RE: Megane Renaultsport 275 Trophy-R
Discussion
Oz83 said:
I guess what people are whinging about is the fact that Renault have gone and done exactly what Seat did, except they have been "honest" about it. This car will be amazing, but then we can't just ignore the Seat's time. Obviously we don't know the extent of the modifications to the Seat, but it seems that it offers exceptional value for money if you have to spec a £40K Renault to beat it properly.
Nobody is going to buy this car in exactly the same spec as the car that did that lap time - I bet every car sold will have AC for example. How is that different from Seat removing the AC to achieve their lap time, whilst knowing full well that every car they sell will be be sold with AC. Renault have been very cunning with what they have done. I bet Seat are kicking themselves for not doing a limited production run of 'ring spec cars too.
I totally agree with this, the cleverest thing that Renault have done is offer the car that did the record for sale & I think this is what most peoples gripes with Seat are about.Nobody is going to buy this car in exactly the same spec as the car that did that lap time - I bet every car sold will have AC for example. How is that different from Seat removing the AC to achieve their lap time, whilst knowing full well that every car they sell will be be sold with AC. Renault have been very cunning with what they have done. I bet Seat are kicking themselves for not doing a limited production run of 'ring spec cars too.
The beauty of it all, is that should you fancy a car that 99% of the record breaker you can buy the trophy-r without the ring pack & should you want one that's 90%, the standard trophy is there too at a much discounted price.
happy days kikiturbo said:
kambites said:
Did Renault publish torsional stiffness figures for the old R26.R? I'm intrigued to know how much (if at all) replacing the rear seats with a 'cage actually helped the handling.
there is NO torsional stifness gain with the rear bolt in cage... kambites said:
kikiturbo said:
kambites said:
Did Renault publish torsional stiffness figures for the old R26.R? I'm intrigued to know how much (if at all) replacing the rear seats with a 'cage actually helped the handling.
there is NO torsional stifness gain with the rear bolt in cage... ETA - the Trophy-R has recaro pole postion
Renault press release said:
On board, the Recaro Pole Position bucket seats illustrate the main purpose of Mégane Renaultsport 275 Trophy-R. These single-piece polycarbonate seats are painted glossy black and upholstered in leather and alcantara
Edited by roystinho on Tuesday 17th June 08:34
saxy said:
without back seats, it's not a hatch anymore. It still is a FWD car, but you'd have to take 3 more trips back and forth to carry 3 people from A to B, so it is really slow in fact.
If you take the cage out, you could view it as a really fast van. Good for getting stuff to the tip in a hurry. SarGara said:
Find me a RWD sports car with this level of performance, brand new with warranty at the same price point to make this arguement justified?
M135 can be had from just under £30k new if you know where and how to haggle, then you've got £6k to play with the options to get it to the megane price. Or the M235 will be under the meganes price, as will a basic A45AMG. How about the new impreza too which is no slouch.Peugeot RCZ R is £32k
Nissan 370Z Nismo, again same price, undoubtedly just as fast.
Sure there's more out there besides.
In my books his argument is justified.
iloveboost said:
I agree that if it's a track car you want then something cheaper, lighter and RWD will do the job better. Some people like me like FWD because it's more forgiving of mistakes but I wouldn't take a new car on a race track even if it was insured I'd buy a battered old Mx-5 or BMW like everybody else does and get coilovers, etc.
I definitely see the point, I loved my Megane on the track. It's a very forgiving car and doesn't feel anywhere near it's weight and size. It's also a very nice place to be on your way home after a long day on a track!robm3 said:
We hired RSR's Megane R26R a few years back to drive the ring. What a car!!!
I can't rave about it enough. It was so forgiving and fast. My brother, who had never been to the 'ring, set a second lap time of 8.55 verified by the data logger we took along. He's of average ability but that car really flattered.
The next day we went to Spa, this time with RSR's Lotus Exige. In comparison the car was a disapointment. We missed that R26R.
If I was back in the UK I would buy this new 275R straight away. Sadly here in Oz we'll never see it...
I've driven an Exige and thought it was incredible. But it's not a car you can just jump into and drive quickly, where as the Megane is. It's a car you have to learn to drive - but is no doubt more satisfying in the long run. My point was that dedicated track day goers would probably prefer something like an Exige since it allows them more room to grow as a driver. I can't rave about it enough. It was so forgiving and fast. My brother, who had never been to the 'ring, set a second lap time of 8.55 verified by the data logger we took along. He's of average ability but that car really flattered.
The next day we went to Spa, this time with RSR's Lotus Exige. In comparison the car was a disapointment. We missed that R26R.
If I was back in the UK I would buy this new 275R straight away. Sadly here in Oz we'll never see it...
All that said, if you're driving the ring, you want a forgiving car since the barriers come up a lot quicker than you expect (guess how I know...) - I know a lot of guys who do tracksdays that wouldn't even consider driving the ring for that very reason. I have to say, I haven't been there for a long time, though I used to love my yearly trips.
Looking forward to seeing the price of the ring pack for this. Might even see if I can get the new discs fitted to my 250
QuattroDave said:
SarGara said:
Find me a RWD sports car with this level of performance, brand new with warranty at the same price point to make this arguement justified?
M135 can be had from just under £30k new if you know where and how to haggle, then you've got £6k to play with the options to get it to the megane price. Or the M235 will be under the meganes price, as will a basic A45AMG. How about the new impreza too which is no slouch.Peugeot RCZ R is £32k
Nissan 370Z Nismo, again same price, undoubtedly just as fast.
Sure there's more out there besides.
In my books his argument is justified.
kambites said:
So it's just a marketing gimmick and/or dubious safety benefit (half-cages are often said to be more dangerous than no cage)? I wonder how hard it would be to take the cage out and fit a couple of light-weight bucket seats to get the some of the practicality back. Do the seats in these hot Renaults still fold forwards to allow someone into the back, or are they completely fixed?
well, it does add some rollover protection, just in case.... you could always go to a breakers and buy the rear seats from some crashed megane coupe..
kikiturbo said:
well, it does add some rollover protection, just in case....
you could always go to a breakers and buy the rear seats from some crashed megane coupe..
You'd probably run into insurance issues with that. Would it not simply to be better to buy a 275 Trophy with rear seats and just add the Ohlins dampers and other bits and pieces you need?you could always go to a breakers and buy the rear seats from some crashed megane coupe..
Are people in this thread actually backing manufacturers on the basis of imbuing them (i.e. corporates) with a moral conscience? Come off it.
SEAT were just clumsy with their press releases.
Well done SEAT and Renaultsport, both incredible achievements.
From an accessibility point of view, it would be nice if manufacturers offered something simpler and sweeter lower down the range. Something like a cheap(er) sharp Golf GTI "light" or Clio 200 Trophy (with manual, light wheels, one colour) as a limited run.
SEAT were just clumsy with their press releases.
Well done SEAT and Renaultsport, both incredible achievements.
From an accessibility point of view, it would be nice if manufacturers offered something simpler and sweeter lower down the range. Something like a cheap(er) sharp Golf GTI "light" or Clio 200 Trophy (with manual, light wheels, one colour) as a limited run.
Butter Face said:
QuattroDave said:
SarGara said:
Find me a RWD sports car with this level of performance, brand new with warranty at the same price point to make this arguement justified?
M135 can be had from just under £30k new if you know where and how to haggle, then you've got £6k to play with the options to get it to the megane price. Or the M235 will be under the meganes price, as will a basic A45AMG. How about the new impreza too which is no slouch.Peugeot RCZ R is £32k
Nissan 370Z Nismo, again same price, undoubtedly just as fast.
Sure there's more out there besides.
In my books his argument is justified.
All of those are not limited edition cars and I wouldn't ever buy a 135 or A45 in base spec. Dont know why everyone on here always bang on about the starting list prce on here of the 135/Golf R etc. You'd be a mug to buy a base model as one you'd loose out on resale if privately owned or your stuck with a pretty basic place to be for 3 years.
This is aimed at the track enthusiast and obviously has the spec to match. How much would a GTS version on the 1/2 series cost. 50k-60k without trying I imagine and most likely not that much quicker at least round the ring.
framerateuk said:
You'd probably run into insurance issues with that. Would it not simply to be better to buy a 275 Trophy with rear seats and just add the Ohlins dampers and other bits and pieces you need?
well, that depends on what is written in the car's paperwork and your local laws.As for upgrading a normal megane... that is possible, of course... Start with the normal 265, chip it to 300, throw on 3000 GBP of ohlins, bigger brakes etc... you will probably end up with a car that is as fast if not a bit faster, will probably cost the same, and will never keep it's value as well..
choices, choices..
LaurasOtherHalf said:
Oh my goodness do you have autism or something?! Do you seriously think Renault think they're going to sell them to the general public as every day cars? They're looking for 30 people who fancy doing track days in them you 'tard! It's hardly their long term business model 
The world's bigger than just the UK, for which 30 is the market allocation. Worldwide, they're looking for 250 to be sold.jonjay said:
Well done Renault....for building a race car.
I find it really really funny that everyone is so happy that Renault broke SEATs record. I was expecting the reaction to be negative because Renault have gone mental just to beat an amazing time set by SEAT and cost 8k more in the process. It just shows how good the SEAT Leon Cupra is and how much you have to modify a Megane to get anywhere near.
Everyone was complaining [including pistonheads] that SEAT used uprated brakes, removed aircon, lighter wheels and nicer tyres. Now Renault basically strip the car, uprated suspension, exhaust, remap, wheels, tyres, seats and everyone is cool with that?
Smells of badge snobbery to me.
Badge Snobbery - About a Renault. Are you joking.I find it really really funny that everyone is so happy that Renault broke SEATs record. I was expecting the reaction to be negative because Renault have gone mental just to beat an amazing time set by SEAT and cost 8k more in the process. It just shows how good the SEAT Leon Cupra is and how much you have to modify a Megane to get anywhere near.
Everyone was complaining [including pistonheads] that SEAT used uprated brakes, removed aircon, lighter wheels and nicer tyres. Now Renault basically strip the car, uprated suspension, exhaust, remap, wheels, tyres, seats and everyone is cool with that?
Smells of badge snobbery to me.
The RS Megane is one of THE great FWD chassis and has been in all its incarnations. But it still suffers heavy depreciation and absolutely entirely unfounded criticism about its build quality vs VW Group products especially.
The fact is that down a welsh mountain road or a nice quiet B road anywhere in the UK the Megane is a peach of thing to drive. The Golf R is as close as anyone has got but is still overshadowed as a drivers car by the older Megane.
Its one of the greats.
I don't think anybody hates the car it's nice they've done it and it's impressive. It's nice they've spent time and money just to show it can be done but it is poor value for money.
In that way it's like the moon landings.
'We choose to go to the ring in this Megane and do the other things, not because they are easy, but because they are hard'.
In that way it's like the moon landings.
'We choose to go to the ring in this Megane and do the other things, not because they are easy, but because they are hard'.
Butter Face said:
QuattroDave said:
SarGara said:
Find me a RWD sports car with this level of performance, brand new with warranty at the same price point to make this arguement justified?
M135 can be had from just under £30k new if you know where and how to haggle, then you've got £6k to play with the options to get it to the megane price. Or the M235 will be under the meganes price, as will a basic A45AMG. How about the new impreza too which is no slouch.Peugeot RCZ R is £32k
Nissan 370Z Nismo, again same price, undoubtedly just as fast.
Sure there's more out there besides.
In my books his argument is justified.
They may be able to. Look at the times on that board for a tight twisty track that suits a nimble FWD better than an old school RWD brute.
The nismo will have more straight line pace above 60 and well above 100 on those long straights of the ring. It's already shown it's much quicker than the standard renaultsport megane cup on a tight twisty circuit.
Gassing Station | General Gassing | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff