Buyacar Buying Guide: Renault Mégane RS Trophy

We’ll not see its kind again, so all the more reason to grab one at a great price now

RENAULT SPORT PRODUCTS HAVE BEEN a regular fixture in evo Car of the year. Many of the earlier appearances were Clios, but more recently it’s been the turn of the Mégane RS, and for good reason – it’s consistently been one of the most capable and involving cars in its class.

That’s despite the Mégane changing quite significantly over time. Back in 2008, when the R26.R finished among the top five in ecoty, it had just three doors and a relatively compact footprint. Today, though, the Mégane RS is a sizeable five-door with a different character to those early stars. In Trophy trim particularly it’s a more aggressive car with a firmer ride, and it steers sharply too, thanks as much to four-wheel steering as sticky tyres or modest weight.

While neither the regular Trophy nor hardcore Trophy-r have troubled the top of the table like previous incarnations, the latest Mégane RS is still hugely capable, and thanks to a five-door layout it still plays the family hatchback card too (rearseatless Trophy-r aside). Interior quality – never previously a Mégane strong point – has taken a step up too, so if the RS isn’t as fluid as it once was, it’s acquired other benefits along the way.

It can also be surprisingly affordable (Trophy-r once again excepted!). A cash price of £30,295 gets you a 2020 Trophy with under 1000 miles on the clock from Buyacar, but a monthly price of £406 looks even more compelling. It’s in the correct Liquid Yellow paint scheme too (is there a colour that better suits Renault Sport models?), with the usual touches like Recaro seats and 19-inch alloy wheels.

All Mégane RSS get Renault’s 1.8-litre turbocharged four-cylinder as standard, making 296bhp in Trophy form in these 2020 cars and 295lb ft through a six-speed manual transmission and a limited-slip differential. And if there’s a reason for now choosing used over a brand-new Trophy, it’s that Renault has since dropped that six-speeder, now only offering a dual-clutch ’box. While the manual doesn’t have the world’s greatest shift, it’s intrinsic to the car’s character, and that engine remains a highlight too, as free-revving here as it is in the Alpine A110 sports car. That it could also be Renault’s last Mégane RS makes the case for picking one up now even stronger…

Visit buyacar.co.uk to find the latest offers on the Renault Sport Mégane RS.