Each week our team of experienced senior road testers pick out a new model from the world of innovative, premium and performance badges, and put it through its paces.
AUG 29th 2016
The Goodwood Test: Megane Renaultsport 275 Cup‑S
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Heritage
Thanks to Renault Sport, its passionate and fiercely independent motorsport and performance division, Renault's run of form in the hot hatch realm is the envy of many. The latest Clio 200 shows a change of direction and attempt to appeal to a broader range of buyers, not just the enthusiasts who've bought Renault Sport product in the past. As such it's faced an uphill struggle, its Mégane big brother carrying the torch for the hardcore, driver-focused character that has entranced many. Not long for this world, the Mégane Renaultsport is bowing out with a lightly updated range comprising 275 Cup-S and 275 Nav. Here we drive the Cup-S, the more hardcore of the two and truest to the values we've learned to love so much.
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Design
With most rivals like the Golf GTI, Honda Civic Type R and Ford Focus RS now coming as practical five-door cars the Mégane's more singular coupe-like stance stands out. And informs much about the driving experience. The Mégane isn't attempting to be a family car with ideas above its station. This is an out-and-out thrill machine, focused entirely on delivering the most intense driving experience this side of GT3 Porsches. The interior is showing its age a little but with the optional Recaro seats, perfect driving position and superbly positioned controls its obsession on delivering the ultimate driving experience is unwavering. We'd probably pass on the ugly, kerb hungry 19-inch wheels though.
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Performance
275hp in the modern hot hatch market leaves the Mégane seeming a little out-gunned, a suspicion underlined if you're the type to obsess over 0-62 times and other stat-based comparisons. That would be missing the point though and over a 13-mile lap of the Nurburgring the Trophy-R version of this car is up there with far more powerful rivals. Indeed, Renault is the only one to offer customers the exact spec of its 'ring lap record car, retaining moral high ground over the faster Civic Type R and Golf GTI Clubsport. The reason it's still so fast? Feel. There's no gimmickry here, just a classic balance of a pointy front end, throttle adjustable rear and superb damping from the optional Ohlins Road&Track set-up.
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Passion
There are few cars on sale at any price point as attuned to purist drivers as the Mégane Renault Sport and this 275 Cup-S is a fitting swansong to a type of car we'll likely never see again. Truly, for the enthusiast driver this is the high water mark of the hot hatch, the Mégane's poise, agility and adjustability far more rewarding than the firepower or crowd pleasing antics of heavier, more complex modern alternatives like the Ford Focus RS, Golf R or Honda Civic Type R. Its narrow focus means it's not for everyone - it's maximum attack or nothing in the Megane - but for those who appreciate its talents it's a bittersweet moment to realise it's the last of its type. Get one while you can.
Price tag of our car – £32,555 including £8,620 of optional extras
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