Renaultsport Megane Cup S 275
Discussion
TorqueDirty said:
Well just back from the test drive - in typically Biblical Scottish rain.
It was FUN! Been a while since I have a grin on my face whilst driving. Not hugely fast, but easily fast enough - and I'm sure the engine will loosen up once it has a few thousand miles on it. Great steering feel, nice cornering, firm but very competent suspension and a pretty good manual box. Oh and very Yellow which is a good thing. Pops and bangs from the exhaust when it got hot was a childish plus.
I think I have had enough of grown up sports cars for a while. Teetered home in the XRK, crawling round wet roundabouts on full alert for the first signs of it wanting to face the other way or just not bother steering - whilst cosseted in it's beautifully plush cockpit.
To hell with it - I'm going to buy a baseball cap, put it on backwards and piss about in a Yellow Megane Cup-S for a while I think.
Out of interest, are the headligths any good?
TD
Glad you enjoyed it, said before i forgot why I bought it last week as its uneventful and uncomfy plodding about in traffic so took it down some back roads, gave it death and instantly remembered why I got it. No idea what I would have next.It was FUN! Been a while since I have a grin on my face whilst driving. Not hugely fast, but easily fast enough - and I'm sure the engine will loosen up once it has a few thousand miles on it. Great steering feel, nice cornering, firm but very competent suspension and a pretty good manual box. Oh and very Yellow which is a good thing. Pops and bangs from the exhaust when it got hot was a childish plus.
I think I have had enough of grown up sports cars for a while. Teetered home in the XRK, crawling round wet roundabouts on full alert for the first signs of it wanting to face the other way or just not bother steering - whilst cosseted in it's beautifully plush cockpit.
To hell with it - I'm going to buy a baseball cap, put it on backwards and piss about in a Yellow Megane Cup-S for a while I think.
Out of interest, are the headligths any good?
TD
Lights are fine. Not as good as say BMW LEDs are but they do the job. My focus ST cuts a fine line 6 foot in front of the car so at 60mph if there were a deer 7 foot in front of me Id never know it. Not the case with the Megane they are just right.
Are you happy with the seats (assuming its not got the recaros)?
I think next steps for mine are remap and the Akra exhaust from RS tuning but Ill have to wait until next year and check what my insurance will be with them on.
MikeGoodwin said:
Glad you enjoyed it, said before i forgot why I bought it last week as its uneventful and uncomfy plodding about in traffic so took it down some back roads, gave it death and instantly remembered why I got it. No idea what I would have next.
Lights are fine. Not as good as say BMW LEDs are but they do the job. My focus ST cuts a fine line 6 foot in front of the car so at 60mph if there were a deer 7 foot in front of me Id never know it. Not the case with the Megane they are just right.
Are you happy with the seats (assuming its not got the recaros)?
I think next steps for mine are remap and the Akra exhaust from RS tuning but Ill have to wait until next year and check what my insurance will be with them on.
Seats were fine. Nice and supportive and firm enough to suit the car's chassis if that makes sense. Recaros would be nice but they are silly money from what I can see. Only slight issue is that I have quite broad shoulders and the seats are a tad narrow, but I could live with them I reckon.Lights are fine. Not as good as say BMW LEDs are but they do the job. My focus ST cuts a fine line 6 foot in front of the car so at 60mph if there were a deer 7 foot in front of me Id never know it. Not the case with the Megane they are just right.
Are you happy with the seats (assuming its not got the recaros)?
I think next steps for mine are remap and the Akra exhaust from RS tuning but Ill have to wait until next year and check what my insurance will be with them on.
There is another one in the dealer network that has the Recaros and a reversing camera but at north of £28K is it very hard to justify frankly.
Good to hear that the lights are adequate. We had a JCW Cooper S Mini a while ago and it must have had a couple of shagged out glow worms in the light housings instead of bulbs - it was bloody awful!
Still think I should test drive a Golf R as it is the more sensible option but my worry is that it will be a bit too grown up, and as I said earlier I've had enough of being grown up for a while
The only other thing that I did not get a real feel for is the effect of the Sport button. I turned it on and did not notice a huge difference in the performance. That is probably because I was stuck behind a line of codgers for much of the test drive and did not get a real chance to compare the before and after very well.
TD
Sport button adds a bit more power top end and maybe makes the mid range a bit stronger but it also makes the throttle response sharper (a lot sharper) which can be a nuisance in traffic, also opens up a vale in the exhaust (Not sure on the akra) and gives it more pops and bangs.
I would drive the golf as well. Its a better daily for sure and probably more usable given it has a much better mid range and longer gears (with DSG). My main complaint about the Megane is its short ratios (atleast they feel short) and it doesnt really have the mid range grunt of current 4 pot turbo hatches to propel it around without needing to go near the redline.
I know which I would take between the Golf and the Megane (I took the Megane having considered a Golf R) although i sometimes wonder on my daily commute at 10mph under the speed limit if Id of been better off in something else.
I find the recaros arent quite low enough at the back and arent atall comfy. After 2 hours in them I start to consider suicide and after 3.5 hrs in them when I have to go visit family my arse is basically dead beyond ever recovering, I am sure that someone has described them as being medi-evil torture devices. i lift weights and am quite porky and the recaros have sufficient room to hold my 'large frame'. Id prefer pole positions.
I would drive the golf as well. Its a better daily for sure and probably more usable given it has a much better mid range and longer gears (with DSG). My main complaint about the Megane is its short ratios (atleast they feel short) and it doesnt really have the mid range grunt of current 4 pot turbo hatches to propel it around without needing to go near the redline.
I know which I would take between the Golf and the Megane (I took the Megane having considered a Golf R) although i sometimes wonder on my daily commute at 10mph under the speed limit if Id of been better off in something else.
I find the recaros arent quite low enough at the back and arent atall comfy. After 2 hours in them I start to consider suicide and after 3.5 hrs in them when I have to go visit family my arse is basically dead beyond ever recovering, I am sure that someone has described them as being medi-evil torture devices. i lift weights and am quite porky and the recaros have sufficient room to hold my 'large frame'. Id prefer pole positions.
Hmm,
Maybe someone had adjusted the throttle map because it was certainly not manic after I pressed the button. I gather this is possible using the RS monitor thingy. Mind you it only had 16 miles on the clock so perhaps that is not very likely. The Display def said that the sport mode had been turned on - I think!
Guess I had better get off my arse and arrange a test drive of the Golf R as well - if I can find a manual version anywhere.
TD
Maybe someone had adjusted the throttle map because it was certainly not manic after I pressed the button. I gather this is possible using the RS monitor thingy. Mind you it only had 16 miles on the clock so perhaps that is not very likely. The Display def said that the sport mode had been turned on - I think!
Guess I had better get off my arse and arrange a test drive of the Golf R as well - if I can find a manual version anywhere.
TD
foxsasha said:
Mine is grinding on both sides under hard cornering, o/s front wheel is further back in the arch than n/s, car whines and grinds at 40+mph and wanders badly under hard braking. Suspected lower wishbone bush failure. The cars 5 weeks old. It's booked into Renault next week.
Car went into the dealer, dealer couldn't find anything faulty but did say the tracking was out 5mm and aknowledged that the o/s wheel was further back in the arch than the n/s. Picked the car up and the noise at 40+mph has gone and the wheels sat correctly in the arch. Your guess is as good as mine 
Hopefully the fix it fairies have been and I can enjoy it again.TorqueDirty said:
Hmm,
Maybe someone had adjusted the throttle map because it was certainly not manic after I pressed the button.
TD
At 16 miles mine was as tight as a proverbial. That said, i've never had a new car that loosened up as quickly as my Cup S. By 500 miles it felt night-and-day faster than when box-fresh.Maybe someone had adjusted the throttle map because it was certainly not manic after I pressed the button.
TD
If you've ever had a car remapped and remember the before vs after difference, then pressing the RS button feels like a pretty mild remap. On the flip side, Sport makes low speed on-off acceleration a wee bit jerky as the throttle is v sensitive.
I find the midrange in mine pretty adequate apart from in 6th gear, where it is a touch lazy at motorway speeds as it sits below the peak torque. Pile on a few more MPH and it comes alive though (allegedly!)
kpb said:
At 16 miles mine was as tight as a proverbial. That said, i've never had a new car that loosened up as quickly as my Cup S. By 500 miles it felt night-and-day faster than when box-fresh.
If you've ever had a car remapped and remember the before vs after difference, then pressing the RS button feels like a pretty mild remap. On the flip side, Sport makes low speed on-off acceleration a wee bit jerky as the throttle is v sensitive.
I find the midrange in mine pretty adequate apart from in 6th gear, where it is a touch lazy at motorway speeds as it sits below the peak torque. Pile on a few more MPH and it comes alive though (allegedly!)
Good to know. It did feel like it should be a bit "naughtier". Hopefully it will come alive after a few weeks of gentle encouragement!If you've ever had a car remapped and remember the before vs after difference, then pressing the RS button feels like a pretty mild remap. On the flip side, Sport makes low speed on-off acceleration a wee bit jerky as the throttle is v sensitive.
I find the midrange in mine pretty adequate apart from in 6th gear, where it is a touch lazy at motorway speeds as it sits below the peak torque. Pile on a few more MPH and it comes alive though (allegedly!)
Anyone one here know how much of a PITA it is to retrofit a CD multichanger in tot he boot? Not a deal breaker but it will be used for the odd long trip as well as local runs so more than 1 CD would be good. Alternatively I could drag myself in to the 21st century and start using an MP3 player I suppose.
TD
foxsasha said:
They come with Bluetooth so easy to connect to your phone for music steaming.
Anyone get any further info on the reduced power when hot theory?
Apparently it's something to do with the knock sensor on certain cars, fixable with a software update. Google the issue and you should find the thread on rsmegane.com that explains it. Anyone get any further info on the reduced power when hot theory?
kpb said:
Apparently it's something to do with the knock sensor on certain cars, fixable with a software update. Google the issue and you should find the thread on rsmegane.com that explains it.
Thanks. Info here:http://rsmegane.com/threads/275-eu6-engine-deratin...
Well the deal is done.
Immaculate 59 plate RWD 510 bhp XKR traded in against a brand new FWD 275 bhp Megane Cup-S with some nice extras. And you know what - I'm buzzing.
The Jag is amazing and utterly beautiful but it is generally not that entertaining to drive except on those v rare occasions when you can use at least a decent portion of the power. The Megane on the other hand is a hard core hoot at all speeds and has the added advantage of having rear wheels that by and large want to stay behind the front ones. Oh and it has a manual box which I have missed soooo much.
Picking it up on Thursday.
TD
Immaculate 59 plate RWD 510 bhp XKR traded in against a brand new FWD 275 bhp Megane Cup-S with some nice extras. And you know what - I'm buzzing.
The Jag is amazing and utterly beautiful but it is generally not that entertaining to drive except on those v rare occasions when you can use at least a decent portion of the power. The Megane on the other hand is a hard core hoot at all speeds and has the added advantage of having rear wheels that by and large want to stay behind the front ones. Oh and it has a manual box which I have missed soooo much.
Picking it up on Thursday.
TD
TorqueDirty said:
Well the deal is done.
Immaculate 59 plate RWD 510 bhp XKR traded in against a brand new FWD 275 bhp Megane Cup-S with some nice extras. And you know what - I'm buzzing.
The Jag is amazing and utterly beautiful but it is generally not that entertaining to drive except on those v rare occasions when you can use at least a decent portion of the power. The Megane on the other hand is a hard core hoot at all speeds and has the added advantage of having rear wheels that by and large want to stay behind the front ones. Oh and it has a manual box which I have missed soooo much.
Picking it up on Thursday.
TD
Interesting, the xkr was on a list of cars I was considering after the meg!Immaculate 59 plate RWD 510 bhp XKR traded in against a brand new FWD 275 bhp Megane Cup-S with some nice extras. And you know what - I'm buzzing.
The Jag is amazing and utterly beautiful but it is generally not that entertaining to drive except on those v rare occasions when you can use at least a decent portion of the power. The Megane on the other hand is a hard core hoot at all speeds and has the added advantage of having rear wheels that by and large want to stay behind the front ones. Oh and it has a manual box which I have missed soooo much.
Picking it up on Thursday.
TD
GrumpyTwig said:
Interesting, the xkr was on a list of cars I was considering after the meg!
It is a stunning car, truly stunning, but I just felt the need for something more involving and less grown up. If I regularly needed to thunder across continents in supreme comfort then there is not much else that I'd consider for the money. However I live in rural Scotland and its more twisty B roads than fast A roads round here so it is wasted. Plus its wet most of the time so the huge power is largely irrelevant given the limitations of traction.Maybe I'll get another one one day but for now its time for something a little more lithe, poised, agile - and Yellow!
TD
MikeGoodwin said:
Glad I went with flame red. Only colour I look at and think is really interesting is the metallic grey idk what it's called. Going to try get it booked in for this knock sensor issue as I'm certain mine has issues.
Lovely colour the flame red, shame they didn't maintain a proper colour palette throughout the whole mk3 production as I would have loved one in blue (which got taken out very early in 250 production 
). White's ok.... but... it's not particularly nice to look at unless it's clean (which is rare).Those wheels are better too, much nicer to clean than the bitty speedlines on mine that have lots of nooks and corners that collect dirt.
TorqueDirty said:
Well the deal is done.
Immaculate 59 plate RWD 510 bhp XKR traded in against a brand new FWD 275 bhp Megane Cup-S with some nice extras. And you know what - I'm buzzing.
The Jag is amazing and utterly beautiful but it is generally not that entertaining to drive except on those v rare occasions when you can use at least a decent portion of the power. The Megane on the other hand is a hard core hoot at all speeds and has the added advantage of having rear wheels that by and large want to stay behind the front ones. Oh and it has a manual box which I have missed soooo much.
Picking it up on Thursday.
TD
Just seen this post, congrats. Sounds like you have perfect roads to enjoy the car on as well!Immaculate 59 plate RWD 510 bhp XKR traded in against a brand new FWD 275 bhp Megane Cup-S with some nice extras. And you know what - I'm buzzing.
The Jag is amazing and utterly beautiful but it is generally not that entertaining to drive except on those v rare occasions when you can use at least a decent portion of the power. The Megane on the other hand is a hard core hoot at all speeds and has the added advantage of having rear wheels that by and large want to stay behind the front ones. Oh and it has a manual box which I have missed soooo much.
Picking it up on Thursday.
TD
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