Megane RS275 Trophy - will I like it
Discussion
I have always had an interest in these cars. I have a clio 182 track car and at some point I am sure I may upgrade to a r26 or mk3 megane if I don't end up down the RWD route.
Anyway
I am getting rid of my daily (Z4Coupe 3.0si) which I am pretty border of now.
At a recent trackday at Bedford someone was running a facelift mk3 megane in liquid yellow and I pretty much fell in love with the colour and the look of the car.
From everyone I have spoken to they would seem like the perfect daily. But I keep asking myself if I would really enjoy living with one?
I know there is much more to a car than 0-60 but the 6.0 second time is really bothering me. A lot of newer (and older) FWD cars manage faster than that. My Z4 is quicker and my previous Z4 which was a Z4M was obviously much quicker.
So I guess I have 2 questions for people who own these, or, tbf, any mk3 megane RS ...
1. Does that 0-60 time bother you in the real world - I am specifically interested in people who own or have owned much quicker cars
2. Does an RS Tuning Remap just totally transform it? I see it is very easy to safely add a decent lump of power on these cars
Cheers
Anyway
I am getting rid of my daily (Z4Coupe 3.0si) which I am pretty border of now.
At a recent trackday at Bedford someone was running a facelift mk3 megane in liquid yellow and I pretty much fell in love with the colour and the look of the car.
From everyone I have spoken to they would seem like the perfect daily. But I keep asking myself if I would really enjoy living with one?
I know there is much more to a car than 0-60 but the 6.0 second time is really bothering me. A lot of newer (and older) FWD cars manage faster than that. My Z4 is quicker and my previous Z4 which was a Z4M was obviously much quicker.
So I guess I have 2 questions for people who own these, or, tbf, any mk3 megane RS ...
1. Does that 0-60 time bother you in the real world - I am specifically interested in people who own or have owned much quicker cars
2. Does an RS Tuning Remap just totally transform it? I see it is very easy to safely add a decent lump of power on these cars
Cheers
Would not bother about 0-60 time at all it will leave behind most cars on UK roads costing 2-3-4 times as much due to how good the traction is!
Tuning would not bother initially you will struggle to find decent enough roads for the std map let alone more power!
Your only concern should be finding a liquid yellow 275 there are not many up for sale when there are they sell quickly.
Autotrader have a couple of decent models but the hefty price reflects that!
KTR are selling one right now which is already tuned & an absolute bargain considering how much its had done to it. Do not wait around the car will be sold quickly!
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202108276...
This one is White + Red £28K!!
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202107155...
Tbh for that kind of money I would think about an RS280 as only a few K more yet next level engine & transmission so faster overall.
Tuning would not bother initially you will struggle to find decent enough roads for the std map let alone more power!
Your only concern should be finding a liquid yellow 275 there are not many up for sale when there are they sell quickly.
Autotrader have a couple of decent models but the hefty price reflects that!
KTR are selling one right now which is already tuned & an absolute bargain considering how much its had done to it. Do not wait around the car will be sold quickly!
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202108276...
This one is White + Red £28K!!
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202107155...
Tbh for that kind of money I would think about an RS280 as only a few K more yet next level engine & transmission so faster overall.
RS280 & RS300 are very special get a test drive in one you are not likely to want a 275 anymore!
Not being funny but if you think the Megane RS 280-300 are not special (after driving one) its not the car for you at all look elsewhere at other marques! These are pure drivers cars you will not find anything giving you the same driving experience on UK roads costing less than 2-3 times more!!!
What makes the RS so special is driver engagement & the 1000s of hours of expertise put into it by the RS & F1 division(s). I just bought a new RS Sport 300 (have to wait until early next year due to the global chip shortage). When I had my lengthy test drive on my own in the low mileage 2021 demonstrator I could not believe how much next gen the RS300 is vs the mk3 RS.
EDC auto box is perfect. Very precise & so easy to drive within seconds of stepping into the car. You also get 20NM more than the manual box. I am not an Auto person at all but I will admit this EDC dual clutch box is flawless & very impressive & responsive (flick up or down a gear in manual mode if you must have more precise control).
Engine is a real star so much low down power & torque. When you floor it the power comes in fast & the acceleration is impressive for a 1.8 litre engine. It does not feel fast at all due to how well insulated the cabin now is. Then you look at the speedo, then at the rear mirror & realise just how far away the traffic you were previously near is!!
Brakes are stunning. So much stopping power in a very short distance.
Standard seats are brilliant. They really hug you tightly & are so comfortable I think the optional £1600 Recarros are a complete waste of money as is the sunroof as it adds weight so slows down the car due to the extra metal supports put into the sub frame & takes several weeks longer to get a new one with it installed.
4 Wheel control steering is also stunning (only hatchback in the UK with this feature). Take any corner with ease & this allows you so much more cornering performance & control than ever before.
The styling is also very unique. Once you see the RS4 in the flesh it has a stunning road presence & aggressive stance on the road.
Only downsides I found were:
1: Fuel consumption & tank size. 50L mk4 vs 60L for mk3. When driven hard in race mode mk4 goes 15-20mpg vs mk3 averages around 20mpg when driven as hard as it can go. This means max range is about 250 miles in race mode vs 280-300 miles in comfort mode (way less power is available in comfort but at the flick of a switch you can swap between engine modes on the fly as you drive).
2: RS280-300 Performance is so strong you really need to be very careful as its so easy to go a lot faster than you intended.
You need to look way beyond the spec numbers on paper for the RS280-300 its the way the car feels like a go kart or F1 car with precise dart like handling & rapid acceleration but can also transform into a family runabout with plenty of luggage space & easily carry 4 passengers in relative comfort.
For UK roads there are few cars costing less than 6 figures which will give you the same driving experience!!!
Not being funny but if you think the Megane RS 280-300 are not special (after driving one) its not the car for you at all look elsewhere at other marques! These are pure drivers cars you will not find anything giving you the same driving experience on UK roads costing less than 2-3 times more!!!
What makes the RS so special is driver engagement & the 1000s of hours of expertise put into it by the RS & F1 division(s). I just bought a new RS Sport 300 (have to wait until early next year due to the global chip shortage). When I had my lengthy test drive on my own in the low mileage 2021 demonstrator I could not believe how much next gen the RS300 is vs the mk3 RS.
EDC auto box is perfect. Very precise & so easy to drive within seconds of stepping into the car. You also get 20NM more than the manual box. I am not an Auto person at all but I will admit this EDC dual clutch box is flawless & very impressive & responsive (flick up or down a gear in manual mode if you must have more precise control).
Engine is a real star so much low down power & torque. When you floor it the power comes in fast & the acceleration is impressive for a 1.8 litre engine. It does not feel fast at all due to how well insulated the cabin now is. Then you look at the speedo, then at the rear mirror & realise just how far away the traffic you were previously near is!!
Brakes are stunning. So much stopping power in a very short distance.
Standard seats are brilliant. They really hug you tightly & are so comfortable I think the optional £1600 Recarros are a complete waste of money as is the sunroof as it adds weight so slows down the car due to the extra metal supports put into the sub frame & takes several weeks longer to get a new one with it installed.
4 Wheel control steering is also stunning (only hatchback in the UK with this feature). Take any corner with ease & this allows you so much more cornering performance & control than ever before.
The styling is also very unique. Once you see the RS4 in the flesh it has a stunning road presence & aggressive stance on the road.
Only downsides I found were:
1: Fuel consumption & tank size. 50L mk4 vs 60L for mk3. When driven hard in race mode mk4 goes 15-20mpg vs mk3 averages around 20mpg when driven as hard as it can go. This means max range is about 250 miles in race mode vs 280-300 miles in comfort mode (way less power is available in comfort but at the flick of a switch you can swap between engine modes on the fly as you drive).
2: RS280-300 Performance is so strong you really need to be very careful as its so easy to go a lot faster than you intended.
You need to look way beyond the spec numbers on paper for the RS280-300 its the way the car feels like a go kart or F1 car with precise dart like handling & rapid acceleration but can also transform into a family runabout with plenty of luggage space & easily carry 4 passengers in relative comfort.
For UK roads there are few cars costing less than 6 figures which will give you the same driving experience!!!
Buy this one, and buy it fast before someone else does! https://rsmegane.com/threads/liquid-yellow-trophy-...
They are incredible cars. I owned a 250 for 18 months and now own a 275 Cup-S and there's nothing that comes close. You can't really compare the Mk4 to the Mk3, the Mk3s are so much more fun on the road.
Don't even bother trying to use the 0-60 time as a gauge of how fast these cars feel – the way they accelerate and put the power down is far more exciting than a S3/Golf R/Focus RS etc which on paper are all faster cars.
If you're ever in Kent, I'd be more than happy to take you out in mine.
They are incredible cars. I owned a 250 for 18 months and now own a 275 Cup-S and there's nothing that comes close. You can't really compare the Mk4 to the Mk3, the Mk3s are so much more fun on the road.
Don't even bother trying to use the 0-60 time as a gauge of how fast these cars feel – the way they accelerate and put the power down is far more exciting than a S3/Golf R/Focus RS etc which on paper are all faster cars.
If you're ever in Kent, I'd be more than happy to take you out in mine.
Yes.
Hope that helps.
I bought one in April, liquid yellow, speedlines etc. I'm just missing the Ohlins, which I might get fitted next year. I absolutely love it. The 0-60 time is artificially slow as per other high power hot hatches because it's traction limited off the line. Once it's rolling it's very very quick and the engine just rips to the redline from about 3k. Gear ratios are pretty short also. My mate took it out round our local roads when I first picked it up and was amazed.
Hope that helps.
I bought one in April, liquid yellow, speedlines etc. I'm just missing the Ohlins, which I might get fitted next year. I absolutely love it. The 0-60 time is artificially slow as per other high power hot hatches because it's traction limited off the line. Once it's rolling it's very very quick and the engine just rips to the redline from about 3k. Gear ratios are pretty short also. My mate took it out round our local roads when I first picked it up and was amazed.
Z4MCSL said:
So I've gone and got a car 
Just decided to go for it, have wanted one for ages and it ticks a lot of boxes so Ive just decided to pull the trigger
Congrats! You'll love it. They're equally as quick as most other hot hatches on a roll, Golf R included. Personally I would think carefully about an Rs Tuning remap as the one I has on my 250 was pretty damn transformative in terms of rolling pace, but hunted cambers like a bugger due to the extra torque (330ft lbs +) going through the diff. It wasn't quite as sweet a car as before.Just decided to go for it, have wanted one for ages and it ticks a lot of boxes so Ive just decided to pull the trigger
A 275 is a lovely balance of power and chassis. A mild remap up to circa 300bhp/300 ft lbs is about as far as I'd go with one but I know others disagree.
Looking forwards to the pics.
I had a 265 with an RS tuning remap set to sport mode only. If your car has the RS monitor, you can set the pedals in any way you want in normal / sport and disable traction control separately. Long story short this will essentially allow you to choose between each map with no downsides.
That said I subscribe to the above opinion, with the remap toggled it was sometimes dangerous to overtake at full throttle, so violent was the tramlining. It was too much torque for most track corners and really, other than straight line performance it felt like you had to fight the car - it truly lost the sweet balance you get from standard.
Funnily enough I later downgraded to a 182 for track duty and much prefer the Clio as the far more fun car (imo). That said the Megane is many times faster and more capable, the LSD is amazing and the car is really good on track, if performance matters to you then it is a huge upgrade. My only recommended mod is better pads, brake fluid and perhaps cooling. So long as you run decent tyres you can literally leave all else standard.
0-60 times are kinda irrelevant as these aren't cars you will be launching, in-gear performance is really good and I remember outpacing a Cayman S through a few gears (with the remap enabled).
That said I subscribe to the above opinion, with the remap toggled it was sometimes dangerous to overtake at full throttle, so violent was the tramlining. It was too much torque for most track corners and really, other than straight line performance it felt like you had to fight the car - it truly lost the sweet balance you get from standard.
Funnily enough I later downgraded to a 182 for track duty and much prefer the Clio as the far more fun car (imo). That said the Megane is many times faster and more capable, the LSD is amazing and the car is really good on track, if performance matters to you then it is a huge upgrade. My only recommended mod is better pads, brake fluid and perhaps cooling. So long as you run decent tyres you can literally leave all else standard.
0-60 times are kinda irrelevant as these aren't cars you will be launching, in-gear performance is really good and I remember outpacing a Cayman S through a few gears (with the remap enabled).
Edited by icekay on Wednesday 1st September 22:30
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