Megane RS 280 - how to tell Sport from Cup

[sosidge]

As title really, how can you tell the chassis spec of a 280 Megane?

I suppose a visual hint is the alloys - 19s for a Cup - but I've seen "Sport" chassis cars advertised that have 19s, and "Cup" cars advertised that have 18s!

Is there a plaque or something in the car that makes the factory suspension spec clear?

[Unlight]

As far as I know, cup chassis gives red coloured brembos.

[The Rotrex Kid]

Unlight said:

As far as I know, cup chassis gives red coloured brembos.

This.

[sosidge]

Well that's interesting... it means that of the 20-odd Megane 280s currently on Autotrader, only ONE has the (standard) Sport chassis. And it's in Sunderland. Which means that most of the cars listed as having a Sport chassis are mis-described.

Looks like my chances of comparing a Sport chassis car to a Cup chassis car are close to zero. Which is a shame, because the reviews suggest the Sport is a better all-rounder.

[The Rotrex Kid]

The Cup really isn't that bad TBH and it doesn't surprise me that most have Cup. Its better for resale and as a drivers car it suits the car better IMO.

[HarveyMushmanDC2]

Red calipers are the only visible sign of the Cup chassis.
18" wheels were standard on both Cup and Sport chassis, 19" in all black or black/diamond cut optional . 19" with red highlights standard on the Trophy.
At launch Cup was free option for a while which probably helped take up.
The Cup chassis isn't anywhere near as unforgiving on these Megane's as it was/is on the lauded Clio RS200 Cup.
As always, try one (with tyres properly inflated) and see what you think, its probably not like you imagine based on some reviews.

[stevero]

Agree about the Red Brembos. I bought an RS280 pre-registered with 20 odd miles from a dealer who had bought 5 from Renault when they couldn't sell them during lockdown. He asked the same question and they told him the Red Brembos. I too probably would not have gone for the Cup chassis other than for resale and initially did find it hard, unforgiving and jiggly - more the consequence of our much neglected roads than anything. But I love the car now and it reminds me of my favourite previous motor, an R32 I kept for 5 years. So planted. Way better than a 285 bhp Cupra S I only kept for 9 months. Drove it on proper roads in France last summer and it was awesome, hard chassis forgotten. Can see my self keeping the car for ages and still find the Flame Red paintwork stunning. A top motor

[framerateuk]

Ride wise, yes it's quite hard. But it's definitely softer than the Clio 220 Trophy I had before, but maybe a smidge harder than my old 250 Cup.

What I will say is that when you're pushing harder, it rides over the rougher roads quite a bit smoother than my old 250 Cup. The 220T had a similar feeling and I put it down to the hydraulic bump stops fitted to both of these models. I can't help think it would probably ride a bit nicer on 18's, but it's not teeth shattering by any means.

Red calipers are the things to watch out for, some 280s will have the Bi Material brakes too (this was standard on the Trophy), so look out for the separate bells/rotors on the discs. I can't imagine many/any non-cup cars had those specced.