Mégane Renaultsport 275 Trophy: Hands-on gizmo-packed motoring

Vulture at the Wheel There used to be a fashion for wearing Nike trainers with smart business suits. It’s a vibe which fits the Renault Mégane Renaultsport 275 Trophy to a tee.

This is a car which will happily do the supermarket run and which won’t shame itself on a track day around Croft.

More importantly it won’t shame you, because despite the headline power output, the Megane Renaultsport 275 Trophy is all about the handling.

While the Alfa Gulietta Quadrifoglio Verde we reviewed was fun because it was at the mercy of its 240bhp lump, the 275 Trophy is fun for precisely the opposite reason. It’s in complete control of its 275 horses, all of it through the front wheels. Further control is imposed by 340mm discs with four-pot callipers at the front, 290mm at the rear.

There is some very special chassis magic going on with the car and over some country roads we found it reassuring and capable, a point to point weapon akin to an Lancia integrale, Audi UR quattro or EVO. The power and the handling are best demonstrated by the hardercore “R” version of this car, setting a front wheel drive lap record at the Nürburgring of 7' 54”, placing it between a Ferrari 430 and a Porsche 911 GT3.

OK: this isn’t quite the Trophy R. It has such luxuries as back seats, a rear windscreen wiper and a radio – all of which get stripped from the R version.

Indeed, the Trophy has really rather nice seats, albeit a little cramped in the back, but the four cylinder 2.0 turbo is the same as is the awesome carbon fibre-tipped Akrapovič titanium exhaust. Six words which will make any petrolhead pay attention with the same degree as the noise abatement officer who just walked by. It sounds great.

Bum deal: Cor, get a load of that tailpipe

Despite the track bias there is a surprising level of comfort. It’s almost Lotus-like in the mastery of noise, vibration and harshness (NVH) as it copes with rough surfaces and manholes. It makes you feel alive.

There is a tingle as you drop into the Recaros and grip the thin alcantara enveloped steering wheel. It has electric power steering but the technology is getting better and it’s pretty precise. A red flash on the rim reminds you which way up is. Controls fall well to hand; there is a proper gear lever and handbrake. Six speeds with a good notched feel – none of those paddle thingies. And no, the bright red seatbelts are not childish. Not a bit.

Cabin: Sporty enough to keep everyone happy

The track-day denizens at whom this is aimed will love the telemetry. You’ll note that all the in-car pictures here are taken from the passenger seat and, really, you do need a passenger to operate the computer as there are so many menus under the “RS Monitor” option. It will show torque, power, turbo pressure, throttle setting, G-forces. There's also a stop-watch which will do lap times – something most track driving days prohibit.

The rest of the consumer electronics side is pretty good. The increased horsepower under the bonnet must be reflected in increased processing power behind the dashboard because while the Renault Captur we looked at struggled with processing the voice recognition the Megane Trophy had no such problems.

The stats are good: a light 1998cc; four cylinder inline engine with turbo; 275bhp; 266lb ft; 37.7mpg; 174g/km CO2; 0-62mph in 6.0secs; top speed a quoted 158mph; 1376kg overall weight.

Engine: 275hp, 266lb ft, 37mpg... or just read the paragraph above

It’s priced from £28,930 but the yellow paint job is another £500, trick Olins suspension £2,000 and Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 tyres at an extra £1,000.

For something so hot the 275 Trophy is amazingly liveable with. The boot is decent – not having four wheel drive has some benefits – and you don’t have to have it in shouty yellow. Although you’d be a fool not to. ®

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