Auto Express – July 30, 2019

82 SpecialIssue http://www.autoexpress.co.uk

ROADTESTS RenaultMéganeR.S.vsHondaCivicTypeR

2 nd Renault Mégane

Great-handling R.S.Trophycan’t quitematch the ability of Honda’s versatile hothatchback

RENAULT’STrophybadgepreviouslyreferred
tohighlyfocusedvariantsofitshothatches,
butinrecentyearsithasmorphedintomoreofa
marketingterm.Despitehavingalittlemorepower,
thisMéganeR.S.TrophyusesthesameCupchassis
that’savailableasanoptiononthestandardmodel,
ratherthanthebespokeset-uponolderTrophycars.
That’snottosayitisn’tafocusedandexcitinghot
hatch,butjustthatit’smoreofatrimlevelthanan
overhauledmodelwithahardcorenewsuspension
set-up;that’sgoingtocomewiththeTrophy-Rcar
that’sjusttakentheTypeR’sNürburgringlaprecord.
AllofthecoreMéganeR.S.partsremain,most
notablythe4Controlfour-wheelsteering.Thereare
cleverhydraulicbumpstopsonthesuspension,and
theTrophycomeswithbiggerbrakes,uniquerims
andanewexhaust,aswellasmorepowerfromthe
1.8-litreturboengine.There’snow296bhponoffer.
Four-wheelsteeringgivestheMéganeacharacter
ofitsownincorners.Ittakesalittlewhiletogetused
tothespeedofthesteering:it’slessthanyouexpect
becausetherearwheelsturntheoppositewayto
thefrontsbelow37mph(or62mphinRacemode).
Butasyougetusedtothechassis,itsincredible
agilitybecomesmoreapparent.However,itnever
feelsasnaturalorascomposedastheCivicTypeR’s.
Thefour-wheelsteeringgivesalevelofagilitythat
caninitiallytakeyoubysurprise,butonceyouget
usedtoit,youcanturntheR.S.intoanapexat
impressivespeedandwithrealcommitment.
Thenicesteeringweightreallyhelps,too,soit’s
easytogetanenjoyableflowthroughbends.
Whilethesteeringset-upisstillsometimesa
littleinconsistent,thehydraulicbumpstopsare
worthmentioning.Onceyou’reuptohighspeed,
thesehelpdampentheimpactsfromanyharsh
bumps.Theyworkverywellwiththereallynicely
configureddamping,andonbumpyB-roadsthe
Méganeisverywellcontrolled.Infact,it’smuch
morecomfortableherethanitisanywhereelse,
becausewithoutalotofenergygoingthroughthe
suspensionitfeelsfirmoverpoorsurfacesatlower
speedanddoesn’tquitehavetheTypeR’sbroad
spreadofabilitywhenitcomestoride.TheHonda’s
dampersmeanit’sgreatinbothsituations.
TheRenaultwasquickerinour0-60mphtest
thantheHondabyonetenthofasecond,butit
fellbehindtheballisticTypeRinallofourother
performancemeasurements.TheRenaultisstill
veryentertaininginastraightline,though,because
itsenginehasagreatinductionnoteatlowrevs
andtheexhaustismorevocalthantheTypeR’s
asyoupushthemotorharder.

VERDICT★★★★★

THE upgradesonthis Trophyvarianthave

improvedthe Mégane R.S. but nottothe

extent thatitbeats the Type R.The chassis

is superb and it’sone of the best-handling

hothatchesaround, but it doesn’t have

the Honda’s versatility or ultimate ability.

We can’t wait forthe even hotterTrophy-R.

SEATINGRecaro sports

seats mean the R.S.’s driving

position is great. You sit lower

than in the Honda, so visibility

is alittle more compromised,

but it’s not an issue. The

upgraded brakes are strong

and have nice pedal feel. But

thereare ergonomic issues:

the cup-holder position isn’t

greatand it isn’t easytouse

the centralbin due to the

chunky seat side bolsters.The

core of whatmakes asporty

hothatchispresent,though.

ȱȱ 4 L 4 L

ȑȑ 4 L 4 L

ȕȕ 4 L 4 L

score

4.5

score

4.2

score

4.3

DRIVE MODESThereare

plenty of settings to choose

from, with fivedriving

modes, including acustom

one to tailor settings forthe

four-wheel steering, engine

and exhaust.The Type R

has three pre-setmodes.

OPTIONSThe Renault

missessome kit the Honda

has as standard, so youmay

paymorefor options.AEB

costs£400 as part of apack,

lane-departurewarning

£250; and areversing camera

with parking sensorsis£400.

RUNNING COSTS

Thesetwohothatchbackssitin

thesame37percentbracketfor

companycartax,buttheHonda

isabitpricier.TheJapanesecar

willcosthigher-rateearners

£4,831ayear,whiletheFrench

modelcomesinat£4,577.

DRIVING

Theupgradedenginerevswell

andmakesagoodnoise,butit

doesn’tfeelasbrawnyasthe

Honda’s;nordoesthenotchy

gearshiftfeelasmechanically

solid.Tractionisgood,butthe

TypeRclawstheroadharder.

PRACTICALITY

WhiletheHondadoeshave

abiggerbootinitsstandard

configuration,theMéganeis

stillaverypracticalcar.With

therearseatsfoldedthere’s

1,247litresofspace,while

theCivichas1,209litres.