Renault MEGANE RENAULTSPORT 225 TROPHY LIMITED EDITION RANGE
Fancy A More Spirited Megane Renaultsport 225? Try The Trophy. Steve Walker Reports
Renaults Megane Renaultsport 225 is an accomplished product in many ways but while the Clio 182 Cup, that other Renaultsport offering, is revered by the UKs hot hatch purists, its larger sibling hasnt been elevated to quite the same heights. The problem, so far as the target market is concerned, is that the 225s handling is slightly too subdued for their extreme tastes. These are buyers who like their performance hatchbacks in the raw and uncompromising mould with suspension and steering set to deliver a driving experience thats not unlike the fast spin cycle on your washing machine.
Renault are rarely ones to disappoint and so weve seen the arrival of the Renaultsport 225 Trophy limited edition.
Its a tauter, more focused Megane that should give the hardcore contingent real value for their track day club memberships.
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Its a stark sign of the times that some people turned their noses up at the Megane Renaultsport 225 (a 225bhp, 147mph family hatchback capable of 0-60mph in 6.5s) on the grounds that it wasnt extreme enough. Just a few years back, 200bhp was deemed an indecent amount of grunt for a top hot hatch but industry one-upmanship being what it is, weve seen successive products exceed that barrier and then some. Still, the engine was never the issue with the Renaultsport Megane 225.
Its a highly impressive 2.0-litre turbocharged affair that doesnt feel turbocharged by virtue of its smooth power delivery and abundant torque made available low down in the rev range. Its also precisely the same engine youll find in the 225 Trophy limited edition, so you can expect similar performance figures. The actual differences between a 225 and a 225 Trophy are confined to areas away from the engine bay with the chassis, the suspension and the braking system receiving most of the meaningful tweaks.
These were the areas that Renaults engineers felt they needed to address in order to turn the Megane 225 from a fast, comfortable hot hatchback cum GT car into a real tearaway.
"The actual differences between a 225 and a 225 Trophy are confined to areas away from the engine bay"
The Cup Chassis on which the Megane Trophy rides has been specially developed for the purpose of putting a big stupid grin on the face of persons ensconced behind the wheel. Extra support has been added to stiffen things up, reducing body roll when cornering, cutting back on nose dive under braking and toning down any speedboat style pitching when you put the hammer down. The front suspension has also been tinkered with to sharpen up the turn in and counteract any understeer. The standard Renaultsport Megane is an impressively composed handler for a powerful front-wheel-drive car but the Trophys Cup Chassis makes it a significantly lither proposition with more urgency injected into the driving experience.
These chassis modifications and revised settings will eventually be available as an option on the non-Trophy Megane 225 models. If were to assume that Megane Trophy owners are going to drive their cars more quickly than buyers who have settled for the standard model, it makes sense for the car to have a correspondingly enhanced facilities for stopping. The front and rear brake discs are cross-drilled for improved performance in the wet and more efficient cooling, while the diameter of the master cylinder has been increased to 25.4mm - a move which is said to deliver increased feel with less pedal travel.
Perhaps more salient are changes wrought on the electronics designed to keep the Megane Trophy on the straight and narrow. The ESP system can be switched off at speeds above 35mph so drivers can get closer to the cars limits. Itll still cut back in to try and save the situation if it thinks youre in danger of coming a cropper but the tolerance threshold for this intervention has been raised with the aim of making the ESP less intrusive. The Brake Assist system has also been ditched on the Trophy, further reducing the level of electronic interference.
The Trophy also benefits from a new power assisted steering system with a tube-in-tube sliding joint for enhanced steering feel and special High Frequency Curve Assist software which affects the way the steering reacts when cornering. When you turn that wheel, youll also be turning the 18" 12-spoke anthracite alloy ones that come with all Trophy models. These are each 1.5kg lighter than the equivalent rolling stock found on the standard Megane 225 and theyre shod with specially designed Dunlop SP Sport Maxx tyres. The other features that mark the Megane Renaultsport 225 Trophy out from an ordinary Megane Renaultsport 225 are largely cosmetic.
The Nimbus metallic paint (silver to those unfamiliar with the
Renault colour pallet) is unique to this vehicle while the interior benefits from different sports seats with blue stitching on the steering wheel and very fetching blue seatbelts. Carbon fibre inserts appear on the dash and the door handle surrounds while a numbered plaque appears on the bottom part of the dashboard to let you know exactly which Trophy model youre driving the numbers earmarked for the UK market are said to be in the low hundreds. One of the Megane Renaultsports best features is its interior where the quality and construction are both first class. Equipment levels are similarly high with the £20,000 3-door only Trophy benefiting from all the features found on the £19,500 standard model with the exception of floor mats and the CD multi-changer.
You do get a single disc CD player, however, along with ABS brakes, cruise control with a speed limiter and a tyre pressure monitor. Climate control is even included on the Trophy, a feature youll pay extra for on the standard Megane 225, adding more weight to the cars value proposition. The Megane Renaultsport 225 Trophy is Renaults attempt at silencing the critics who labelled the standard Renaultsport 225 too cosseting to be a genuine hot hatchback. Its a useful addition to the range because the track day purists now have a model with more bite to flex their driving muscles in, while those who preferred the smoother GT car characteristics of the original can stick with that version.
Now that theres a Megane Renaultsport to suit both persuasions, perhaps this well-rounded package will get more of the recognition that it deserves.
FACTS AT A GLANCE
CAR: Renault Megane Renaultsport 225 Trophy limited edition
PRICES: £20,000 - on the road
INSURANCE GROUPS: 15E
CO2 EMISSIONS: 209g/km
PERFORMANCE: [2.0] Max Speed 147mph / 0-60mph 6.5s
FUEL CONSUMPTION: [2.0] (urban) 24.6mpg (extra urban) 40.4mpg (combined) 32.1mpg
STANDARD SAFETY FEATURES: Twin front, side, curtain and anti submarine airbags / seatbelt pre-tensioners / ABS / EBD / ESP / ASR
WILL IT FIT IN YOUR GARAGE?: (3dr) Length/Width/Heightmm 4228/1777/1437
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