Any new Megane RS 280/300 owners?

[irish boy]

Pommy said:

Looking at a 2018 RS280 EDC with 40k miles.

Anyone able to comment on the following:

Reliability - how is it and is the auto box potentially a problem? I see warranties for this year was 3 years rather than 5 and is that because Renault knew there was a potential 4 year plus issue?

Comfort as a daily - is it usable and reasonably smooth and peaceful when you're not in the mood or is it noisy and rough most of the time?

280 or 300/Trophy - is the difference that noticeable between them?

Thanks

Id imagine it’s the same drive train as the Alpine, which is holding up very well!

[RS_MAN_CHILD]

Pommy said:

Looking at a 2018 RS280 EDC with 40k miles.

Anyone able to comment on the following:

Reliability - how is it and is the auto box potentially a problem? I see warranties for this year was 3 years rather than 5 and is that because Renault knew there was a potential 4 year plus issue?

Comfort as a daily - is it usable and reasonably smooth and peaceful when you're not in the mood or is it noisy and rough most of the time?

280 or 300/Trophy - is the difference that noticeable between them?

Thanks

Auto box is generally more reliable than the manual box (they can develop bearing failures due to all the torque!). EDC is fine though and flawless usually although a few have failed... EDC Oil change is supposed to be 60,000 Km but conflicting info on this some say its lifetime in UK.

RS300 is slightly faster it has more power EDC = 300 bhp 420nm vs Manual 300 bhp 400nm. RS280 = 280 bhp 390nm.
280 top speed = 158mph vs 300 top speed = 162mph

I would go for a facelift phase 2 RS300 better modern all digital cockpit more reliable better LED lights but that will cost more than an RS280.

Comfort well overall you should try to find a Sport 300 (you can retrofit those springs on a Trophy 300 though for about £400) they are softer its way more comfortable for long journeys. Trophy is a harsher ride depending on your back condition & overall fitness you might regret it!

Exhausts on the older RS are louder (after mid 2021 they are almost silent as Euro 6d Full spec) but you can always get around that with 3rd party mods.

Trophy has the DESS lightweight battery google that lots of info about it then you can decide...can be swapped also for a normal battery.

Get a dealer test drive take it from there really.....there were only ever around 300 overall sold in the UK so you will never have many to choose from regardless of Sport or Trophy or Cup! Or Trophy R if you want the ultimate performance model!

[Pommy]

RS_MAN_CHILD said:

Pommy said:

Looking at a 2018 RS280 EDC with 40k miles.

Anyone able to comment on the following:

Reliability - how is it and is the auto box potentially a problem? I see warranties for this year was 3 years rather than 5 and is that because Renault knew there was a potential 4 year plus issue?

Comfort as a daily - is it usable and reasonably smooth and peaceful when you're not in the mood or is it noisy and rough most of the time?

280 or 300/Trophy - is the difference that noticeable between them?

Thanks

Auto box is generally more reliable than the manual box (they can develop bearing failures due to all the torque!). EDC is fine though and flawless usually although a few have failed... EDC Oil change is supposed to be 60,000 Km but conflicting info on this some say its lifetime in UK.

RS300 is slightly faster it has more power EDC = 300 bhp 420nm vs Manual 300 bhp 400nm. RS280 = 280 bhp 390nm.
280 top speed = 158mph vs 300 top speed = 162mph

I would go for a facelift phase 2 RS300 better modern all digital cockpit more reliable better LED lights but that will cost more than an RS280.

Comfort well overall you should try to find a Sport 300 (you can retrofit those springs on a Trophy 300 though for about £400) they are softer its way more comfortable for long journeys. Trophy is a harsher ride depending on your back condition & overall fitness you might regret it!

Exhausts on the older RS are louder (after mid 2021 they are almost silent as Euro 6d Full spec) but you can always get around that with 3rd party mods.

Trophy has the DESS lightweight battery google that lots of info about it then you can decide...can be swapped also for a normal battery.

Get a dealer test drive take it from there really.....there were only ever around 300 overall sold in the UK so you will never have many to choose from regardless of Sport or Trophy or Cup! Or Trophy R if you want the ultimate performance model!

Thanks, good insights and aligns with a lot of the things I've read but with some good specifics. Cheers

[Gilhooligan]

Isn’t the Sport an open diff though? Think I’d rather try and make a Trophy more comfy with smaller wheels etc.

[RS_MAN_CHILD]

Gilhooligan said:

Isn’t the Sport an open diff though? Think I’d rather try and make a Trophy more comfy with smaller wheels etc.

Sport has an Electronic LSD only. Trophy has the DESS battery system which fails & stranded people left right & centre....£700 for a replacement DESS that alone makes many not want one! You can put a normal battery in though.

Smaller wheels will not make it more comfortable either but you can put the Sport suspension shocks on a Trophy for around £400 (£100 per wheel) makes it a softer ride.

Also changing wheel size from the OEM means you would have to either mod the ECU or go back to Renault to change it as the speedo would not be accurate anymore you cannot just change them & that's it!

[Gilhooligan]

RS_MAN_CHILD said:

Sport has an Electronic LSD only. Trophy has the DESS battery system which fails & stranded people left right & centre....£700 for a replacement DESS that alone makes many not want one! You can put a normal battery in though.

Smaller wheels will not make it more comfortable either but you can put the Sport suspension shocks on a Trophy for around £400 (£100 per wheel) makes it a softer ride.

Also changing wheel size from the OEM means you would have to either mod the ECU or go back to Renault to change it as the speedo would not be accurate anymore you cannot just change them & that's it!

Disagree. Smaller wheels with a larger tyre profile will have the same rolling radius and will ride better on our terrible roads.

Will have to look into this electronic LSD.

[Zarco]

I think EVO were quite keen on the Sport model IIRC. The one with softer suspension and no mechanical LSD.

Personally I'd want the full monty version, and suffer the compromise.

[RS_MAN_CHILD]

Gilhooligan said:

Disagree. Smaller wheels with a larger tyre profile will have the same rolling radius and will ride better on our terrible roads.

Will have to look into this electronic LSD.

Knock yourself out pal! The sport suspension will be way more noticeable than different wheels. Its still the same suspension regardless of wheel size that's your problem!

[nickfrog]

RS_MAN_CHILD said:

Knock yourself out pal! The sport suspension will be way more noticeable than different wheels. Its still the same suspension regardless of wheel size that's your problem!

That's true although I went 280 Cup rather than 300 partly because of the smaller wheel size, having driven both (almost) back to back.

[Xenoous]

It improves the ride, partially. If you was to go 16", I'm sure it'd be even better, if it wasn't for the big old calipers

[nickfrog]

Xenoous said:

It improves the ride, partially. If you was to go 16", I'm sure it'd be even better, if it wasn't for the big old calipers

Sure but that's supposed to be a performance car where response remains important. The taller the sidewalls, the more diluted the response. It's all a compromise but while 16' would be very desirable on a a family car, I wouldn't want them if that means the sidewall ratio goes up and turn in becomes dull and slow. 18' was the best choice for me although I can also see why someone would favour 19' and the even sharper response they yield.

[Luke.]

I found the ride on my RS300 absolutely fine. Better than our old i3.

[Gilhooligan]

RS_MAN_CHILD said:

Knock yourself out pal! The sport suspension will be way more noticeable than different wheels. Its still the same suspension regardless of wheel size that's your problem!

I’m sure it will. My point was I’d rather live with the better spec driver’s car (Trophy) and stick some 18s on it to take the edge off of the reported harshness with the Trophy suspension.

I think these cars look better on 18 inch wheels too, saw this on the Megane Fb group:

[RS_MAN_CHILD]

Gilhooligan said:

I’m sure it will. My point was I’d rather live with the better spec driver’s car (Trophy) and stick some 18s on it to take the edge off of the reported harshness with the Trophy suspension.

I think these cars look better on 18 inch wheels too, saw this on the Megane Fb group:

Trophy is not better spec at all LOL It has a £700 to properly replace lightweight DESS battery which drives owners nuts when it fails. The weight saving from that negates the extra weight of the mechanical LSD....

People constantly think Trophy means better spec its just designed more for track use that road but less comfortable regardless of tyre size LOL.

Trophy - R is a better spec but that's another £15-20K more & even then its not much faster than a RS300 on normal roads as it lacks 4 Control & has 30nm less torque.

You cannot just stick on smaller wheels either the ECU has to be adjusted otherwise your speedo is not reporting correctly which throws out any service items as the miles driven are not accurate!

Sport & Trophy engines, exhausts & gearboxes are identical its pure horse manure PR speak to say Trophy is faster because its not!! They are about the same.

Trophy is just an alternate spec for those who might track their car a lot. Trophy R is the one to buy for ultimate speed & lap time.

[Turbojuice]

RS_MAN_CHILD said:

Trophy is not better spec at all LOL It has a £700 to properly replace lightweight DESS battery which drives owners nuts when it fails. The weight saving from that negates the extra weight of the mechanical LSD....

People constantly think Trophy means better spec its just designed more for track use that road but less comfortable regardless of tyre size LOL.

Trophy - R is a better spec but that's another £15-20K more & even then its not much faster than a RS300 on normal roads as it lacks 4 Control & has 30nm less torque.

You cannot just stick on smaller wheels either the ECU has to be adjusted otherwise your speedo is not reporting correctly which throws out any service items as the miles driven are not accurate!

Sport & Trophy engines, exhausts & gearboxes are identical its pure horse manure PR speak to say Trophy is faster because its not!! They are about the same.

Trophy is just an alternate spec for those who might track their car a lot. Trophy R is the one to buy for ultimate speed & lap time.

Regarding changing wheel size, the ECU DOES NOT require recalibration. It's actually pretty simple maths. If you reduce wheel size you reduce your rolling radius (the distance for the wheel to do one complete rotation is reduced), so you need to compensate for that change by getting tyres with a taller sidewall. Example: 235/35/R19 = 235/40/R18. The 5% taller sidewall corrects this, to the point where it's within a 0.3% error (a reading of 30mph on the 19s would equate to 30.09mph on 18s). In other words, a negligable difference.

Regarding your other points / rants, iirc when the MK4 RS first came out the Sport RS280 had a different turbo to the Trophy RS300, however now with them both being 300's I believe you are correct in saying they have the same exact drivetrain. Spec vs spec it's very clear imo that as you move up/along the specs (however you want to view it), you get a more hardcore/track-ready car. None is better/worse than another, they just suit different people's needs more or less. You may prefer the Sport as it's a better daily driver, but others will prefer the Trophy and see it as the best of both the Sport and Trophy-R in one package, both are fair conclusions. Even on the road though, the Trophy/Cup extras (diff & suspension) have always made a pretty substantial difference to the ability of Meganes. On track it's night and day.

Edited by Turbojuice on Monday 19th February 23:09

[nickfrog]

Exactly, they're both great in their own rights and cater for slightly different needs. Personnaly I couldn't live without the mechanical diff in a RS Megane. I find it's fundamental to how I want the car to drive in terms of traction.

[CJ2222]

Hi guys sorry to open this back up, wondering if any of you could help

Got a 280 EDC absolutely love it, but driving today had a scary moment when he an “engine failure hazard” warning come up on my dash

Luckily pulled over quick, wait a couple of minutes and turned engine back on and it had gone, and managed to drive car back home

Now little paranoid to drive it, should I take it to Renault (and get bankruptcy lol) or the fact faults not there anymore mean should be ok??

Any help/advice would be amazing ☺️

[justin220]

Has it been sitting around recently? Could just be a low ish battery.. maybe try giving it a good charge or battery condition.

I had similar when I bought mine as the previous owner kept it garaged a lot. Power steering fault alarm was common, but has vanished since I charged it.

Does anyone know the service schedule for the 280s?

[CJ2222]

Thanks for getting back to me, brought the car in January, used every day since. Had no warning lights come on at all in that time, then yesterday…. Boom

It’s due a service in June, and spark plug changed next month… so maybe that??

Decided to take it to my local garage instead of Renault, so they are going to plug it in and take a look see if anything came up

[Luke.]

My 300RS was a nightmare for throwing up false warnings. All due to the crappy lithium battery they put in the thing. The car left me stranded four or five times over 2 years. Couldn't wait to get shot, to be honest. Though I think the 280s got a normal battery.