As the name implies, the new arrival has had a modest power increase compared to the existing Mégane Renaultsport 250. Its 2.0 litre engine now produces 261 bhp (195 kW / 265 PS) and 360 Nm (265 lb/ft) of peak torque, courtesy of a revised air intake and a rise in turbo boost pressure from 2.3 to 2.5 bar.
The effect on performance isn’t spectacular, though. Top speed rises from 156 mph (251 km/h) to 158 mph (254 km/h), while the Mégane’s zero to 62 mph (100 km/h) time falls from 6.1 to 6.0 seconds. Perhaps surprisingly there’s no adverse effect on efficiency, with average fuel consumption and CO2 emissions remaining at 34.4 mpg (8.2 l/100km) and 190 g/km respectively.
By contrast, the all-wheel drive Golf R will ‘only’ hit 155 mph (250 km/h), but its 0-62 mph time of 5.7 seconds (or 5.5 seconds with the optional DSG transmission) comfortably surpasses that of the Renault. Volkswagen’s offering is marginally less economical though, managing 33.2 mpg (8.5 l/100km) on the combined cycle, while its CO2 figure with the standard manual gearbox is a high 199 g/km.
Another important area where the Mégane beats its opponent is price. In the UK, the three-door Golf R has a price tag of £31,115 on the road, but the Mégane Renaultsport 265 Trophy costs £27,820.
So quite a saving, but it assumes potential customers will actually be able to get their hands on the Renault. That’s because only 500 examples of the 265 Trophy are going to be built, of which just fifty are coming to the UK. The rest will be divided between Austria, Belgium, France (where it’ll be priced at €35,500), Germany, Italy, Portugal, Slovenia, Spain and Switzerland.
Specification includes the Cup chassis - with its stiffer springs, dampers and anti-roll bar - plus a mechanical limited slip differential and the PerfoHub front suspension set-up that is designed to overcome the inevitable torque steer. The black 19” alloy wheels are shod with Bridgestone Potenza RE050A tyres, which are claimed to have Formula 1 inspired tread patterns.
On the inside of the Mégane, there are Recaro seats with yellow seatbelts as well as the Renaultsport Monitor data logging system. It records and displays various parameters in real time, something that’s probably useful for track days if not the daily commute.
Whereas other markets get a choice of yellow, black, white or grey paintwork, UK buyers will be restricted to just the first two colours. However, as compensation, their cars will come complete with a numbered plaque and, more importantly, owners will also get free access to the full 2012 Renaultsport UK track day calendar.
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