Any new Megane RS 280/300 owners?
Discussion
It very much depends how you want to use the car. If it will be your primary daily, do you really want that "distinctive Renaultsport feel" if it's crushing your spine on each of the hundreds of potholes around? Also, in daily driving the lack of limited slip diff and of a keener chassis would not be easily felt as the base car is already quite capable (unless your commute was along a particularly nice B-road).
If I was getting it as a daily I wouldn't get the cup pack, but I would get a Liquid Yellow or Volcanic Orange paint for the money. If I was going to use it more as a toy, then Cup pack for sure.
If I was getting it as a daily I wouldn't get the cup pack, but I would get a Liquid Yellow or Volcanic Orange paint for the money. If I was going to use it more as a toy, then Cup pack for sure.
As per the comment above I do 15k miles a year 95% of the time a cup chassis wouldn’t be worth the cost and the uncomfortable ride, I test drove one far too hard for me as a daily.
Did handle well though!
Most of my driving is in cities/motorway etc I may as well be in an eco box tbh! Lol
Take the hit on the 5% of the time on a twisty road standard RS be fine I am sure!
Did handle well though!
Most of my driving is in cities/motorway etc I may as well be in an eco box tbh! Lol
Take the hit on the 5% of the time on a twisty road standard RS be fine I am sure!
What do those that think it’s too hard drive currently?
I found the Mk4 (with Cup) to be a more grown up prospect with slightly more forgiving damping than in my Mk3 (Cup-S with Ohlins), which will make it a slightly improved daily.
However, despite that I’ve never once thought that the Mk3 is no use as a daily, not even close.
The USP of the Renaultsport brand is the Cup Chasis IMO, although good to have choices and see others choose it with or without Cup.
I found the Mk4 (with Cup) to be a more grown up prospect with slightly more forgiving damping than in my Mk3 (Cup-S with Ohlins), which will make it a slightly improved daily.
However, despite that I’ve never once thought that the Mk3 is no use as a daily, not even close.
The USP of the Renaultsport brand is the Cup Chasis IMO, although good to have choices and see others choose it with or without Cup.
Edited by CraigV6 on Monday 25th February 17:55
Edited by CraigV6 on Monday 25th February 18:28
I had a cup-s which I decided to sell as I thought I needed something bigger for the kids and more relaxing for work.
Replaced it with a 428i grand coupe, with 20" runflats, m-sport suspension and the 8 speed auto box. I wouldn't say that was any comfier than the Meg, but it was so boring. I sold it within 6 months and got another 275.
Sadly (!), the kids have continued to grow, hence the interest in the 5 door, but I had a good think about what I want in a car and the RS with cup chassis is pretty much it. There's plenty of other cars with around 250bhp, or a 6 second 0-60 but none of them do anything for me. It can be quite entertaining everyday as well - I have my favorite curves/corners on various roads, motorway slip roads, islands etc. I find my fun where I can and even if it's only for 1% of my journey I find the trade off worth it.
Replaced it with a 428i grand coupe, with 20" runflats, m-sport suspension and the 8 speed auto box. I wouldn't say that was any comfier than the Meg, but it was so boring. I sold it within 6 months and got another 275.
Sadly (!), the kids have continued to grow, hence the interest in the 5 door, but I had a good think about what I want in a car and the RS with cup chassis is pretty much it. There's plenty of other cars with around 250bhp, or a 6 second 0-60 but none of them do anything for me. It can be quite entertaining everyday as well - I have my favorite curves/corners on various roads, motorway slip roads, islands etc. I find my fun where I can and even if it's only for 1% of my journey I find the trade off worth it.
framerateuk said:
I've always felt that there are better "all rounder" cars around if comfort is a higher priority. It's the more focussed and less compromised feel (well, as uncompromising as you can be with a mass market hatchback) which gives them their edge.
I'd always spec a Cup or buy the Trophy version.
The issue for me is that even the better "all rounder" cars end up fairly compromised too. The same can be said for my current Scirocco, it does everything I want it to, but it's just not fun. I'd much rather compromise in other areas than loose out on that feeling. I don't want to use the word "boring", as that seems a tad harsh, but its definitely missing something. I just don't love it.I'd always spec a Cup or buy the Trophy version.
Each to their own though. I don't think I'll ever have another German car after this. Pretty much every one I've driven has felt the exact same. This new Megane 280 seems to be a perfect middle ground but, funnily enough, it has been slated for now being too mature. Rory Reid concluded the same thing at the end last night on Top Gear.
Bit unfair really, IMO. Manufacturers just can't win. I think they're doing the best with what is possible, in a world of ever-stricter emissions testing and pedestrian safety.
culpz said:
The issue for me is that even the better "all rounder" cars end up fairly compromised too. The same can be said for my current Scirocco, it does everything I want it to, but it's just not fun. I'd much rather compromise in other areas than loose out on that feeling. I don't want to use the word "boring", as that seems a tad harsh, but its definitely missing something. I just don't love it.
Each to their own though. I don't think I'll ever have another German car after this. Pretty much every one I've driven has felt the exact same. This new Megane 280 seems to be a perfect middle ground but, funnily enough, it has been slated for now being too mature. Rory Reid concluded the same thing at the end last night on Top Gear.
Bit unfair really, IMO. Manufacturers just can't win. I think they're doing the best with what is possible, in a world of ever-stricter emissions testing and pedestrian safety.
It's always a fine line when you tune up a hatchback for a hot model.Each to their own though. I don't think I'll ever have another German car after this. Pretty much every one I've driven has felt the exact same. This new Megane 280 seems to be a perfect middle ground but, funnily enough, it has been slated for now being too mature. Rory Reid concluded the same thing at the end last night on Top Gear.
Bit unfair really, IMO. Manufacturers just can't win. I think they're doing the best with what is possible, in a world of ever-stricter emissions testing and pedestrian safety.
For me, the 280 is far more practical than the old 250/265/275. Some will lament the loss of the 3 door shape, but for me, if you're getting a hatchback you've decided that a coupe isn't practical enough, therefore they might as well have rear doors. No, it doesn't have the nice swoopy roof line of the old car, but there's much more headroom in the back and no-one has to climb in over the front seat.
Also, the Recaro option on the old car has a cross bar right where your feet were meant to go, so it wasn't a great car to sit in the back of (I don't know about the new Recaros in the Trophy). The standard alcantara seats in the 280 give all the support the old Recaros did but are more practical from that perspective.
What I will say is that the engine is far more responsive than the old model, and there's certainly more grip (with the possible loss of playfulness), but it's still happy to squirm around if you boot it. The gearbox feels just as good too (it was a bit notchy when i first got it, but it's loosened up nicely).
I think in terms of less insulated and more 'playful' cars, the class below is probably a better option for that (and they're fast approaching the same power as the old Megane - heck, the last Clio had pretty much the same output as the old R26).
I also think the Megane is getting a hard time at the moment as all the other manufacturers have really upped their game to compete. Back in the days of the 250, the only real competitor was the Focus RS, and that was a far heavier car. Since then Honda have released two versions of the Type R, Hyundai have appeared with the N range and we've got a whole host of so called 'hyper-hatches' with far more power. I don't think the Megane has grown up any less than it did between the R26 and 250, it's just that the competition has changed. That's got to be good for everyone though!
There's more choice in the market than ever before, and while some of the RenaultSport fans are clearly upset that the Megane isn't top of the charts anymore, it does seem to be attracting more people who probably wouldn't have looked before.
I had an RS250 for over 5 years and absolutely loved it. I'm now in an Alfa Giulia Veloce, the interior of which puts my old Megane to shame, but the RS made a better noise! I wasn't overly-keen on the looks of the new 280 when I first saw it, but it's certainly grown on me, particularly in titanium grey. Unless Alfa come up with a coupe version of the Giulia in the next few years, I may be back into a Megane in the future! The fact that it's perceived as a bit more "grown up" is no bad thing for me.
Finally got to drive a manual 280, with cup chassis today. Really nice car. Five minute review follows:
Exterior. Test car was pearlescent white with 19" wheels. Pictures don't do justice to how big the wheel arches are. Looks really purposeful.
Interior. Standard seats are really good. Not sure that recaros need to be considered a must. There's a surprisingly large distance from seat to sill. Test car had the small screen, which looked a bit last generation. I've ordered the large screen and will use it with Android auto.
Engine and transmission. You'd never guess it's a 1.8, it's plenty strong enough. My 275 felt a bit slow on the way home. Gear change was short and once there was some heat in the box, the change was slick. The knob is a bit odd though. Changing modes from comfort to sport had a big impact on the exhaust note.
Handling. Steering is nice and sharp. Test car was on 19"s and my 275 has 18"s, so mine had a bit more sidewall but it felt sharper than mine.
Anyway, I've ordered a trophy with a couple of options. Interestingly, the salesman said there was a couple of trophy's with the spec I'd chosen, but in different colors showing as in stock on the Renault inventory system. He mentioned a couple of flame red and a couple of black. I've got a flame red 275 and had a black 275, so fancied a change.
Exterior. Test car was pearlescent white with 19" wheels. Pictures don't do justice to how big the wheel arches are. Looks really purposeful.
Interior. Standard seats are really good. Not sure that recaros need to be considered a must. There's a surprisingly large distance from seat to sill. Test car had the small screen, which looked a bit last generation. I've ordered the large screen and will use it with Android auto.
Engine and transmission. You'd never guess it's a 1.8, it's plenty strong enough. My 275 felt a bit slow on the way home. Gear change was short and once there was some heat in the box, the change was slick. The knob is a bit odd though. Changing modes from comfort to sport had a big impact on the exhaust note.
Handling. Steering is nice and sharp. Test car was on 19"s and my 275 has 18"s, so mine had a bit more sidewall but it felt sharper than mine.
Anyway, I've ordered a trophy with a couple of options. Interestingly, the salesman said there was a couple of trophy's with the spec I'd chosen, but in different colors showing as in stock on the Renault inventory system. He mentioned a couple of flame red and a couple of black. I've got a flame red 275 and had a black 275, so fancied a change.
gutbobs said:
Interestingly, the salesman said there was a couple of trophy's with the spec I'd chosen, but in different colors showing as in stock on the Renault inventory system. He mentioned a couple of flame red and a couple of black. I've got a flame red 275 and had a black 275, so fancied a change.
There's 9, all red and black, all with BOSE, rear camera and Recaros.There's another in white, BOSE and heated seats.
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