Renault Megane RS 275 Trophy review, test drive

I go faster, and the grip feels just as good. It’s as perfectly poised as a downhill skier in his element, and the car even allows you to make corrections when all four wheels are sliding and howling in protest. I expect the driving experience to be all about putting power down cleanly, but it feels so neat and clean even when you attack hard.

 

As I push more of that 270bhp down to the front wheels and start braking really hard for corners, the balance amazingly gets better. Now, normally, in a front-wheel-drive car, you’d expect the rear to get really light; but not here. The Megane, in contrast, stays flat, with very little pitch, which means the car isn’t entering corners ‘on its nose’. And the rear wheels just seem to have so much grip – not something I’ve experienced in a front-wheel-drive car before. It feels more a grown-up sportscar than a hot hatch. No wonder the Megane RS 275 Trophy-R, a mildly different version, managed a time of 7minutes 54.36seconds around the Nürburgring, making it the fastest front-wheel-drive car to have gone around at the time.

 

The engine isn’t the most linear or the most refined, the rear seats are a bit compromised and it will be expensive, priced upwards of Rs 40 lakh. But if Renault does decide to bring it here, it could add a slightly fun and light-hearted dimension to the brand. And that’s something the French carmaker really needs.

 

 

Price                   Rs 45 lakh (est, ex-showroom, Delhi)

 

Length               4320mm

 

Width                 1848mm

 

Height                1422mm

 

Wheelbase      2646mm

 

Engine               4 cyls, 1998cc, turbo-petrol

 

Installation       Front, transverse

 

Power                                269.5bhp at 5500rpm

 

Torque              36.71kgm at 3000-5000rpm

 

Gearbox           6-speed manual

 

0-100kph          6.0sec*

 

Kerb weight    1376kg

 

Tyre size                           235/40 R18

 

*Claimed