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Drive Thru: Renault Megane RS 265 Trophy 808

Renault Megane RS 265 Trophy 808

If people keep telling you how good something is, when you eventually get to sample it for yourself, you naturally start hunting for flaws. In this case, we’re talking about the Renault Megane RS 265; specifically the Trophy 808 edition.

Motoring press the world over cannot seem to heap enough praise on the pugnaciously styled Megane hot hatch. The look is very much a love or hate proposition. But after driving the RS 265 for myself, I could only come to one conclusion; I loved it! I tried really hard to disprove the general consensus and, aside from a few minor gripes, I ended up falling in line with the crowd.

So, what makes the Megane RS 265 so damn good? It all starts when you sit behind the wheel. The seating position is close to perfect. Helped, of course, by the Recaro seats that are standard in the Trophy 808. The pedal placement is actually perfect; anyone should be able to heel and toe in this car.

There are some faults inside the cabin. Namely some of the controls and stalks are hard to see and difficult to use. Although, I’m sure such gripes would be overcome with long term ownership.

Around town… you know what, let’s forget about city commuting for the moment. You’re probably not interested in that anyway, and who can blame you.

Renault Megane RS 265 Trophy 808

Renault Megane RS 265 Trophy 808

Renault Megane RS 265 Trophy 808

Let’s start with some praise that ensures we can deliver hyperbole with the best motoring hacks in the world. In dry conditions, on a mountain road, I can’t think of any situation that would unsettle the Megane RS 265. It is one of the most neutral and pure handling front-wheel drive cars that’s ever been made. It has a level of composure, balance and inherent grip that inspires confidence whatever the road ahead throws up.

A tight corner? Just chuck it in, as hard as you like, and marvel at how a car with 195kW/360Nm ripping at its front wheels can do exactly what you ask of it. Even better if you have a series of fast flowing corners, because then you’ll be amazed at the Megane’s ability to change direction. Its response is immediate, thanks in part to its near perfect steering, and all the while that balance and composure is present.

I was pleasantly surprised at how stable and sure-footed the RS 265 was through fast sweepers as well. Within reason, of course, the harder you push the greater the rewards. Again, with its balance, you can easily build speed through a flowing corner in a way that almost defies logic.

Much of the Megane’s delights are down to the wizards at Renault Sport who have gifted this car a sublime suspension tune. The ride quality is very, very good when you’re really hooking in. No matter the road surface; there’s no skipping if it gets unsettled mid-corner. The combination of steering and suspension means you’re getting all the feedback you could ask for. You won’t be surprised to learn that feedback is delivered with immediate effect, too.

Renault Megane RS 265 Trophy 808

Renault Megane RS 265 Trophy 808

Being a turbo four-pot you can’t expect to be granted with a induction sound or exhaust note that you’d want to hear forever. Yet, the the exhaust system has been tuned to provide a purposeful note with just the right amount of snarling and crackle on overrun.

Despite its very respectable performance stats, the RS 265 doesn’t feel super quick. That’s to say, thanks to its linear power delivery, there’s never a huge burst of power that makes you think, wow, that was fast. Where it matters, though, the RS 265 is plenty quick. And that’s through the corners. You probably won’t be winning many standing start shoot outs, but it’ll take a mighty adversary to be nipping at your heels through the twisty stuff.

It really is a wonderful experience to point the RS 265 at some winding blacktop and let it rip.

Few cars could be described as perfect, and while the Megane makes you think pretty hard about bestowing the ultimate accolade, it is no exception.

I encountered three minor niggles and I’ll start with the least annoying. There’s a slightly awkward feel to the throttle pedal. It’s almost as if it has a couple of stages of resistance. It’s nothing major, but it’s a slightly artificial feel that is at odds with the rest of the car.

Thankfully, Renault has resisted the double-clutch transmission craze, for now. Alas, there are better 6-speed manual gearboxes to be found than the one in the RS 265; a few in its class, as well. Upshifts are no problem, but downshifts can be a little cumbersome, especially when crossing gates; from fifth to fourth or third to second.

Renault Megane RS 265 Trophy 808

Most surprisingly, it was the brakes that were comfortably the weakest point in my experience. Remembering that the usually first-class boffins from Brembo have been asked to do the stopping duties, I expected better. Some cars are over-assisted at first, but they will carry on stopping (see most Volkswagen Group cars). But not in the RS 265. Some cars, namely the Porsche Cayman R, have poor initial bite, but as you increase the pressure on the pedal the more things are brought back into check. But not in the RS 265.

You’ll be unlikely to get yourself into trouble, unless you really fluff it, but you’ll definitely discover everything the brakes have got to give. Which is a shame, because in every other way you can drive this car at 7/10ths and still have a blast. It’s just that, even with a bit left up your sleeve, you’ll probably have a few moments where you could do with better braking performance.

It would be remiss not to mention torque steer. As noted, there’s up to 360Nm being delivered to those front wheels and, on the limit, I didn’t notice even the slightest trace of torque steer. However, at more gentle speeds, and with half to three quarter throttle applied, there are a few moments where you will feel a slight tug at the wheel. This is not one of my complaints by the way, more an observation worth noting.

Renault Megane RS 265 Trophy 808

So, back to the relatively mundane duty of reporting what the Megane RS 265 would be like as a daily driver. At sensible speeds the car is easy to drive and the vision from the small rear window is surprisingly good. In town, as well, the ride quality provides no cause for complaint. It’s a Renault Sport Megane, remember, so you’ve left any desire for a plush ride back at the dealer when you handed over your cash.

The Trophy 808, and a few others in the RS 265 range, come with a feature called Renault Sport Monitor. It’s a smallish screen in the upper dash, with a crude resolution, that provides instantaneous telemetry; oil temp, air intake temp, brake pressure, torque, power and the like. A gimmick for sure, but an incredibly useful one. Likewise the tyre pressure monitor, which provides on-the-fly readings for all four tyres.

Even with the lofty expectations built up by all the positive reviews that have gone before this one, the Renault Megane RS 265 Trophy 808 delivered. I cannot walk away and say, yeah, but it’s just not that good. It is that good.

I can see why a car like the Golf GTI might win a direct comparison, if the terms of reference are broad. The Golf is more practical and has a nicer interior, meaning some would find it a more user-friendly proposition. But if you’re a hot hatch fan—actually, even if you’re not, if you just love driving—you simply have to find a way to get some time behind the wheel of a Megane RS 265.

If that means buying one for yourself, congratulations, you’ve just landed yourself one of the most rewarding cars money can buy.

Further reading

Renault Megane RS 265 Trophy 808

Renault Megane RS 265 Trophy 808
Thanks to owners John and Dianne for the invitation.

41 replies on “Drive Thru: Renault Megane RS 265 Trophy 808”

All is well when the car is running fine, just hope you don’t have to deal with Renault OZ for warranty matters (which is really Nissan) most parts are sent from France which can take between 6-8 weeks (I won’t bore you with all my claims). Parts are diabolical expensive, customer service treats you like you’ve purchased a Nissan Micra… Love the car, but sorry I’m going back to a proper euro manufacture after my warranty runs out.

I came very close to really wanting to like this car, and putting down some hard-earned. As you say, it drives well when spirited driving is possible, but I felt it would be difficult to live with. More seriously, I was concerned about the value for money aspect, especially after a couple of years of ownership. Cat’s comments are not atypical of the Australian ownership experience of a French car, unfortunately 🙁

No complaints about my RS Megane experience so far. The car is epically good on the right road and just gets better the deeper you dig. On a really tight road, I can’t think of very many cars that could stay with it. It’s ability to put power down out of tight corners boggles the mind. Probably the only powerful front-wheel drive car I’ve ever driven where you can actually be hard on the power before the apex.

I’m really surprised at the comments regarding the brakes though. Yeah…you can find their limits on a track braking repeatedly from 200+kph, but on a road? I really don’t see how its possible and I suspect that the test car may have had problems.

My only complaint it the tyre life. The car eats it’s expensive rubber and even with tyre rotations, keen drivers are going to struggle to get 20,000km out of a set…the replacement cost of which will be in the order of $1.5k-$2k (you ain’t going to put crappy tyre on one of these). Shop around for the dealer too. Many Renault dealers don’t have a clue about the sort of treatment buyers of $50k+ cars kind of expect.

Re: RBH,

I understand that the car “tested” by Ausmotive had approximately 500km on the odometer at the time, hopefully there wasn’t/isn’t an issue with the Brembos. I also understand that the 8:08 was tested back to back with a standard BMW 1M, perhaps the braking performance, or lack thereof, of the 8:08 was highlighted by the relative higher 1M braking prowess, anyways….

Very nice write up Lima. Good to see the blissful roads near AUSmotive HQ are being used for the right purposes – not burnouts!! 😉

Fair enough Alpine, but this is the only roadtest I’ve read that has been critical of the Megane’s brakes and that includes roadtests that have included track sessions. I got them to start to fade (a bit) after about 6 successive hot laps at Sandown braking from from around 200kph. At road speeds I’ve never experienced even the slightest amount of fade. Now….ask me about build quality and the quality of the cabin materials and the cabin ergonomics, and I’ll be quite a bit less complimentary. But if that’s at the top of your priorities, buy a Golf.

@RBH58 I wouldn’t let my experience with the brakes put me off buying an RS265 if was to consider doing so. I’d say they stood out, to me, so much because the rest of the package was so good.

Nice writeup Liam. A couple of weeks ago I had a quick steer in a 265. I didn’t really get much of a chance to push it, but even as a daily driver (Shannons Insurance: “The car you drive every day” – no shit hey) it felt pretty good. The only thing I really noticed was the on/off clutch (very similar to the Scirocco R actually), but you’d get used to that easily enough.

Were I not heading to Europe for 3 months I’d probably be in an 8:08 right now, but as is I’ll just have to book a Megane for the Nurburgring 🙂

As good as the Renault 265 is,I think that on tight and twisty stuff a Clio 197/200 has a more involving feel and is probably a bit quicker, as with less weight to move.Sure once the road opens up the 265 will be gone.

I’ve also got a white 265 8:08. It just makes me grin just getting into it. Best car I’ve ever owned.

@Graeme – Having chased a well driven RS200 I can say that it can certainly hold its own….but it didn’t get away from my RS250 on the Reefton & Black Spurs and I had better hook up out of corners than him (due to the Megane’s LSD more than likely). Is the Clio a purer and more involving drive than the Megane? Probably.

Interesting to read thoughts of a few Megane owners. Reviews can’t always give you the long term view. Hopefully a few more owners chime in.

Sounds like a very good package.

I just wish Renault would be ballsy enough to bring into aus a R26R version, if they build one of course. Roll cage, plastic windows, CF bonnet and a gutted interior, that would be great.

Great car, and good to see the French continuing to give us something different from the golf clones.

Great write up too.

@Alpine – They may do an RS265R(?) at the end of the Megane 3’s life, but cars like that have a very limited market because they are (just about) purely track cars. I’d rather see them do that though, than engage in a rather pointless FWD power war. I suspect that we are truly testing the limits of FWD now and I’d rather see manufacturers dropping weight than building 400+hp FWD’s and trying to make them work with hoards of electronic trickery corrupting everything. 400+hp “hot hatches” are sort of missing the point in my opinion. The great thing about the Megane is that it still feels analog and mechanical, and, with respect to the traction/stability control, “off means off” and the car is even more alive and fun with them off. It doesn’t have to rely on electronics to manage its power output and keep everything under control.

@Tank – Drive one…on a tight road or a track. Hot hatches have a place in the motoring world.

Ausmotive, can you please be one of the few publication in the world to do a back to back test between the king of fwd hot hatch and the king of rwd hot hatch (well 1 series is the only rwd hatch anyway). Thanks!

@Tank The RS 265 is the most un-fwd fwd I’ve ever driven. I suspect that may be different if it was wet, but in the dry, anyway, it was pretty special.

Oh, regarding Megane v Clio comparisons, I’ve only had a very brief drive in a Clio 200. It was clear early on that it had great steering feel too, but I would say my initial impressions would be in the Megane’s favour. But, as I said, it was only a brief drive in the Clio, and wasn’t enough to form a solid view.

@WAY he actually B2Bed the best RWD for the money with the Megane, perhaps Ausmotive may want to expand on the extended comparo?

Indeed!

The 1M creates more drama and warrants more concentration. As such it probably gives more satisfaction when you get it right.

The RS 265 gives heaps of raw thrills, like the 1M, but it’s a bit easier to get them in the Renault. Its steering was a bit crisper and the ride a bit better suited to mountain roads too.

In my mind the RS 265 stacked up very well. But I think the 1M would have more dimensions to it as a long term proposition.

I’d own either very happily. On my budget that would be a win for the Renault, haha.

Liam,

With regards to the brakes, if the megane really did only have 500km on the clock then you probably experienced “green fade”. This can happen with brand new pads the first time they get really really hot. The resins and material in the pad vents from the pad, and creates a little layer of gas between the pad and the disc, which reduces friction and causes poor braking performance. Usually it only lasts for a few applications and then goes away.

It tends not to happen as much on pads that have been bedded in, or on pads that have driven a lot before being thrashed for the first time.

How about you compare just a budget RWD 😉
Can I stir the pot and say that isn’t the Toyota 86/ Subaru BRZ the best RWD 😉

(bias opinion here :D)

Scott, my drive of the BRZ tells me that it is the best RWD car if you are into drifting! Lol. That thing is the most rear happy car I have driven in awhile. I am guessing the tyres has everything to do with it though.

@WAY – Seems that the 86/BRZ has been engineered for fun, not outright pace, and putting not particularly grippy tyres on it has been done for that reason. Put better tyres on it and the lack of power will probably ruin the “fun factor”. I’m looking forward to the inevitable turbo version of the 86/BRZ. 1200kgs/200kw at RS265 money? That’ll be something that should give the RS265 some trouble in the bang-for-your-buck stakes.

@Liam – Go drive one 😉 Happy for you to fly up here and give it a burn!

@Way, yes the 86 gets a little bit tail happy but that adds to the fun… if you want grip add gripper tyres.. or just don’t smash throttle through the whole corner.

I’ve had my RS 10 plate for 2 years and have had problem after problem especially with the electrics. I would say It has gone back to Renault over ten times. The customer care is diabolical and I can safely say this will be the 1st and last Renault I buy. Things that have gone wrong…. Plastic and metal caps corroded onto valves, seat sensor stopped working, clicking noise when doing 3 point turn, few ova things. Now got noises when pulling away and when going over bumps. NOT a happy customer. Rob Payne customer relations manager what a joker.

Have to say that my experience with my Megane 265 Cup has been all positive.

The car hauls ass, corners like a cat on carpet and brakes so hard that it tears the stones right out of the Tarmac. No rattles, no squeaks, no electrical issues; actually nothing at all has gone wrong or detracted from the ownership experience.

The only thing that I can criticise is the horn which sounds tinny where it really should be more fruity.

The one qualification is that when I purchased the car I made sure to bed the brakes in by following the guidelines on the Brembo website. If you don’t do that then your asking for trouble later on.

For anyone contemplating one of these cars all I can say is do it. It’s got about 1000% more character than a Gti and can keep up with cars costing 4 times the price. Sure it has some Galic idiosyncrasies but I love that.

I am now driving my second MeganeRS.
I started with a 2011 RS250 Cup and now drive a RS265 Trophy. Best performance car I have ever owned. Better as an all round car than the Boxster S I had a few years back. My next Megane will be the Red Bull model that is available at the time im due to change.
Awesome Car.
Regards
MiCk.

Saw the new RB9 special today, nice in blue with the decals, won’t buy anther one again though.

Did buy another one lol

Great car in this configuration, 275 Trophy R, raw and uncompromising, sounds horn and sticks like glue, when the semi slick heat up.

Maybe Ausmotive had better get their stuff together and organise a “drive thru” on a Trophy R, given the interest here it may be good value, perhaps throw in a Golf R manual for good measure 😉

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