Sure everyone worships the Honda Civic Type R and right now the Golf R is on everyone’s motoring lust list. But the Megane RS have been considered to be the gold standard definition for front wheel drive performance. The Megane was the first car to kick start the whole “front wheel drive Nurburgring lap record” race with the R26R. Now, 12 years after that, we have the latest hot Megane, the RS 300 Trophy. Here’s 10 things you must know about it!
Its got an upgraded engine
Which is 200cc smaller than its predecessor. Unlike the previous Megane’s, the current RS sports a 1.8 liter, 4 cylinder direct injection turbocharged engine. The turbo runs on ceramic ball bearings, to increase durability and response. The engine now gives out 300bhp and 420Nm. It may be down a few horses from the Type R, but its got a more useful 20Nm bump from the Honda. That’s going to be more useful on the track and touge.
Auto Only Option
Which means we do not get the 6 speed manual option. Its a double clutch setup with 4 settings, which are My Sense, Save, Sport and Race. The gearbox can allow you to change multiple gears down with one shift paddle movement while in Sport and Race. It also comes with Launch control.
Its a Cup Chassis with an LSD
The Torsen mechanical LSD at the front is similar to the one on the Peugeot 308 GTi. Which means its going to provide a tonne of traction and aid in reigning in that 420Nm. The Cup chassis also sports the most aggressive chassis tune in the Megane range. We would have to wait and see how it would perform on our roads. It also comes with Hydraulic bump stops to help the car maintain tyre contact patch on rough roads.
4Control 4 wheel steering
Just like the GTR and the 992 Porsche, the Megane RS 300 comes with 4 wheel steering. The system turns the back wheels in the opposite direction of the front wheels at low speeds. At high speeds though, it turns together with the front wheels. This should grant the car massive agility at low speeds, and high speed stability at higher speed, with minimum steering input.
Brembo brakes
Did you expect anything lesser? The top dog Megane’s have always been specified with Brembo’s, and its the same here. The brake discs themselves are made from a special material combo that shaves 1.8kg of unsprung mass on each corner. That’s a 7.2 kg savings on brakes alone.
Special lighting package
Called RS Vision, the foglamps actually operates in 3 separate modes. The chequered flag shaped foglamps have 3 elements. The top part is used as cornering lights, while the bottom two are used as high beam assistance. The third mode is when all 3 are lit up, for high beam and fog scenarios. This car should be pretty good for night drives.
Flame Red for the first time
The red is offered along side Diamond Black and Pearl White. The Liquid Yellow and Orange Tonic colors, which costs an additional RM9000. What is your favorite color of choice for the Megane RS 300? Let us know in the comments!
Jerez 19 inch rims
Which are unique to the RS 300 Megane. This rim is finished with a diamond cut and red paint. Although subtle on paper, the finish product adds a degree of aggression the previous iteration lacked.
Digitised Interior
The touchscreen has Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. It also features a 7 inch instrument cluster with customizable displays, to be more driver orientated. There’s also ambient lighting to give you that racy feel on the inside.
Its so fast, it can outrun depreciation
The Megane RS 300 Trophy retails at RM 326,476.61 without insurance and road tax. That means a 7 year financing will cost you about RM4100 per month. Then there’s the insurance premium, which will be well within 5 digits, and maintenance bill. And there’s the matter of depreciation when you decide to sell the car. However with Renault’s subscription program, you can lease the car out from RM5200 per month. The amount includes road tax, insurance, and servicing for a maximum of 20,000km per annum. And when you’re done, just walk away with no strings attached.
This is not a cheap car, because it does not feature cheap tech. The gearbox, engine, diff, brakes and chassis all feature high tech, high performance features. And its fast, we reckon it could embarrass some big names around some of our local circuits. We cant help but wonder what it would do in the hands of our resident World Rally Champion, Karamjit Singh….
If you do not want to get a C Class, A4 or BMW 3 series, and take a walk on the wild side, this RS300 Trophy is your kind of car. And with the subscription program, you could getaway with maintenance and depreciation complexities.
High Speed(RGB)-01.jpg COLOUR PALETTE – FLAME RED
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