Review Renault Megane RS Trophy-R 2019
July 07, 2019
There are a lot of pure driver cars that are still manufactured by manufacturers: I especially think of the Porsche GT, the mid-sized special cars, and the excessive Renault Méganes. This is the most recent from Renault, which today is the Renault Mégane RS Trophy-R.
And I like to give reports the same thing applies. Sigh. It's time to fix the list of the '10 best best front-wheel cars of all time'. This is a good car. As usual, Renault hunted for a special German round time and, as usual, found it (in 7 minutes 40.1sec), so it was the fastest production front wheel drive car on the Nürburgring. But that step of the Trophy-R gives its speed compared to that speed which makes it so interesting.
Weighing less, up to 130 kg, with several steps, from the thinning of the rear door glass (-1kg), removing the rear seat (-25kg) and changing the front seat (-14kg), to placing carbon fiber hood (- 8kg), titanium exhaust (-7kg) smaller touch monitor (-250g) and remove the rear eraser (-3kg).
But the biggest 'leave', which made the biggest inequality both in the car's power-to-weight ratio and, I was prejudiced, the car step over, was that there was no active rear steering scheme that you would get at the lower Méganes Hospital and he has disturbed the confidence of some testers, counted me.
Combined with the rear twisting beam which is easier to save nearly 40kg, the curb weight is 1306kg. There is no rear wheel that controls the Trophy-R with high speed stability less than ordinary Mégane Hospital, but it is more easily conquered and, importantly, the stability of the response.
Remaining poisoning is prepared by weight reduction, adoption of dual-flow Ohlins valve dampers and easy springs that can match, adding front camber, almost no aerodynamic lift through the diffuser which is getting bigger and small front splitters, as well as rising heights that loyal customers can lower up to 16mm front and rear.
The result is one car which, on a circuit, with a lowered height and a damper arranged to medium-rare, feels every inch as good and connected as a Porsche 911 GT3 RS, only a front drive and less accelerative. There is the same feeling, skill, grip and lots of attraction.
There are carbon-ceramic brakes, such as those used to manage the Nürburgring rotation time but only at 30 of the 500 Trophy-Rs that will be sold, because the installation is so expensive for the factory to bear the bigger problem. They make stops without exhaustion, but for 470 cars that don't have them, I dare explain they can be paired retro. You can ensure several other 'record car' options such as a six-point harness or carbon fiber wheels, save 2kg of corners. Work and place the Renault behind them and tie them up, so that they cannot be damaged on the way. In this way, the owner has a set of track wheels and tires: the use of tracks which is often the standard for Trophy-R owners.
Stripped and lightened, the Trophy-R is raw and noisy and fully incorporates it. Alcantara steering wheel - I'm a sucker because of that - all telegraphs are tire-driven, medium-to-light, heavy-duty. Through the small pull of the torque guide here, the grooves under braking there, you will know which tires give up, and where, and how.
It's not that they often do it. If this car has the potential to reduce 2x its power, the level of its grip will make it return to lap time as fast as the purest supercar, I believe. With lateral, and under deceleration, he is no less okay, for a moment he keeps the Bridgestone Potenza S007 tires, which are the same as the Trophy, really good - they look fine after a one-day hard hit.
You can make the Trophy-R understeer on ability, but enter without throttle or reach the brakes and it swirls amazingly and predictably. A large number at that time was completely neutral.
Body control, in the arrangement we tried, was really great. Restrain passing, though. With slack dampers and rising heights, I think that would make the road car attractive, although Renault's chief examiner, Laurent Hurgon, still sees the level of grip as "really crazy" for the road. I am sure of him.
Details of the Renault Mégane RS Trophy-R
Where Zolder, Belgium Price £50,000 (est) Engine 4 cyls in line, 1798cc, turbocharged, petrol Power 296bhp at 6000rpm Torque 295 ft at 3200rpm Gearbox 6-spd manual Kerb weight1381kg Top speed 163mph 0-62mph 5.4sec Fuel economy 26.0mpg (est) CO2 180g/km (est) Rivals Honda Civic Type R, Hyundai i30 N Performance