The fast and the infuriating

Our Megane RS is a lot of fun if you ignore the flaws. But the RS Trophy keeps all the positives and eliminates the negatives… for a price.

After eight months driving the Megane RS, I have one piece of advice: don’t buy one. Really, don’t.

Cough, splutter – the Renault PR person just spat out their cornflakes. But don’t worry, my full advice is: ‘Don’t buy the RS – buy the RS Trophy.’

At 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.

The RS has many, many things going for it. It has a great engine that always feels strong and in Sport mode it delivers a really satisfying turn of speed. It has a well designed interior too: I love the dashboard and all the connectivity works well. However, the sports seats are so narrow around the hips that on a long journey they feel like they are pinching me. 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. So maybe the Megane RS is just a shameless driver’s car, designed to be enjoyed on your own. Fair enough. But here’s the fatal flaw: with 296bhp wrestling the front wheels when you try to accelerate, this car has terrible torque steer. I mean, shocking. 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. 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. And this waywardness destroys any selfish, driving-home-alone pleasure.

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. 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. It completely transforms the car – seriously, that extra £4.5k doesn’t buy you a marginal improvement. 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. And for another £1600, you can have Recaro race seats, which are more comfortable.

So the Megane RS is a fast but flawed car. The RS Trophy is one of the best hot hatches you can buy. 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.

Count the cost

Cost new £36,055 Part-exchange £26,822 Cost per mile 22.1p Cost per mile including depreciation £1.25

With 296bhp wrestling the front wheels, this car has terrible torque steer. I mean, shocking