The 296bhp Renault Megane RS Trophy Is Here To (Probably) Conquer The 'Ring
Honda should be worried right now. Its astonishing front-wheel drive Nurburgring lap record of 7min 43.8sec - set with the current ‘FK8’ Civic Type R - is under threat. Why? Because it could soon be broken by this: the new Renault Megane RS Trophy.
It uses the RS Cup as a starting point, meaning it’s already stiffer than the regular Sport Megane and fitted with a mechanical limited-slip differential. Only here, that firmer chassis is married to a 296bhp version of Renault’s 1.8-litre inline-four.
It’s 20bhp pokier than before, and now has a ceramic bearing turbocharger which will give better responsiveness and efficiency, Renault says. 0-62mph takes 5.7 seconds - exactly the same as the Type R - while the top seed is 162mph. It’s also been beefed up in the sound department thanks to a new active exhaust.
The front brake discs - measuring 355mm in diameter - are now of a bi-material construction, meaning they’ll be more resistant to fade while in heavy use.
The 19-inch ‘Jerez’ wheels are new too, but if you want, in 2019 there’ll be ‘Fuji’ rims available in the same size. A full set will drop the unsprung mass of the car by 8kg, but the biggest benefit is the tyres: go for the Fuji option, and the Bridgestone Potenza S001 boots will be switched for S007s. These are best thought of as Bridgestone’s answer to the Michelin Pilot PS4 S. No prizes for guessing the wheels and tyres that’ll be on the inevitable Nurburgring record car…
On the inside, you’ll find a pair of Alcantara-trimmed Recaro bucket seats. Interestingly, Renault has mounted them 20mm lower to improve the driving position. If only Ford had done the same with the Focus RS.
Like what you see? It’s available with either a six-speed manual gearbox or Renault’s ‘EDC’ dual-clutch automatic. It’ll be available to order in Autumn, and the first deliveries will kick off this winter.
Growing up on a diet of World Rally Championship highlights and lengthy Gran Turismo 2 sessions, a life in cars was as good as inevitable for Matt.
Comments
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U L T R A N U T
Lmao
RIP front tyres
Why?
You’ll be surprised but how well modern fwd cars cope with power.
It already beats the Honda in the looks department, that’s for sure.
Pretty sure my 2008 Toyota Corolla beats it too
Subjective
But it has fake vents :)
Omg it’s so awesome
What a fast yellow chick !
It will probably beat the Type R but i don’t think it will beat the Clubsport S
If you’re talking about ‘Ring times, the Type R was quite a bit faster than the Clubsport S…
Is there a rule in renault that say that you cannot make a 300hp+ car ?
It’s actually in proper European horsepower 300, but the Brits usually use BHP for some reason
There are different definitions of horsepower. There’s the english brake horse power (bhp), defined as 30000 lb*ft/min and there’s the metric horse power (PS, for Pferdestärke - horse power, go figure), defined as 75 kgf*m/s. Either one is measured at the engine’s crank shaft with all auxiliary units but without drivetrain loss, just a different conversion rate from Kilo Watt (which is the unit that should actually be used).
1 kW = 1.34 bhp
1 kW = 1.36 PS
Using metric horse power, this car is very exactly a 300 PS car.
The thing is Renault doesn’t need 300hp+. Everything is about efficiency, lightness and be sure too stick to the ground
Being French I’m to much exited not hoping for a world record but for something pretty quick
Love it. Can’t wait to see them appearing at the Ring either in a few months or next season.
When it comes to hot hatches I always root for Renault. The design and styling is soectacular compared to the competition. It would be amazing to have a nice hot hatch that goes as fast as it looks. And if it does take the Ring record, then chalk that up for another French victory this year.