Fidget spinner
We’ve pretty much driven this car already. The Trophy is the hardcore version of the RenaultSport Megane, but its suspension is carried directly over from the Cup chassis you could already option on the standard car. There, it’s a £1,500 option (which includes Torsen limited-slip diff, red brake calipers and hydraulic bump stops as well as stiffer springs, dampers and anti-roll bars), while the Trophy costs £4,000 more.
You get more stuff, obviously: unique (and dubious) 19in wheels, sports exhaust, grooved bi-material brake discs, the RenaultSport performance monitor, a leather/Alcantara steering wheel and an 8kg lighter battery. But the headline modification, unusually for RenaultSport, isn’t the chassis, but the engine.
Apparently the existing cylinder head didn’t have the necessary cooling and stiffness to cope with the extra temperature and loadings, so had to be completely redesigned. Trouble was, the internal Renault department that needed to carry out the CFD analysis of the new designs was booked solid for several months. So RenaultSport got in touch with the F1 team and, less than a week later, they had the results back. Sped development up a treat.
In addition, the turbos now spin (at almost 200,000rpm) on ceramic bearings, reducing friction by a factor of three, lowering noise and improving response times. It all sounds a lot of work to go to when the power outputs are no more than class average. But then Renault only has 1.8 litres of capacity to call on when most rivals have at least 200cc more.
The engine’s now notably crisper and harder-hitting. You notice the improved response and eagerness, not the extra power. The sports exhaust gives it some aural appeal and, when you lift off, there’s a full repertoire
of pops and bangs. The six-speed manual isn’t a classic, but shifts precisely enough and while there’s not much feel through the uprated, 1.8kg-lighter-per-corner brakes, the stopping power is good.
On track, I suspect this is a brilliant performer. But on a road, especially the sort of British country road that you want a hot hatch to excel on, there are one or two issues. The quality of the damping is superb, but it’s very stiff. Very. And the combination of direct steering rack and 4Control 4WS has made the Trophy ultra-keen to change direction. However, the systems don’t quite work in perfect harmony, so you find yourself making constant steering corrections. It’s too frenetic. You want it to calm down and carve a clean line, but on a bumpy road it just won’t. So you never quite trust it, which makes you nervous, which transfers back into the car through your inputs. It’s a vicious circle.
It doesn’t help that on the bespoke Bridgestone Potenza S007 tyres, the grip levels are so high, the cornering speeds so great, it doesn’t feel as if you’re pushing the chassis. It’s just a bit unsatisfying to drive. It does go around corners terrifically fast, and I suspect it’ll be very rapid on a racetrack.
If you want the Recaro seats (which I always thought were standard on older Trophys), they’re a £1,500 option. That’s a lot of money to sit a fraction lower. And yes, they do offer more side support, but only if you’re broad. Slender folk will find themselves with room to play with. And the centre touchscreen is poor: ugly graphics, laggy touchscreen, hard to jab the correct bit due to the suspension jiggle. In the end, the Trophy isn’t the sweet spot in the hot Megane range. That honour goes to the basic £28k Sport. Try that before you upgrade.