event. Good times for both RoadHunter and the Megane R.S.

Less positive is the fact that after replacing the cracked windscreen, I think a new creaking noise appeared somewhere in the plastics around the central mirror area where the rain sensor is located.

What continues to surprise me, however, is the amount of attention the car attracts. Several times I have parked somewhere and waited next to it for a friend. That is when things become most interesting because I get to overhear people’s reactions while they walk past and I can only be pleased that about 95% of them are positive.

Eng. Tsvetan Iliev

Renault Megane R.S.

Price: €29,240 (€30,600 with optional equipment)
Main specifications: turbocharged four-cylinder petrol engine; 1798cc; 280 hp; 0-100 km/h in 5.8 seconds; top speed 255 km/h
Fuel consumption: official combined 7.9 l/100 km; test average 9.4 l/100 km (month 4); test average 9.1 l/100 km (month 5)
Distance covered during: 1560 km (month 4); 2390 km (month 5)
Total mileage: 7176 km

Chronology
1. Renault Megane R.S. – Delivery Day and the First Journey
2. Renault Megane R.S. – One Month Later and the First Proper Drive
3. Renault Megane R.S. – The Car Is Going to the Workshop, I Cracked the Windscreen
4. Renault Megane R.S. – I Barely Made It to the Petrol Station
5. Renault Megane R.S. – Six Months and 10,000 km Later; What I DON’T Like About the Car and the Environment Around It
6. Megane R.S. – The French Character Shows Itself, or Time for Repairs
7. Megane R.S. – One Year Later
8. Megane R.S. – When the Engine Stops While Driving

*Cover photo by https://www.instagram.com/tporyazov/

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