But in the corners, Race mode is great: chuck the RS into a greasy roundabout and a sudden lift off the throttle will have the tail swinging round like a BMW M3 drift car. In a straight line the torque steer is still awful, only now the writhing steering wheel is combined with some truly demonic wheelspin. Race mode changes the mapping for the gearchange, sharpens the throttle and turns off all the traction control systems, allowing the car to move around much more. With the winter roads slippery and cold, I’ve been spending more and more time in Race mode in the Megane RS 300, enjoying the ridiculously oversteery chassis. Month 6 living with a Megane RS: slip-sliding away Performance 1798cc turbocharged four cylinder, 296bhp, 5.7sec 0-62mph, 158mphĮfficiency 34.0 mpg (official), 28.7 mpg (tested), 187g/km CO2Ĭost per mile including depreciation £1.25 I know it’s easy for a car journalist to simply write, ‘Go on! Spend another £6k!’ But honestly, having lived with the regular RS, the Trophy is worth every penny.īy Mark Walton Logbook: Renault Megane RS 300 EDC The RS Trophy is one of the best hot hatches you can buy. So the Megane RS is a fast but flawed car. And for another £1600, you can have Recaro race seats, which are more comfortable. The Cup chassis significantly, dramatically changes the RS, eliminating the torque steer, ironing out the frustrations and delivering exactly the precise, exciting, engaging drive you’re looking for. It completely transforms the car – seriously, that extra £4.5k doesn’t buy you a marginal improvement. The key upgrade from regular RS to Trophy is the Cup chassis, with firmer springs and shocks, stiffer anti-roll bars and that all-important diff. What the RS lacks is a proper diff – a Torsen limited-slip diff, for example, just like the one you’ll find in the RS Trophy. And this waywardness destroys any selfish, driving-home-alone pleasure. Now, accelerate hard and the Megane will almost leap sideways, so abrupt is the sudden torque-induced swerve, and you have to grab the wheel and wrestle it to keep the car in a straight line. A few times I took passengers out and demonstrated – find a stretch of back road, third gear, hold the steering wheel loose in your hands. But here’s the fatal flaw: with 296bhp wrestling the front wheels when you try to accelerate, this car has terrible torque steer. So maybe the Megane RS is just a shameless driver’s car, designed to be enjoyed on your own. Which leads to a wider point about comfort: the ride is very firm, jiggling the passengers around, and as a family car it didn’t really work for us. However, the sports seats are so narrow around the hips that on a long journey they feel like they are pinching me. It has a well designed interior too: I love the dashboard and all the connectivity works well. It has a great engine that always feels strong and in Sport mode it delivers a really satisfying turn of speed. The RS has many, many things going for it. But don’t worry, my full advice is: ‘Don’t buy the RS – buy the RS Trophy.’Īt first glance the two cars are very similar: the same punchy 1.8-litre turbocharged engine, the same six-speed gearbox, the same body, same interior. Cough, splutter – the Renault PR person just spat out their cornflakes.
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