KODIAQ VRS · MEGANE · G63 · GIULIA · 508

TOPGEAR'S LONG-TEAM CARS. TESTED & VERIFIED

The Kodiaq and G63 are leaving TopGear. Luckily, to ease the pain, a very bright, very loud Megane Trophy has arrived

FED UP WITH THE DEPRESSING UNPREDICTABILITY OF A BRITISH summer! we’ve decided to add some sizzle to the TG Garage! courtesy of a very! very yellow Renault Megane RS "## Trophy$ There are many rungs to the fast Megane ladder and % as a reminder % the "## Trophy is the penultimate step$ Rather confusingly! you’ve got a choice of

&'# Sport (kicking off at around *&+k,! a &'# Cup and the "## Trophy version (ours is *"-k as tested,$

The latter two get stiffer suspension and a diff on the driven front axle$ All three get a four.wheel.steering (/WS, system called /Control! but now there’s also a range.topping! limited.run Trophy R$ That bins the hyperactive /WS! /#kg of weight and if you add expensive goodies like optional carbon.ceramic brakes and flashy carbon wheels its price becomes a chest.tightening! are.you.serious *+#k$ All four use a 0$'. litre turbo! producing &+-bhp in the Sport and Cup! and &1-bhp in the Trophy and Trophy R$ A -spd manual ’box remains standard while a paddleshifting auto is a *0!+## option on all models except the R$

Being the "##! we get unique 01in wheels (that save &kg per corner and make you look like a bit idiotic as they’re highlighted in red,! a pop.bang sports exhaust! bi.material brake discs (saving 0$'kg per corner,! the RS performance monitor! a leather/Alcantara steering wheel and lightweight battery (another 'kg saved,$ All told! it weighs 0+kg less and has &#bhp more than the standard car$ And an incredibly stiff ride (more on that another time,$ We’ve also ticked a few boxes % the Bose stereo (*'##, and Recaro seats (*0!2##,$ What we didn’t spec was a high.pitched chirp each time you hit the accelerator$ So it’s gone back to be looked at$ Then we can tell you if this Megane lives up to its iconic status$ We sure hope it does$