Renault Mégane R.S. 300 Trophy
Our hot hatch catches up with the family
AS the owner of a Renaultsport Clio 197, I wasn’t about to pass up the opportunity to take our Mégane R. S. 300 Trophy for a weekend; and given how much I love my Clio, I had big expectations for our 296bhp hot hatch.
The Mégane’s first duty was to take me to Silverstone on the Saturday, where I drove a friend’s modified Renaultsport Clio 200 around the famous grand prix circuit for the first time.
Despite a decade and 100bhp separating the two, there are elements of the Clio 200 that can be found in our Mégane Trophy. The steering is quick and full of feedback, and the pedal feel is excellent, making heel-and-toe shifting very easy. The engines are both revvy and powerful enough for surprising performance, too.
On Sunday, I headed to a Renaultsportthemed event at a coffee shop called Caffeine and Machine near Stratford-upon-Avon.
The first car that came into view when I arrived was a £72,000, carbon fibre-clad Mégane Trophy-R. It seems a difficult price to justify, especially in comparison to the £31,995 that the car on our fleet costs, but it looked the part.
Even with the Trophy-R’s questionable decals and £12,000 carbon wheels, it was a trio of Clios – a Williams, a 182 Trophy and a V6 – sitting next to it which stole the show.
After speaking with a few people who had eventually started to congregate around the
Trophy-R, it was clear they were all impressed with its track-focused nature, but equally aghast at the car’s high price.
I think our normal Trophy is the sweet spot in the range. It retains typical hot hatch practicality because of the rear seats, but has loads of performance, handles brilliantly and possesses just as much appeal to a Renaultsport fan like me.