Renault Megane RS 300 Trophy vs Hyundai i30N
COMPARISON TEST/ It’s Korean cool vs French flamboyance in this shootout between two of SA’s newest hot hatches, writes Denis Droppa
Hyundai’s longawaited i30 N recently arrived in SA as the first car from the South Korean carmaker’s high-performance N division.
Competing against established icons such as the Golf GTI and Honda Civic Type R is no easy task for a newcomer to the hot-hatch league, and rather than making the i30 N the most powerful contender, Hyundai focused on trying to make it the most fun to drive. It spent 10,000km honing the car’s handling at the Nurburgring Nordschleife racetrack in Germany.
An “N” button on the steering wheel sharpens the steering, stiffens the electronically controlled suspension and also heightens the response of the engine, the limited-slip differential and stability control.
The i30N uses a turbocharged 2.0l petrol engine — the same as most cars in this league — though its outputs of 202kW and 353Nm trail most of the opposition including the new Renault Megane RS 300 Trophy, which impressively extracts 221kW and 400Nm from a 1.8l engine.
Launched in SA in June, the Megane Trophy is the most hardcore and track-focused version of the RS (Renault Sport) range which has been available in milder RS 280 models.
Like the Hyundai it has driving settings to progressively dial up the madness, including a fullattack RS mode.
It’s available in a choice of automatic or manual transmission, while the Hyundai for now offers a three-pedal version only; an auto is to follow later.
We took the i30N and Megane Trophy for a side-byside test on the straight and twisty tracks of the Gerotek
testing centre near Pretoria.
STRAIGHT-LINE PERFORMANCE
The Hyundai has an overboost function that temporarily increases torque to 378Nm for up to 18 seconds under maximum acceleration. Its top speed is rated at 250km/h and with the aid of launch control it scoots from 0-100km/h in a claimed 6.1 seconds.
The Megane claims 0-100 km/h in 5.7 seconds and a top speed of 260km/h for the manual (the subject of this test) and 255km/h for the auto.
When we connected a Vbox and tested them on Gerotek’s long straight there were no surprises given that the Megane is lighter and more powerful than the Hyundai. At Gauteng altitude the RS 300 Trophy is the car that comes closest to its factoryclaimed acceleration figure, completing the 0-100km/h
burst in 5.9 seconds versus the Hyundai’s 7.1 seconds — a fully 1.2 second difference. With its superior power-to-weight ratio the Megane also wins the ingear acceleration stakes, though its 60-120km/h advantage is less pronounced in fourth than in third gear.
The Hyundai is the easier car in which to execute a swift pulloff, however, due to a launch control system that manages the revs and minimises wheelspin. No such system assists the Megane which smokes its front wheels at the slightest provocation , when the stability control is disengaged, and led us to needing many practice runs before we nailed that 5.9 sec figure.
RIDE AND HANDLING
In both cars the turbocharged engines feed the front wheels with the assistance of limitedslip
differentials (LSDs) that improve cornering traction and reduce torque steer. The Megane in addition has fourwheel steering, but unlike the Hyundai the suspension’s not adjustable.
The Megane is the wild child of the duo. Despite its LSD the French car torque steers all over the place and behaves like a waywardly struck pool ball if you don’t treat it right. It is quick and edgy and a little unhinged, and no matter what mode it’s in it always feels ready to race.
It’s alive with sensation and the all-wheel steering makes it poke into corners quicker than the Hyundai.
It’s a wild mistress that will punish the unwary driver who tries to take liberties by nailing the throttle too early out of tight corners, and the steering becomes quite a handful.
The nonadjustable ride is firm and choppy, and a few kilometres on a rough road will make you feel like you’ve endured a session on a pogo stick.
The Hyundai is more of a swift-and-smooth car, and even in its hardest suspension setting it feels softer than the Megane. It doesn’t torque steer as much, although there is some steering wheel twitch when you really attack the throttle.
That said, the i30N has a very sweet chassis and the testing carried out on the Nurburgring shines through. It’s a more forgiving car that dances through corners with finesse and precision, if not the wild abandon of the Renault. You can take more liberties with it, whereas the mad Megane calls for a more experienced driver.
Also underlining the differing zeitgeists of these two cars is that Hyundai has a revmatching feature which blips the throttle on downshifts; in the Renault you have to do the heeland-toe shuffle yourself.
Both cars are playfully vocal with their “ultimate beastmaster” modes engaged, making rortier exhaust sounds along with snapping and crackling when you lift off the throttle.
STYLING
The Megane is the more boisterous and extroverted car, a party animal that swings from the chandeliers. The Renault’s visual va-va voom contrasts sharply with the Hyundai’s understated sportiness. It’s Priscilla Queen of the Desert versus Harvey Specter.
The Megane’s interior plumage matches its flamboyant exterior, including race-ready Recaro bucket seats that have holes for a four-point racing harness. The Hyundai’s bucket seats are plusher and more comfortable, and its interior “sportification” is more understated.
Both cars get the regulation aluminium pedals and metallic accents, but it’s the Megane that has the lewder red-stitched accents and racy Alcantara-clad steering wheel with a red stripe indicating the 12 o’ clock position.
VERDICT
The phrase “what you see is what you get” has never been more apt. The Megane’s exuberant styling screams “born to be wild” and that’s exactly what the driving experience delivers. Those tricolour wheels and the wide, planted stance promise high-performance titillation and it delivers what it says on the tin — in a big grin-spreading, hooliganistic way. Out of the two cars, the RS Trophy is the car I’d choose for a track day.
The Hyundai i30N is a more demure-looking car, which translates into life at the helm. It’s fun to drive without being as wild and edgy as its French rival. Its performance is more groomed and approachable without being clinical, and it’s also the more comfortable, easier-to-live-with daily driver. And yes, it’s also slower.
Only seven people will get to own the Megane RS 300 Trophy in SA because Renault is not bringing in any more, but the Koreans have put no numbers limit on the i30N.