Renault Megane RS Sport, Cup, Trophy and Trophy-R Track Test

Does more money make you faster? We send Luke Youlden to Sandown in all four Renault Megane RS hot hatches to find out
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00:00 Intro
00:40 Renault Megane RS Sport
01:56 Renault Megane RS Cup
02:58 Renault Megane RS Trophy
04:03 Renault Megane RS Trophy-R
05:32 Verdict
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[@carsales]

Hey everyone! Which model Megane RS would you like to take for a fang around the racetrack? 😁 Don't forget to comment, like, dislike, share 🤟 👉 Subscribe now: kzbin.info

[@stefanroseEP3]

Now put the trophy r wheels/tyres on each one as see what difference just the tyres makes

[@Dog4life]

I've paid my Trophy R 55k. The insane price tag over 70 k is only with the carbon wheels / carb brakes option. ( & 20 k carbon option you can get ) .

[@alamos8]

55k is still insane for a FWD with 1.8 engine, and *less* equipment: no 4WD, no rear seats, no rear airbags, smaller multimedia screen (why??? XXD to lose 80 g of *not unsprung* mass???). That is only because of it being limited numbers (time will see if it paids off in resale), because I'm pretty sure that a normal Cup with 10.000 € over it on aftermarket tune, will be faster than R and still way cheaper. It is a question of preferences, but at that price tag, and for having only 2 available seats, I would have opted for an Alpine indeed

[@Dog4life]

@@alamos8 Golf R costs the same with few extra options , is slower and way more boring to drive . 4WD ? all 4wd in the 300 hp class are slower then recent fwd cars . The Trophy R has high quality components that are not cheap : carbon hood ( with naca ) , carbon diffusor , titanium exhaust , Seabalt bucket seats , Ohlin suspensions that are manually adjustable etc. ( all homologated ) Of course it has less equipment, the goal was to reduce weight and produces twice the downforce of the regular car. The price is not insane at all. I30n project C is sold around 52 where i live and probably the new Type R limited will cost around the same. And as said : i drove most recent fwd cars and Trophy R remains by far the most fun and enjoyable car around the corners thanks to the weight saving and chassis. It's the overall package that works great . YES i was also really interested in the Alpine 110 , BUT there is no official garage/seller nearby where i live.... i dont spend 60 k and to use the officiall warranty i need to undertake a 3 hour drive.

[@brentonappleby9836]

Should've tested a trophy with the dual clutch as well to see how it compares to the trophy r.

[@derbigpr500]

It's not all about the lap time. The Trophy-R has a lot of upgraded components under the surface, in the chassis, suspension, gearbox, brakes, and the engine as well. Lots of stuff made tougher to be able to handle abuse on track.

[@FaceliftGT]

Awesome Compare!, :). Did som laps yesterday in the R....Crazy car..

[@LeoZanardi]

Really nice! thanks for not being a loooong video

[@carsales]

No worries! Glad you liked it 👍

[@anugranmathimugan2778]

This is such a informative video seems like the base model is the real sleeper here

[@John_cupra290]

Awesome video, backs up what everyone is saying about the cup packege over the sport! Really considering the sport of late. Great video 👍🏻👍🏻

[@JCW-jx6ld]

John ,yeah sport is certainly much better for British B roads I’ve tried both and got sport .(see EVO mags).

[@paulshuttleworth5697]

Awesome review

[@nikostsoleridhs1452]

Great video people.

[@adjrasta9365]

Excellent comparison test...this is the type of content Top Gear shld be putting. I hve driven the sport rs dsg & it was great for a daily, is it true the pedal postions in d manual rs is very bad?

[@fragu123]

Adj Rasta ...yes!

[@BELLOTARU]

I have a RS+CUP MT. It's so strange that torsen front differential and stiffer coils work worse than the sport one. What OEM tyres are fitted in Australian market for "normal" RS version? I drove a trophy and I noticed more power in at hight rpm than a normal RS. Of course, trophy's exhaust sounds more and better, even so in neutral driving mode. Tested in Ascari track

[@memeguyTM]

Wonder how the clip trophy would match up

[@smescharius]

Very nice

[@MrBenSThomas]

Would have been interesting if the Trophy-R went first: would the gap in the lap times have been as much?

[@donaldchia2178]

What matters here is for a 1.8ltr to be lapping Sandown Racetrack in 1 min 23 sec is seriously quick in anyone's language.

[@sasicuomo9217]

Renault🔝🔝💜

[@terminator4652]

Nice comparison! Did you do the laps multiple times or did you just take the first result with each car?

[@carsales]

Multiple times then we cut the shortest into the video :-)

[@alamos8]

So... Sport was condistently virtually equal than Cup? On a track? (Because this is where you would make most use of the LSD and stiffer setup, on a B road, depending on the quality of the surface, stiffer sometimes means slower)

[@jakbroad8919]

alamos8 seems bizarre to me

[@Jaredscott89]

@@alamos8 Makes no sense. If the stiffer suspension hurt the Cup's time, it should have really hurt the Trophy. But it didn't, would say they messed up the lap or it was a lame and tired press unit.

[@nathan2483]

@@Jaredscott89 the driver can’t drive. The rs and up models are miles faster than the sport. It’s honestly one of the fastest hatches I’ve ever driven (incl. awd) corner to corner. Easily one of the bargains on the Aussie car market. Only issue is the trophy and up have VERY stiff suspension, which is great on a Sunday morning but draining on Monday morning.

[@honzalouma9583]

Trophy is simply the best choice in terms of price / power. Its important to know, that sport, cup and trophy runs Potenzas S001 stock, which is well known as shitty tyre, but Trophy-R runs Potenzas S007, which is very similar to Cup2 from Michelin. So, put Potenzas S007 on Trophy and you will get the best combo with a lap time close to Trophy-R, which is definitely not worth 20k more than regular Trophy with track-friendly tires on.

[@gutze101]

I have a Trophy and that's exactly what I was thinking.. I've used the s001 on 2 trackdays and they're done. Will switch to Cup 2, 4S or s007. Would be interesting to know the laptimes with s007 on a normal trophy.

[@MajorAMinor]

S007 are no way on cup2 level. They're on mps4s level, probably slower even, which is a very good street tyre, but way slower than a real semislick. They put so much effort in the trophy-r and ruined it by putting on street tyres for the track. Renault Sport lost it. They could have gone way below 7:40 with the fastest street legal tyres available. Heck they even put the shitty s001 on the trophy and s007 only optionally. What the heck? And the Meg 4 RS is way too heavy. Maybe it's a good thing Renault Sport got dissolved. Maybe under Alpine they will create some old magic back

[@alessandrocarrara3233]

Cup slow vs sport?

[@brycem0]

2015 Megane RS275 Trophy R.

[@JCW-jx6ld]

New 2020 basic Euro 300hp sport with EDC will be like family Alpine 110 👍

[@carsales]

That would be cool!

[@2gr33n]

The Cup vs Sport not being quicker is surprising on a track. Are the suspension settings that wrong? There was a comment made in the video that it had too much oversteer? Apparently enough of a problem on corner entry to counter the ability to pull out of corner better with the LSD? I certainly didn't investigate maximum in corner speed in test drives but the LSD definitely felt better / quicker on exit - so that's what I bought. Wondering now...

[@carsales]

We repeated multiple lap times and it was the same outcome every time....

[@2gr33n]

@@carsales I'm trying to figure out how the comments from Luke Youlden re the Trophy, which I understood to have the same suspension setup and LSD as the Cup reconcile - obviously (as per comment) the straight line speed of the Trophy from extra hp is a big factor in the better lap times but he didn't criticise its handling on corner entry like he did the Cup. Seems weird. I've seen reports of significantly wonky from dealer wheel alignment on the Meganes - was this checked? And if the Cup was overwhelming the tyres the Trophy should have been even worse? Not disputing the results, just trying to understand them!

[@Jaredscott89]

@@2gr33n You are spot on, the cup chassis is shared between the two. They should handle identically. The comment about the 300 being 10km/h up on the straight suggests something might have been off with the car. That is a much bigger margin than 20hp can deliver.

[@shendnamlegjiu9791]

@@carsales your video is so accurate, amazing 👏 now on phase 2 you have either sport or trophy ✌

[@mcmrallysport]

We are loving our Trophy, but find the tyres on it are absolute rubbish. It will get you into trouble in first gear on most city roads. Wheel spin on cold mornings and wet weather traction are appalling. Will be shifting to a slightly softer tyre like a Conti or a Michelin come time.

[@kasimirdenhertog3516]

mcm rallysport can recommend the Michelins (Pilot Sport 4/4S), they are the most versatile UHP tyres for hot hatches - by some margin.

[@honzalouma9583]

When I bought my Trophy, I sold Potenzas 001 after 1000 kms and bought Michelins PS4S. Its like night and day, the difference is pretty big, I absolutely recommend that!

[@Angelos42]

Honza Louma I will be switching to the Michilins when the tires need replacement

[@lindseybreen2305]

how can an lsd equipped car be slower than a non lsd equipped car, that just doesnt add up. An lsd in a front drive hot hatch is an absolute game changer!. You should have done flying laps without the standing start because a slightly better or worse launch could made a big difference to the lap time, flying laps without a standing start would dispose of that variable.

[@davidsanderson2960]

Yeah, these tests don't take into account one thing... humans driving them in a consistent manner.

[@cavybhoy405]

Would of liked to see how the Red Bull Megane compared to these?

[@flashman3962]

Could you tell this would be a real popular vid before you did it?

[@carsales]

We had no idea it would go off like this, aiming for 100k views!

[@peejayem4700]

I don’t know why the Megane went down the rear steering route, it adds weight, complexity and I’ve yet to read positive comments on it.

[@Angelos42]

That is because people judge it after driving with it for a short time while it takes quite a bit of time to get used to. I have an RS Trophy and the more I drive it, the more I love it.

[@peejayem4700]

Angelos 42 Maybe, but then Renaultsport remove it on their most driver focussed model

[@troyhanson2703]

I own a 280 sport, couldn't be happier with the steering. One of the best features of the car

[@supraJZA80s]

From my experience it's quite unpredictable. I would rather the reduced weight and some chassis tuning to assist turn in

[@Angelos42]

@@peejayem4700 Mostly because of weight and more predictable reactions even for people who have not driven 10.000+ km in one. Once you get used to it, it is honestly good.

[@jean-yvesderick6085]

Renault Mégane RS Trophy R the best ! 👍🇫🇷

[@murphywilde5321]

Song names?

[@carsales]

Our video team have access to a huge music library, will find out for you.

[@DidesCharlie]

Library tune #5007? Like, why do you care?

[@nathan2483]

As someone who’s driven the sport, rs, and trophy (and previous gen rs trophy owner) the driver couldn’t drive a nail. The sport is miles slower, the lsd completely changes the car. A sport on a winding road wouldn’t know where an rs went, full stop. End of.

[@digisuboob]

rear steer is obviously a gimmick if they take it out of the top model

[@fragu123]

Tires, tires, tires.....🙄

[@thamilawrence8468]

I think the Cup wasnt given a fair chance. Should be faster than the Sport .

[@bassmaster999h]

Depend by the status of the track... A stiffer chassis is not always faster...

[@Jaredscott89]

@@bassmaster999h More to it that just a stiffer spring and strut.

[@bassmaster999h]

@@Jaredscott89 yes the mechanical lsd... but consider that the electronic vectory system of sport version is not so bad

[@willt9833]

What can I say .... 'Vive la Sports'

[@veryniceindeed]

Focus RS

[@47thdarkdimension]

$20,000 for 2 seconds. Pass

[@BruceWayne-zt7mb]

just buy a cup and tune it yourself, then you have more power than the trophy lol

[@bassmaster999h]

Unfortunately this engine do not increase so much power with a simple ECU remap.. from 270hp(the real average power) to max 300hp but only with Ron 98 minimum....

[@316328597]

type r all day every day

[@goranjakopanec2289]

Sorry Renault fans but Civic TypeR Fk8 is better drivers car...

[@henkstols9326]

But would you want to be seen in one?

[@cooleye8887]

ME PERSONALLY ,, OF COURSE ID LIKE TO BE SEEN IN ONE LOL... THATS WHY I BOUGHT IT AND IM IN MY 50'S. TYPE R LOOKS MORE LIKE A TRACK CAR, NOT A TYPICAL USUAL HATCHBACK. TYPE R IS FASTER, MORE RELIABLE, HAVE A HIGHER TOP END SPEED OF 185 MPH (ACTUAL)/169 MPH (ON PAPER.) IT LOOKS WAY MORE AGRESSIVE. ONLY PEOPLE WHO CARE ABOUT WHAT OTHER PEOPLE SAY ARE THE ONES WHOS SCARED TO OWN ONE COZ THEY WORRY ABOUT OTHER PEOPLE THAN FOLLOWING THEIR HEART, THEY SAY "TYPE R IS UGLY, THIS AND THAT, ETC....AND YET THEY KEEP ON WATCHING TYPE R VIDEOS ON KZbin LOL. BUT TO ALL OF US TYPE R OWNERS ARE PROUD OF OWNING ONE. IT HAS A UNIQUE BOLD LOOK. WE ALSO KNOW AND TRUST THE HONDA HERITAGE AND RACING HISTORY, PROVEN TO LAST LONGER TOO. BESIDES, TYPE R FK8 ARE ACTUALLY FASTER IN NURBURGRING THAN MEGANE TROPHY R. TO ALL TYPE R OWNERS, WE ALL KNOW VERY WELL ABOUT THIS TRUTH....THAT THE TYPE R FK8 TECHNICALLY STILL HOLDS THE FASTEST FWD RECORD.

[@PureLeeful]

Not sure it's a better drivers car. No doubt the CTR is a class act but reckon the Megane is a more involving drive.

[@PureLeeful]

@@cooleye8887 They're both great cars. Part of the reason the Fn2 and Fn8 are so good is because Honda really failed with the Fk2 so they had to make amends plus they had to beat the Megane Mk3.

[@cooleye8887]

@@PureLeeful THE TYPE R IS WAY MORE INVOLVING TO ME. I HAVE A 2008 S2000, 2015 EVOLUTION X FINAL EDITION SO I KNOW WHAT IM TALKIN ABOUT, ALSO THE TYPE R IS WAY MORE FUN IN THE CORNERS. YOU NEED TO TRY ONE. I LOVE MEGANE TOO, DONT GET ME WRONG BUT HONDA IS ON ANOTHER LEAGUE OF ITS OWN TOO. THEY GOT THEIR OWN HISTORY OF RACING HERITAGE AS WELL. BESIDES THE FK2 WAS GOOD AT THAT TIME WHEN IT CAME OUT, IT STANDS ALONE COMPARE TO OTHERS., MOST PEOPLE COMPLAINTS ARE THE STIFF RIDE BUT THATS NOT A VALID ISSUE TO MANY OF US HARDCORE DRIVERS.