About the Renault Megane R.S. Trophy
Benedict Wilson purchased this Renault Megane R.S. Trophy used for $20,000 (including all on-road costs) in 2021. Benedict Wilson would buy this car again because: “Yes! For all of its minor niggles, it is an amazing car that makes me smile each and every drive. A used Megane RS is a lot of car for not a lot of money. My next car will be more practical, however this car is unbeatable for the purposes of going fast and having fun. I also like the quirkiness of the Megane, and the fact that a lot of Megane RS drivers wave at each other out in the wild.”
How reliable has your car been? Tell us about any issues.
My car has never let me down. It has always got me to where I needed, even after being thrashed on track.
My one poor experience is realistically a consequence of my own actions. I decided that it was satisfactory to flush my brake and clutch fluid only after a track day, and not before (given I was just going to cook it anyway on track…). This resulted in a very short track day as cut short by a sticking clutch pedal (a common flaw in third-gen Meganes due to the geometry of the shared clutch and brake reservoir).
More of a worry, however, is an intermittent stability control issue that presented itself after said track day. Dash warnings and rough engine shutdowns begun to occur post track day. Lo and behold, I ignored these problems and they have gone away.
Overall, the car is reliable. It has always been dependable over my 12,000km of ownership.
What do you think of the ownership experience with your car?
This is where things start to fall over. I honestly haven’t interacted with Renault dealers at all so can’t make any comments in that regard. These cars require expensive, specialist servicing.
That’s fine, I knew this before I bought the car. The timing belt and water pump must be changed every four years or 40,000km, and that cost me $2000 through an independent Renault specialist earlier this year.
I do all other servicing myself, and yes, the French car stereotypes are true, but only for some service items.
The car can be a tremendous pain to work on. For example, changing the pollen filter is at least a half day job as it requires removal of the clutch pedal assembly, and a sixth sense to properly navigate the appropriate Torx drive, while lying upside down looking up at the steering column, hanging half-out of the car.
Otherwise, it’s not actually that bad. Brembo brake pads are beautifully simple to change, oil changes are a little bit tight but doable, spark plug changes are easy etc.
Tyres are also not cheap. I expect to pay approximately $1000 for a new set of Michelin PS5 tyres in the coming months. Overall, the car is not cheap to maintain. If you can service it yourself it is fine, however, servicing at a mechanic is not cheap.
I gave this category a six, because in my own DIY capacity servicing is no more expensive than any other car (besides timing belts and major services). If I was to pay for servicing at a workshop, then I would expect similar pricing compared to other Euro cars.
Are you happy with the price and features of your car?
Absolutely yes!
This is a brilliant performance car (as you are about to read) that is available for less than $20,000-$25,000. The value is unmatched, and the car holds its own in terms of features even today, 10 years on from when it was available new.
The cabin is comfortable and still feels modern by today’s standards. The interior plastics are mostly soft touch and feel premium. The interior is overall a very nice place to be. There is unfortunately only one cupholder which is very hard to use due to its location beneath the centre console. Everything in the car still works and feels hard-wearing.
The Trophy+ is the top-spec, so it has all the electric bells and whistles (auto lights, auto wipers, heated/powered driver seat, dual zone climate control, satnav, Bluetooth, cruise control, keyless entry and start, DRLs, moonroof, parking sensors, reverse camera). Everything works as intended.
What do you think of the performance and economy of your car?
This is where it gets exciting. The car is incredible to drive. The car can do 0-100km/h in 5.9s. Its straight-line speed is certainly impressive, but cornering ability is where the car truly shines. The car can corner at simply astonishing rates. I describe it as being able to “eat corners”.
The LSD is incredible and is a huge part of the car’s dynamic prowess. The LSD allows the driver to apply power early in the corner and maintain longitudinal balance on exit. The car has beefy roll bars both at the front and rear, which combined with stiff springs and aggressive damping deliver very little roll and pitch.
With this car, you can bomb into corners at astonishing rates fully expecting to wash out in a sea of understeer. It doesn’t though. It holds on. It does more than hold on in fact, it asks for more, and allows you to apply power far earlier than you expect.
The car is forgiving and approachable for the most-part. Pushing too hard is met with understeer, although the front-heavy mass distribution results in a good portion of liftoff oversteer if one is not careful.
The F4RT motor is a real gem. It is very linear in its power delivery and provides bulk torque down low in the rev range. The car has shift lights, and audibly beeps when you should shift up. The gear ratios are short, and well-matched to the motor.
The gearbox can be rough until properly up to temperature. The shift action can also feel slack given the long length of the shifter cables.
The brakes are very strong, and don’t fade (even when stock). The steering is direct and analogue, providing excellent feedback and linearity. The pedals are spaced perfectly for heel and toe action.
I average 8.5L/100km/h when driven sensibly, pretty incredible for a 10 year-old performance car with approximately 200kW. It requires minimum 95 RON (and throttle response is noticeable better with 98 RON).
The car has a standard tune of 250hp until one engages sport mode (pop and crackle mode), which results in alteration to the ECU map to achieve 265hp.
This ECU variation also changes the throttle pedal profile to a form that is arguably too aggressive for the road. Putting the car into its track mode switches off all electronic assistance. Track mode is an incredible, raw experience that really highlights how capable the car is. It is little wonder that this car was once the FWD Nürburgring record holder.
Overall, this car is incredibly capable straight out of the box, in stock form.
What do you think of the technology in your car?
The technology in the car is good even by today’s standards.
The stock speakers are admittedly a little rubbish, but a centre resonator delete provides a better soundtrack than any sound system however.
The infotainment system is great for a decade-old system. I do wish it was a touchscreen interface, but it is perfectly usable and intuitive. Bluetooth connections are fast and reliable. The infotainment system did used to brick itself for several days at a time – it did this maybe three times. This was resolved in most instances by the removal and re-insertion of the SD card.
There was one particular drive from Sydney to Newcastle where this didn’t solve the problem however… it was a long drive with no music. Updating the software of the infotainment unit by SD card download did solve this issue (I would recommend any future owners purchase the Tom Tom annual license and update the inbuilt maps and software).
There is no active safety tech, but it has all the airbags one could require.
What do you think of the ride comfort and handling of your car?
I won’t lie. On the road in an everyday situation, the car is very harsh. The aforementioned damping/ spring setup result in a lot of swearing when a large bump in the road is sighted.
The clutch is heavy and requires a lot of control to avoid jerkiness, and the steering is heavy. None of these things are a problem if you enjoy driving (which I certainly do), but one needs to be aware that while the car is a perfectly functional daily-driver, there is a price to pay.
This car is a hyper-focused performance car and the score I gave in this category reflects such dynamic merit, rather than day to day comfort. If you are prepared to live with its aggression, it is an amazing car. Again, it is perfectly liveable day to day. I make day to day driving sound horrendous. It isn’t. I have driven this car on several regional road trips, and realistically it is quite passable.
The car was quiet before I had my exhaust modification completed. Even now however, it is quite acceptable for a daily-driver. Road and wind noise are low.
Do you have any additional comments about your car?
This car is not without its flaws. Everything it sets out to achieve is based on the sole aim of going fast around a track, at all costs. It’s two door profile can be impractical, but this design choice is again a product of the demand for speed, delivering a chassis stiffness that yields dynamic ability.
If you can appreciate the sheer capability of this car, it is not a chore to drive everyday, rather it is an honour. I am smitten with this car. It isn’t for everyone, but for anyone who loves to drive, and has a true appreciation for the technical/dynamic ability of a proper driver’s car, then this is the car for you.
Keyword: 2012 Renault Megane R.S. Trophy RS 265 Trophy+ owner review