Renault Megane RS300 Trophy review

The hot hatch segment is a crowded one. You have Japanese icons, Korean upstarts, and a brand-new Golf GTI all competing for your attention. If you want to stand out from the crowd you will need quite the party piece – which puts the Renault Megane RS in a tricky situation.

Revealed at the 2017 Frankfurt Motor Show, the model has been updated for ’21 and the local Australian range whittled down to just a single variant. Almost four years since its release, the French hot hatch’s four-wheel steer system remains unique in the segment, but you’d be stretching to call its MY21 tweaks anything more than mild.

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New for 2021 is a larger 9.3-inch central infotainment screen, 10-inch digital instrument cluster, shark-fin roof antenna, and low-speed emergency braking. As a result, prices have jumped by just $500. Not a bad deal considering the boost in equipment, but with a near-enough $57K sticker price the self-shifting Megane RS300 will cost you a premium compared to mainstream rivals like the Hyundai i30 N. Both new screens are clear and responsive, and the increase in size for the central unit is a boost.

Inside the cabin of the Megane are plenty of slick materials, with leather and Alcantara on the steering wheel, as well as on the wonderfully supportive and comfortable bucket seats. But while there are positives, there are also some downsides – the biggest of which is the hard plastics that can still be found in plenty of places around the dash area.

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The Megane is ultra-responsive and when the Bridgestone rubber heats up you have plenty of grip to take full advantage of

Among the stranger ergonomic quirks are the paddle shifters, which are column-mounted. Traditionally this wouldn’t be too bad, but Renault seems to have only fitted half a paddle to accommodate the media controls that are hidden behind the wheel. This means that when applying even small amounts of lock your hands move frustratingly out of reach from one of the two paddles.

Renault’s engineers have left the performance credentials of the Megane RS unchanged, leaving the more focused variant as the only one available to buy in Australia. No longer can Aussies opt for the ‘Sport’ chassis, with the Megane RS300 Trophy having a stiffer ‘Cup’ setup.

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That means the only RS offered locally has stiffer springs, dampers and anti-roll bars as standard, more performance-focused rubber at all four corners, and the driver’s seat has been lowered by 20mm. There is also an active sports exhaust system and new-look alloy wheels, which sit in front of upgraded slotted brake discs that shed 1.8kg of weight from each side of the front axle.

Less choice is never a good thing, and in the ever-developing hot hatch segment, is it enough to stay competitive?

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Positively, by leaving the mechanicals the same, it means you get the same hearty 1.8-litre turbocharged four-cylinder engine, which in this ‘RS300’ guise produces 221kW and 420Nm. The extra kilowatts are thanks to a ceramic ball-bearing turbo lifted from the more hardcore Trophy-R, while opting for the six-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission means you are afforded 20Nm over the three-pedal set-up.

Those outputs are bang on in terms of what is useable in the real world, particularly with two driven wheels. There’s plenty of power on tap, and there are few instances in the RS300 where you are left wanting for more forward thrust.

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You also get a Torsen limited-slip differential on the front axle as standard. By using a pair of proper mechanical gears to shift torque between the front wheels instead of relying on electronics, the Megane RS generally deploys power cleanly on corner exit.

This is aided by the dual-axis front hubs, which separate the steering and suspension systems within the front knuckle design to reduce torque steer. A torsion beam rear suspension system remains for the rear axle.

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As a result of dual-axis hubs, you get plenty of confidence from the front end of the Megane as you apply power at corner exit. That’s not to say torque steer is completely eliminated. If you’re particularly hard on the tools or the surface is damp, you’ll still encounter it, much like you would in any other car. But it’s been largely vanquished from the everyday driving experience.

The steering remains pin-sharp and the off-centre accuracy is sublime. Combined with its firm damping, the Megane is ultra-responsive and when the Bridgestone rubber heats up you have plenty of grip to take full advantage of.

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It’s not just the Megane’s front end doing all the heavy lifting, with the four-wheel steering system assisting from the rear – though at times without a net benefit.

For the uninitiated, the rear wheels turn in the opposite direction to the fronts through slow bends, helping increase agility. When you go faster the system then switches so it turns the rear wheels in the same direction as the fronts to boost stability.

There is a distinct swap-over point where the rear wheels transition between the two settings, ranging between 60km/h and 100km/h depending on the driving mode.

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However, the four-wheel steering, while a unique factor, gets in the way of the fun somewhat. We know what it’s meant to do, and we can feel it working, but the transition between boosting agility and stability is hard to predict unless you have a third eye focused on the speedo.

It becomes a bit of a guessing game on corner entry, where you need to apply a very small initial input, understand which rear steering setting you have, and then apply the rest of your lock accordingly.

Despite its good intentions, the rear-steer system spoils any chance of finding a true, meaningful connection with the Megane. When the rear wheels steer the opposite way to the front, the back end is eager to help rotate the car and if you aren’t prepared it could catch you by surprise.

The Trophy can either suddenly turn in too fast, or delay its rotation, requiring you to either slow or hurry steering inputs to compensate.

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The Cup chassis remains firm. Its ride is brittle, with the Megane skipping over bumps in the road – a daily driver this is not. However, the primary body control is welcomed in the bends, with the taut chassis cornering flat when hustled hard.

Renault has fitted the Megane RS with hydraulic bump stops, which it says are like dampers within dampers.

The system is meant to slow down fast compressions but, from our experience they aren’t a like-for-like replacement for adaptive dampers, which are disappointingly lacking from the spec sheet. Their omission means the RS300 Trophy has a one-size-fits-all suspension tune with a narrow window of operation.

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In terms of exterior design, Renault has found and maintained a sweet spot with the Megane RS. You get pumped arches and a slightly aggro rear diffuser but without the flashy large addenda and wings of some competitors. Choose a more sober colour and this is a hot hatch you can drive to a business meeting without being entirely embarrassed.

It’s no exaggeration to say Australians are spoiled for choice when it comes to hot hatches. While the Honda Civic Type R still reigns supreme, there are several convincing models depending on your preferences.

In its attempt to stand out from the crowd, Renault has introduced a dynamic variable that makes its first impression a touch harder to gel with – and that could be all it takes for a customer choose a rival.

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If you want to add a hot hatch to your garage, while we wouldn’t rank the Megane RS as best-in-class, it is worth your time to consider. The engine feels racy, and the sports exhaust makes all the right noises, while the front end is an excellent example of what is possible with modern differentials and suspension design.

However, the Cup chassis is seriously firm, and while that might be great on a smooth circuit, in the real world it can be a tad tiring. Additionally, the four-wheel steering makes a better case for itself in the showroom than it does in the real world.

We are glad the Renault Megane RS exists, even in this form. In many ways, it is a compelling example of modern front-drive performance, and its mature styling makes it a refined visual alternative to more youthful rivals.

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Renault Megane RS300 Trophy specifications