With virtually zero turbo lag and a kung-fu-like grip on the road, the powered-up Renault Megane RS 275 Trophy scythes through a sweeping left-hand corner at triple-digit speeds with a level of zeal bordering on religious.
To put it another way, there's a degree of intensity this car brings that few other hot hatches can muster… Which for a front-drive vehicle that's more than five years old is impressive.
Powered by a tweaked version of Renault's F4Rt (stop sniggering) 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo-petrol engine, the Trophy pumps out 201kW -- up 6kW on the Megane RS 265's output thanks to ECU tweaks and a new 4kg lighter titanium exhaust from Akrapovic.
The Trophy maintains the 360Nm output of its 265 sibling but has more presence thanks to the louder exhaust, which also makes it feel punchier.
It crackles and backfires between shifts and burbles on overrun as the exhaust heats up, which adds character to the feisty hot hatch. And after two days thrashing the hottie along some of Tasmania's best Targa stages, it's safe to say the car is at its best when driven hard.
At pedestrian speeds it rides very firmly. It won't rattle the fillings out of your mouth like the Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution VI Tommi Makinen Edition did, but it ain't comfy. And there's more (tyre) roar than an angry pride of lions.
But these things fade into the background when you begin to hustle, and eventually only a sense of satisfaction is left remaining.
The limited-edition Megane delivers superior grip with limpet-like adhesion, punching through corners like a champion. The steering balance is good at higher speeds — much better than when dawdling along — and the engine, as mentioned, is a cracker.
Winding it up to redline and waiting for the rev-limit beep is addictive for variety of reasons: the sound, the potent power delivery and the g-forces.
Snatching another gear and feeling the rush of acceleration over and again is eminently satisfying thanks to the manic engine and short-throw shifter, which is topped off with a spherical gear knob made from a unique zamac alloy.
Black 19-inch Speedline alloy wheels are shod with ultra-sticky Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 tyres, providing the car with the sort of cornering and braking grip usually associated with more expensive sports cars.
Furthermore the chassis balance is such that you'll rarely get the sort of lift-off oversteer that'll stain undergarments, instead weight shifts gently aft to fore in a controlled and predictable manner coming off the throttle.
Yep, the second fastest Renault road car ever made is an involving vehicle to drive. And unlike the fastest Renault road car ever made, the Trophy-R, it's a decent choice should you require five seats – not two.
At $53K, it's a fair bit less than the $65,000 required for the properly bonkers Trophy-R model arriving from later this month.
The Megane RS 275 Trophy is still very much a limited-edition vehicle, with just 100 units available in Australia from a global total numbering slightly more than 1000 cars. Along with a few mechanical tweaks, it gets a number of interior inclusions designed to benefit the driving experience.
Hunker down inside the mad Meggy and it's clear this car is serious about refining the driving experience. There's a profusion of Alcantara – that suede-like stuff that absorbs sweat (and some odours, mercifully).
Although the cabin is spartan, without lashings of chrome or bold design flourishes across the dash, it is an interior for the enthusiast, for owners who really want to drive their car.
That means the seats are epic, with hugely supportive Recaro seats, pedals that are well-spaced for fancy footwork and a gear shifter that's ideally located. The steering wheel pays homage to the Porsche 911 GT3's killer tiller, which like the seats is covered in Alcantara. It's all grip, no slip.
The result is instant focus from the driver. The mind is not distracted by thousands of buttons on the centre stack or fancy features – it's just you, the wheel, pedals and gearstick.
That said, there is the RS monitor 2.0, which allows owners to access telemetry such as turbo pressure, throttle opening, g-forces, power and torque outputs. It even features a data logging function that allows you to record 0-100km/h times and the like to USB.
Renault's raucous RS 275 Trophy went on sale in late September 2014 and already 25 of the 100 vehicles have been sold. The French brand's local PR manager Emily Fadayev says buyers of the expensive $53K three-door, five-seat hatch have "done their research, they know they want".
"They tend to cross-shop and test-drive a lot of cars in the category. They're very well educated customers," she says, singling out the Volkswagen Golf R ($51,990) and Subaru WRX STI ($49,990) as its chief power/price rivals.
Flaws, problems, negatives? There are a few. It's not cheap and if you're looking at using the car as a daily driver, it's not particularly elegant in its negotiations with the road. There's a huge blind spot at the rear of the car on both sides thanks to a hefty C-pillar, plus a thick A-pillar at the front makes eyeing off sharp right-hand apexes vexing.
But it has surprisingly good interior room and can transport four adult passengers in comfort.
The epoxy composite front springs and adjustable Ohlins dampers we tested the RS 275 Trophy car with in Germany are not available on the Trophy in Australia, where they're reserved solely for the Trophy-R.
Renault says they would have made the 'regular' Trophy too expensive, which is a shame since they would have made track day shenanigans more interesting.
It could be argued that some of the Renault Megane RS 275 Trophy's rivals are easier to live with, faster in a straight line or more practical, but this fierce French four-banger cares not for rivals, nor market share, business metrics or focus groups.
All it cares for is the unsullied connection between man and machine, as it subtly encourages its driver to push a little harder in each subsequent corner it encounters.
The Megane RS 275 Trophy is a bit similar to a thrilling physical pursuit such as big-wave surfing. It propels you into the present and strips away every other thought inside your mind except what you see, feel and hear.
There's no thoughts of work, taxes, relationships, the future or the past – just a wonderful awareness of the present.
The Trophy is more expensive than VW's Golf R and the Subaru WRX STI and, in some ways, isn't as strong in terms of value. But on a snaking ribbon of road it provides an undeniably pure experience.
2014 Renault Megane RS 275 Trophy pricing and specifications:
Price: $52,990 (plus on-road costs)
Engine: 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo-petrol
Output: 201kW/360Nm
Transmission: Six-speed manual
Fuel: 7.5L/100km (ADR combined)
CO2: 174g/km (ADR combined)
Safety rating: Five-star Euro NCAP
What we liked: | Not so much: |
>> Super-keen chassis | >> It's not cheap |
>> Strong engine response | >> Low-speed ride comfort |
>> Super-sticky tyres and traction | >> No Ohlins dampers or epoxy springs |