We’re glad they reached the conclusion they did ‘4Control’ has helped relegate the standard Megane RS from the upper echelons of the hot hatch class, and without it, this Trophy R is a proper, rip-snorting return to form.
Renault Sport tested Trophy R mules with the former fitted, working out whether it provided handling benefits that would eclipse any weight saving. Well, the official story is that the four-wheel steer and optional auto ’box have gone purely because of the kilos they remove, but we suspect there’s a little more to it than that. End result? A 1,306kg kerb weight if you’ve ticked all the boxes.
Oh, and you can only have a manual gearbox, because it’s lighter than Renault Sport’s optional paddleshifter. The steering has been tweaked to account for it all and the wheel now comes wrapped wholly in Alcantara, rather than draping it incorrectly at the top and bottom of the wheel as per the Megane RS Trophy it sits atop. Steep negative camber is applied to the front wheels, there’s a manually adjustable Öhlins damper on every corner and the ride height can adjust through 16mm (and individually front to rear, adjusting the handling balance) with a simple tool. Indeed, there’s a wealth of chassis upgrades. The options list includes carbon ceramic brakes and carbon wheels (saving 18kg combined), a first outside the realm of supercars. And the most controversial element of the fourth-gen Megane RS – its four-wheel-steering system – has been ditched, taking almost 40kg out of the rear axle, enough to warrant a new set up at the back to avoid the car suddenly turning nose-heavy.