If you think the steering feel is lacking that car needs it's tyre pressures and alignment checked, they're sensitive to that to be fair! Steering feel is one of the stand out features in my opinion. Also you won't fully appreciate it until you start to push it properly. They're limited on equipment as standard but you'd be hard pushed to find a car as capable at the same price which is the whole point. 😉
I have one of these. I kind of agree with the steering feel. I find at low to medium speeds you don't really experience the adjustability and feedback of the chassis. You need to be at the limit in order to see this cars latent potential. You immediately know when you are at this limit and can effectively drive the car with the throttle and are in something special. Few modern cars drive like this unless you are talking really expensive exotic stuff.
The yellow revcounter was only on 250, after that the 265 and 275 changed it to white. I tought my car was a bit specless but this is a whole other level. RS Monitor can be later activated by smart guys with laptops. The non power folding mirrors look a bit sad, also the seats without leather look depressing. I also must appreciate the original owner of my car, never knew everything was extra. The Ohlins not only they are expensive, but they require servicing every 40.000 km, and good luck finding someone who knows what that means otherwise you need changing them, that's their creepy dirty secret. The gearbox is the same on the 250 as on 275, the good old pk4018. The 247 hp mode is designed to be quiet and fuel eficient. The 265/275 power mode is about mad noise, pops and bangs and also uses more fuel. It's also nice to remap it on the RS button so you can pass the technical inspection, yes some countries are way more serious about it than british mot. I always did the NOx check in standard mode. Here in eastern europe with no highways but no speed limit everywhere, the RS is mad fun, it's a car that can go hellishly fast everywhere. The 275 has buttons instead of optical sensors (common fault) at door handles for keyless. Also the 275 has a new ECU and upgraded cat to pass Euro 6 emissions. Other than that it's the same 2009 car. At some point during 250 or 265 Renault started putting better engine mounts which were a common fault on the 250. The 275 does not offer the Xenon option like the previous models and is quite blind at night with cheap halogens, either requiers really expensive hallogens which are still meh or go LED as the headlights have projector housings. I love the trunk having that high rear wall, I can stash the stuff I put in it so it doesn't fly all over the trunk when I accelerate. The yellow color was a really expensive option, I think like 800 or 1200 euros. Mine is black but at least I got the nice interior, climate, power folding mirrors. This car in the review seems spartan, but if you were to look at one with panoramic roof and all the goodies it feels like a decent car. Yes it's a french coop in some aspects but it's mad fun. You can get the comfy sport version instead of like 30% stiffer cup and just retrofit a cup gearbox or just the lsd, or better an aftermarket lsd like Gripper. I would absolutly buy it all over again. The engine is pretty much bulletproof.
Fantastic comment/owner review! Reading this you can tell just how much you love the car, your enthusiasm is very clear. Watching this video and reading your words makes me want to rush out and buy one! I've been out (not driven though sadly) in the R26 older one and found that an impressive little car. It was fast and seemed to handle and grip really well, and since then have been a fan of fast Renault's.
This was more informative than any review so far! This coming from an Ex owner of an early 250 now looking at a late 275! So the lights are worse on the 275?
@@TheAdWrighty apparently 275 has chocolate gearboxes, maybe too much power, maybe worse quality but people have the gearbox failing on 275. You can always fit a 250/265 gearbox I think.
@@mrstudio5389 grip is amazing, off the line is very dependant on tyres and weather, but round corners it sticks like shit on carpet 😂 😂 yes I have the cup with lsd
Smashed this review! Also have to appreciate the fact that the F4RT engine had been turbo'd for 10 years when the 275 released. Super reliable for track use.
Glad you've driven a standard one.. too many modified ones around. I have a standard 250 cup with the only mod a performance filter! I think it's better to leave it to the Renaultsport engineers for setup.
I love this car, I have the RS 250 with the LUX pack so leather, sat nav and the panoramic roof in white and it is just fantastic...always fun to drive and never misses a beat...completely standard! One thing to be watched is that water collects in the water drain just in front and below the windscreen. This gets blocked and water cannot drain when it rains so if you hear the sloshing sound of water as you are driving, this needs to be cleaned out though a bit difficult you have to remove the wipers to get at the area...drove me mad until I found out what the issue was.
I like the 10 minute format. I don't always have time for an up to 30 minute review. I'm not even particularly interested in the Mégane, but at just 10 minutes I thought it was worth a look.
Having driven a Trophy I have to disagree on the exhaust front, the Akrapovic exhaust whilst expensive really does sound good and the pops on the overrun and gear change didn't sound artificial or forced. Really enjoyed the car as a whole!
I have had a 275 trophy in liquid yellow since new 64 plate and it has never failed me and always puts a smile on my face everytime i drive it. Few thing's though that i think i should mention, if you think the car is lacking in steering feel etc then defo the tyres are not inflated right or there is an issue with the car. And the akrapovic exhaust is a must add upgrade in my opinion, on the 275 trophy they come standard with the akrapovic exhaust and the noise from standard is night and day, the akra is so much louder, on high revs you can seriously hear the roar and also lots of pops and bangs plus when the exhaust is hot....you get large blue flames. I test drove the new mk4 trophy and was not impressed, it felt to grown up and not as raw as the mk3 trophy. I will be keeping mine for many many years to come
Normal drive mode is for emissions and fuel economy. Hence while you are in cruise control it will always go back to normal drive mode. Sports mode sharpens steering, pop's and crackles from the exhaust and gives you the max power and torque.
Agreed on the gearbox, but not so on the steering. This has one of the best rack. The feedback and weight is just sublime even compared to some of the best out there, hatchbacks and even sportcars
To say the Mégane was considered to be the finest handling hot hatch for many years you gave it a fairly luke warm review. I say this as a long term subscriber who always enjoys your videos.
I used to have a 250 cup. It was a good handling car don't get me wrong but i never got that sweaty palm feeling and wanting to grab the keys at 5am on a Sunday. I used to have a Clio Williams back in the day! That was probably one of the best/fun cars I've ever driven. Raw like a hot hatch should be. Much more fun than my BRZ. That was the last fwd car to give me those feelings. I've read you can get similar in a ITR..
Woud love one of these. The pre facelift cars are prettier in my opinion. Mine would have to have recaro seats, nav and lowering springs though The engine is not a great sounding unit but I found the induction sound was very distinctive, very racey.
I bought the 265 facelift just a a week ago, and it right after costed me 900 bucks to fix the engine mount issue and spark plug. I installed the powerflex insert as well. Anyway, there are still more notorious issues for this car such as timing belt, air con compressor, thermostat, door handle fracture, boot floor sagging, etc...
Also to add regarding "not been screwed together" AFIK there is very few problems with the Mk3 Megane RS. I did nearly 70k in a 250 with Cup Chassis and had zero issues and I appreciate a single example proves nothing the only 'known' issues with the car is some bits in the front suspension wearing out and potentially gearbox mounts issue but both are easy to resolve should you get them. + your comment on steering feel is (I think) at odds with most others who have driven it, I think Chris Harris and various others have said it has one of the best feeling (caveat electric) racks going.
Electric steering has changed a lot in ten years. The steering in this car is not great. My comment about being screwed together is more about fit and finish than mechanical durability
He’s right, the steering on this car lacks feel and feedback at low to moderate speeds it only comes into play when you are driving it at the limit (on the track) which you would not be doing on the street. The Megane iii rs is an amazing 10/10ths car but it is rather lack lustre on the surface.
I agree that if you're never going to take your Megane to the track then any modifications could make your Megane less enjoyable on a fun B road. If you track your Megane though, the right modifications can make your track time more enjoyable. Like you, I have a CAE shifter. I wouldn't recommend one for a road only Megane but for the track, in my view it's awesome. You said that Renault got the gearbox right from the factory but the CAE is just a shifter, it doesn't change anything about the gearbox. I'm surprised to hear your significant dislike for the CAE shifter. The trick with it is that it has to be tuned when fitted. I'd check with who fitted it and how it was fitted. It's not something I would trust a handy backyard mechanic would fit perfectly. You'll hear and see in my videos that gear selection is not an issue and I would argue, much better than what I could achieve with the more vague shift of the OEM shifter.
Strange that you would say about lack of steering feel, since it's rather a strength of this car, even compared to the latest hot hatches you mentioned. Maybe tyres made a difference.
This is true, bought mine on nexan tyre but the grip was awful switched it over to michelin ps4 tyres and it grips a hell of a lot better but introduced a vagueness to the center point because the side walls are soft, I believe that the good year asymmetric 5, conti contact 6 or a good set of Bridgestone will sort that
Great video. As usual excellent commentary on the car, driving and historical context. And also in typical fashion shows all possible angles of video except the one I care about which is the driver view - but I’ve learned to forgive that by this point.
Another real review by a real enthusiast on a car many can afford to buy, not a super car review by a teenager with questionable taste and more money than sense I’ll keep subscribing!
We need more tyre talk in this reviews! Is it something you missing on purpose or just a coincidence? Important bit of a driving experience imho. Otherwise keep breathing a new life in that good old british motoring journalism, good luck!
JayEmm on Cars Basics. What set is fitted in the car you drive and how it feels with them. Or maybe there’s a better choice for this model... Just a little add on to the list of characteristics you mention in the review, nothing more.
@@JayEmmOnCars what tire is mounted and pressures if you feeling extra anorak. Tires are by far the most relevant bit on how a car drives/reacts. The most flagrant one is m5 f90 (and even the rs6) on pirellis and michelins they are totally different cars. Michelins they are understeer boring 4wd, on pirellis they are a woot to drive.
I owned a mk2 Clio for 2 years. Best car (£ for £) I've ever owned I think. I was going to upgrade to a meganne cup but the build quality of Renault put me off.. Such a shame. Oh did I forget to mention the Clio cost me around 1.5k in repairs.. and the craziest thing is... I'd buy it and go through all that again given the chance..
We have used Renault Kangoos and Clio vans for a very long time and they have been excellent reliable vehicles and absolutely NOTHING wrong with the build quality of them so much so I bought a 2008 Kangoo 1.5 dci Expression car version and last of the original Kangoos that has also been totally reliable with no problems with build quality that just sails through its MOT every year no problem. One of my friends neighbours bought a 2006 Clio van from us when it was being being replaced years ago and they still have that today and he loves it because it has been totally reliable in all of that time. My friend also has a 2006 Clio car also one of the last MK2 Clios that has been totally reliable and nothing wrong with the build quality of that car either. Renault actually come out top of all of the European makes in the ACTUAL break down charts where as ALL of the German makes with the exception of Porsche come out as POOR.
Funny we have used Renault Kangoo and Clio vans for years and they have been excellent reliable vehicles and nothing wrong with the build quality and nothing has fallen off of them either. So much so I bought a 2008 Kangoo 1.5 dci Expression car version one of the last of the original Kangoos and nothing wrong with the build quality of that and it has also been totally reliable and sails through its MOT every year no problem. My friends has a Mk2 2006 Clio that is still going great as well with no problems with build quality.
The 250/265/275 all shared the same box (not sure it could have also been in the Mk2 Megane) and it's also the same box in the 280/300 with a shorter shifter. The yelow Rev counter was not an option it was just standard in the 250 and replaced with grey in either the 265 or 275 (I forget which), possibly it was still yellow in the 265 Trophy which predated the 265 mainstream/standard model
I've just bough a MK2 R26 for £5.5k.. Liquid yellow. Beautiful. ..although with 100k miles on it, it needed a bit of work: front disks & pads, rear tyres, all fluids, spark plugs, filters etc, front left toe arm, front right (lots of stuff Inc lower wishbone), clutch & flywheel.:.. and then decided to replace exhaust (2.75 Miltek), short(er) shifter (new standard shifter - modified), braided brake lines and a remap. Oh and a replacement key. Because I got all that done by Renault and K-TEC, I've spent the best part of £5k bringing it back to a lightly modified standard spec. It may need an engine rebuild at some point which will be another £2k ish (to oem standard) or around £8k for a fitted forged unit with upgraded clutch, hybrid turbo, injectors etc... however it would also be producing between c. 360 and 400bhp (with warranty!).
250 had yellow Rev counter. 265 and 275 have grey Rev counter. Sold my 265 last year and went back to a normally aspirated Clio 200 for track days. You are right the exhausts sound horrible I’ve never heard a decent sounding RS MK3 Megane!
Yes; you can pay more money for higher quallity materials inside, golf for example; or you can pay for faster car on a track, the question is, what do you want?
Lovely car. I have a yellow RS250. Can confirm they sound shit with a modded exhaust. Mines has a 3” turbo back scorpion exhaust. Best thing I did was stick the standard cat back in it to shut it up a bit (and pass an MOT. Is it just me or is the one you’re driving sounding a bit whiny? Classic Megane gearbox problem.
As someone who just had to have the Recaros and is also not the skinniest, I'm kinda over it now and on the way to work, I'd probably prefer the comfy seats
I have a full fat version (cup chassis but heated leather etc) I think the seats are superb for everyday driving, Recaros look the part but getting too old for that now 😀
After 2 Mini Coopers I’d take French build quality any day - my RS265 Cup has been 100% reliable and half as costly to run compared to BMW stretched timing chains and thermostat issues - vive la RS
You are quite right that Renaults are fairly reliable compared to other European cars, but I think the point is to compare to Honda and other Japanese cars: Where the wiring in a Honda (say in the engine bay or behind the boot trim) is all in neat plastic runners and is *all the right length*, the wiring in these Meganes is very, very messy, and some of the wiring is nowhere near the right length, it's coiled up with a cable-tie out of sight. It's as if "close enough is good enough" whereas Honda are much more exacting. For example, I found that one of the control modules in the boot of the Megane had been double-sided-taped (!!) in place at the factory, which had lost it's stickiness and was now hanging by it's wires. :( There's also typical European traits of using a lot more plastic parts in the cooling and clutch system (and so on) compared to Japanese car too -- but I guess a lot of that is to do with the supply chain of Valeo parts rather than Nissin parts and the types of components they supply. Albeit the Megane's F4R engine was originally designed in 1982, so there is not much plastic on the physical engine itself thankfully (unlike a MINI or VW or so on), it's mainly in the plumbing and external stuff.
@@autobahnproven if he goes inside it will inflate his ego and he'll get a pat on the back, even the soft toff guards will even laugh and smile about his crime he's done no doubt and testing his patience if he actually goes in for a meagre little sentence.
Top candidate if you want a fast, fun, affordable, manual, 3 door hot hatch which looks a little bit special. Imho the car really needs lowering springs and spacers. Can´t say the handling changed (good thing) but it looks so much better! I even like the standard seats and prefer them to the Recaro seats as it´s my daily driver. The stereo is not impressive, I´ve spent £1000 to improve it and I´m still not satisfied. And it´s struggling at high speeds.. At least mine does.
Just taught that myself yesterday, when done really driving the car, just cruising along, wanted to crank up the volume, the sound fell apart at moderate levels. I'm thinking either the amp is not sufficient or the speakers it self are not for the job. Drove a 265 last year, with the Bose speakers, wasn't blown away but didn't notice that the system lack power. What did you do?
@@williamwallace45 I have the Bose system in mine. I use a Car Audio Shop which I´ve been very happy with earlier. I gave them a limit at around £1000 and they put a Hertz 10" sub in the back which I think is alright. They also installed a Kenwood X801-5 amp because in their experience that´s usually a weak point. No speakers was replaced. Front speakers still lacks real punch so I guess they are the next step to replace.
@@SViip Since this would be my track day car, I would add any extra weight to it, but if the head unit is not up to the job then I guess I won't bother.
When I watch your reviews and especially this one I don't think 10 minutes pottering around north Essex does this particular car justice. I'd like to see you at a track day with the owner giving it a proper shakedown. Would this be possible?
So I was sitting at home this (early) morning enjoying yet another of your great works with my first and most sacred) coffee of the day and I was thinking. As I like mildly modified cars also it would be great for a trusted reviewer ( I think I can trust exactly what you say about cars myself) to be able to investigate (if the opportunity presents itself) questions from viewers and provide your honest answers. I was thinking specifically about what you were saying about the exhaust on this car (standard vs modified). This is relevant to me as I have a MK3.5 focus ST and would like to know if it is worth adding a performance exhaust for better sounds Vs keeping it 'stock'. And if so, which one to choose (depending on viewer preferences of course) Surely there could be an opportunity here to add another facet to your programme by logging what requests you get from people then when you get an opportunity, to answer those questions. What do you think?
Would be great to get a review of an actual generation RS 280 vs RS 300 (Trophy), is the cheaper one good enough or is the money on the Trophy well spent?
what is the difference between cup and cup s? there is also a nav and nav s? cant find any good info that compares them :/ difficult to find out which one i should look for
I currently own two megane 250cups and 100% agree with what you said there, I track them and use them daily and there great allrounders, fun and not too expensive to run/maintain. I have a question, what video editor/uploader do you use? TIA
I have a 250 cup, mine has a full scorpion system, intercooler and remapped to 300bhp, with the recarro seats, brilliant cars handle like a dream and really pulls hard disagree with your exhaust comment I love the pops and bangs on mine standard exhaust is basicly silent, but that's personal preferable I suppose, I picked up mine on 80k miles for £6500, I don't really why anybody would pay 12 - 15 grand trying to get into a 275 you can have basicly exactly the same car for half the price. There very foccused though woudent recommend if you have a family, getting in and out of the thing is a nightmare the stereo is absolutely terrible, mine absolutely consumes fuel ⛽ but I only do very short journeys, there's quite a few creeks and rattles but mines 10 years old now so to be exspexted, in short these are drivers cars!
I wish you would test a cheap as chips Bentley Continental as I wonder if its worth blowing £20 K on one. My £2K Citroen C6 is totally reliable and all the warnings about the unreliability is whatever the French word for Bollox is. Worth a punt?
Thats my main problem with French cars "They didn't give 2 shits when they were screwing it together" otherwise there's a few out there I'd be tempted to but, its just I can't be arsed with the build quality or more the lack of it.
He exaggerated it as much as he could when describing it . Coming from Alpina and M3 to my RS250 , build quality for a French car was actually spectacularly good.
@@mantazini I was more going off my experience of cars had by me, family and friends, there's been a couple of good ones, a Mk1 Megane and a newer C3 Picasso but on the whole there's been more bad than good.
Sold mine months ago and now having an Audi TT, I can say he's exaggerating quite a bit. You can feel a little bit of quality differences in some parts but is not that much for a 10-20k price difference when new (depending on the country). The car itself is very well built and if you compare the early ones (2009/2010) with other cars of the same age and price point, you will find that this car aged amazingly well. No cracks or rattles on mine at all, and the plastics are quite good.
Having lived with a 265 for 3 years, I can say the build quality was in fact quite good. I'm talking about the engineering, reliability, lack of rattle, great metallic paint finish with no orange peels. But as pointed out in the video, the fit & finish was average at best, my fuel cap also stuck out and my two front headlights didn't quite line up the same on the bumper.
@@PureLeeful Back in 2017 when I bought my M3RS I was offered a new white cup s without the recaros for about 34k€ incl. 5 years Service package. I think the recaros, the street legal Akra-exhaust system and the öhlins suspensions were here in Germany all in between 1500 and 2000€ if chosen as option. That's sick, but because I think all three options are great, I looked for a young used car, which is equipped with this.
This could almost have been the diesel you were reviewing with the lack of talk about the chassis feedback/sensation and also the fact you didn’t seem to go over 40mph for the whole video...
I drove one of the 275 cup ones when they came on the market. I love the look of the car, but I was so disappointed in the lack of precision of the steering, rear suspension jumping all over in a curved road with a bit of uneven asphalt .The fact that the engine was pulling like 160hp , not 270(but was brand new , and maybe was yet to tight in ). Overall good looking car , but compare to a GTI, waaay lower engineering design. Try to find the Clio RS, from the same generation, that was magical.
I've got a 250 cup but had an R26, both brilliant cars. I personally loved the shape of the previous version in Renaultsport form but it was a Marmite kind of car to some. 👍
@John Mitchell I think that it looks older because they only facelifted it slightly in the front. As for it being cheap looking, that's the French for you
![Renault Megane R.S. 280 Cup [Genting Hillclimb] - I Know You Guys Have Been Waiting for This LOL](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/Lfu8tADWd5U/mqdefault.jpg)
Bit of a funny one here, the engine code for this engine is F4RT
If you think the steering feel is lacking that car needs it's tyre pressures and alignment checked, they're sensitive to that to be fair! Steering feel is one of the stand out features in my opinion. Also you won't fully appreciate it until you start to push it properly. They're limited on equipment as standard but you'd be hard pushed to find a car as capable at the same price which is the whole point. 😉
I have one of these. I kind of agree with the steering feel. I find at low to medium speeds you don't really experience the adjustability and feedback of the chassis. You need to be at the limit in order to see this cars latent potential. You immediately know when you are at this limit and can effectively drive the car with the throttle and are in something special. Few modern cars drive like this unless you are talking really expensive exotic stuff.
As an American, I am so jealous of Europeans and your vast assortment of hot hatches! I’ve always wanted to drive a RS Megane 😭
@footballcoreano I want to drive a suzuki swift sport.... Does that count?
Men you have muscle car, in french its my dream ^^
Tony Fr there fun to drive, but they aren’t built for back roads or winter haha and I live in the North East 😭
@@Nocturnecreedminis i send my megane rs for muscle car ^^
Tony Fr if I had a muscle car I’d trade ya, because I’m all about Challengers #moparornocar
The yellow revcounter was only on 250, after that the 265 and 275 changed it to white. I tought my car was a bit specless but this is a whole other level. RS Monitor can be later activated by smart guys with laptops. The non power folding mirrors look a bit sad, also the seats without leather look depressing. I also must appreciate the original owner of my car, never knew everything was extra. The Ohlins not only they are expensive, but they require servicing every 40.000 km, and good luck finding someone who knows what that means otherwise you need changing them, that's their creepy dirty secret. The gearbox is the same on the 250 as on 275, the good old pk4018. The 247 hp mode is designed to be quiet and fuel eficient. The 265/275 power mode is about mad noise, pops and bangs and also uses more fuel. It's also nice to remap it on the RS button so you can pass the technical inspection, yes some countries are way more serious about it than british mot. I always did the NOx check in standard mode. Here in eastern europe with no highways but no speed limit everywhere, the RS is mad fun, it's a car that can go hellishly fast everywhere. The 275 has buttons instead of optical sensors (common fault) at door handles for keyless. Also the 275 has a new ECU and upgraded cat to pass Euro 6 emissions. Other than that it's the same 2009 car. At some point during 250 or 265 Renault started putting better engine mounts which were a common fault on the 250. The 275 does not offer the Xenon option like the previous models and is quite blind at night with cheap halogens, either requiers really expensive hallogens which are still meh or go LED as the headlights have projector housings. I love the trunk having that high rear wall, I can stash the stuff I put in it so it doesn't fly all over the trunk when I accelerate. The yellow color was a really expensive option, I think like 800 or 1200 euros. Mine is black but at least I got the nice interior, climate, power folding mirrors. This car in the review seems spartan, but if you were to look at one with panoramic roof and all the goodies it feels like a decent car. Yes it's a french coop in some aspects but it's mad fun. You can get the comfy sport version instead of like 30% stiffer cup and just retrofit a cup gearbox or just the lsd, or better an aftermarket lsd like Gripper. I would absolutly buy it all over again. The engine is pretty much bulletproof.
Fantastic comment/owner review! Reading this you can tell just how much you love the car, your enthusiasm is very clear. Watching this video and reading your words makes me want to rush out and buy one! I've been out (not driven though sadly) in the R26 older one and found that an impressive little car. It was fast and seemed to handle and grip really well, and since then have been a fan of fast Renault's.
This was more informative than any review so far! This coming from an Ex owner of an early 250 now looking at a late 275! So the lights are worse on the 275?
@@TheAdWrighty apparently 275 has chocolate gearboxes, maybe too much power, maybe worse quality but people have the gearbox failing on 275. You can always fit a 250/265 gearbox I think.
@@SpeedDaemon3 is it just the clutch that fails or gears themselves?
Got a megane rs250 at the moment. Hella good car
You got a cup? Hopefully i can get the 250 this year. How is grip from the line if you put your foot down.
@@mrstudio5389 grip is amazing, off the line is very dependant on tyres and weather, but round corners it sticks like shit on carpet 😂 😂 yes I have the cup with lsd
Audio is shite though, so would recommend a speaker/amp setup
Smashed this review! Also have to appreciate the fact that the F4RT engine had been turbo'd for 10 years when the 275 released. Super reliable for track use.
So nice to see an unmolested example on TH-cam and so surprising to see it on this channel.Great review.
Glad you've driven a standard one.. too many modified ones around. I have a standard 250 cup with the only mod a performance filter! I think it's better to leave it to the Renaultsport engineers for setup.
I love this car, I have the RS 250 with the LUX pack so leather, sat nav and the panoramic roof in white and it is just fantastic...always fun to drive and never misses a beat...completely standard! One thing to be watched is that water collects in the water drain just in front and below the windscreen. This gets blocked and water cannot drain when it rains so if you hear the sloshing sound of water as you are driving, this needs to be cleaned out though a bit difficult you have to remove the wipers to get at the area...drove me mad until I found out what the issue was.
I like the 10 minute format. I don't always have time for an up to 30 minute review. I'm not even particularly interested in the Mégane, but at just 10 minutes I thought it was worth a look.
Agree
Having driven a Trophy I have to disagree on the exhaust front, the Akrapovic exhaust whilst expensive really does sound good and the pops on the overrun and gear change didn't sound artificial or forced. Really enjoyed the car as a whole!
I have had a 275 trophy in liquid yellow since new 64 plate and it has never failed me and always puts a smile on my face everytime i drive it. Few thing's though that i think i should mention, if you think the car is lacking in steering feel etc then defo the tyres are not inflated right or there is an issue with the car. And the akrapovic exhaust is a must add upgrade in my opinion, on the 275 trophy they come standard with the akrapovic exhaust and the noise from standard is night and day, the akra is so much louder, on high revs you can seriously hear the roar and also lots of pops and bangs plus when the exhaust is hot....you get large blue flames. I test drove the new mk4 trophy and was not impressed, it felt to grown up and not as raw as the mk3 trophy. I will be keeping mine for many many years to come
Normal drive mode is for emissions and fuel economy. Hence while you are in cruise control it will always go back to normal drive mode. Sports mode sharpens steering, pop's and crackles from the exhaust and gives you the max power and torque.
Agreed on the gearbox, but not so on the steering. This has one of the best rack. The feedback and weight is just sublime even compared to some of the best out there, hatchbacks and even sportcars
To say the Mégane was considered to be the finest handling hot hatch for many years you gave it a fairly luke warm review. I say this as a long term subscriber who always enjoys your videos.
Sometimes I find myself disagreeing with "the press" - it happens!
I used to have a 250 cup. It was a good handling car don't get me wrong but i never got that sweaty palm feeling and wanting to grab the keys at 5am on a Sunday. I used to have a Clio Williams back in the day! That was probably one of the best/fun cars I've ever driven. Raw like a hot hatch should be. Much more fun than my BRZ. That was the last fwd car to give me those feelings. I've read you can get similar in a ITR..
Woud love one of these. The pre facelift cars are prettier in my opinion. Mine would have to have recaro seats, nav and lowering springs though
The engine is not a great sounding unit but I found the induction sound was very distinctive, very racey.
I bought the 265 facelift just a a week ago, and it right after costed me 900 bucks to fix the engine mount issue and spark plug. I installed the powerflex insert as well. Anyway, there are still more notorious issues for this car such as timing belt, air con compressor, thermostat, door handle fracture, boot floor sagging, etc...
I actually quite like the look of that which really surprises me 😉
Great review Jimbo! Honest and on point as per usual.
Also to add regarding "not been screwed together" AFIK there is very few problems with the Mk3 Megane RS. I did nearly 70k in a 250 with Cup Chassis and had zero issues and I appreciate a single example proves nothing the only 'known' issues with the car is some bits in the front suspension wearing out and potentially gearbox mounts issue but both are easy to resolve should you get them. + your comment on steering feel is (I think) at odds with most others who have driven it, I think Chris Harris and various others have said it has one of the best feeling (caveat electric) racks going.
Electric steering has changed a lot in ten years. The steering in this car is not great.
My comment about being screwed together is more about fit and finish than mechanical durability
Agree. The steering is amazing though, I've got a 275 also.
He’s right, the steering on this car lacks feel and feedback at low to moderate speeds it only comes into play when you are driving it at the limit (on the track) which you would not be doing on the street. The Megane iii rs is an amazing 10/10ths car but it is rather lack lustre on the surface.
You Sir can really talk so much while driving and amazingly compact with info. Thanks 👍
Very nice hot hatch. Keep up the good work.
At last you’ve got a mk3 Megane on the channel. Great cars and brilliant on track.
I want one of these.
I agree that if you're never going to take your Megane to the track then any modifications could make your Megane less enjoyable on a fun B road. If you track your Megane though, the right modifications can make your track time more enjoyable. Like you, I have a CAE shifter. I wouldn't recommend one for a road only Megane but for the track, in my view it's awesome. You said that Renault got the gearbox right from the factory but the CAE is just a shifter, it doesn't change anything about the gearbox. I'm surprised to hear your significant dislike for the CAE shifter. The trick with it is that it has to be tuned when fitted. I'd check with who fitted it and how it was fitted. It's not something I would trust a handy backyard mechanic would fit perfectly. You'll hear and see in my videos that gear selection is not an issue and I would argue, much better than what I could achieve with the more vague shift of the OEM shifter.
Strange that you would say about lack of steering feel, since it's rather a strength of this car, even compared to the latest hot hatches you mentioned. Maybe tyres made a difference.
Tyres make quite a lot of difference with mine
This is true, bought mine on nexan tyre but the grip was awful switched it over to michelin ps4 tyres and it grips a hell of a lot better but introduced a vagueness to the center point because the side walls are soft, I believe that the good year asymmetric 5, conti contact 6 or a good set of Bridgestone will sort that
Love Megane RS👍🇫🇷💛
Great video. As usual excellent commentary on the car, driving and historical context. And also in typical fashion shows all possible angles of video except the one I care about which is the driver view - but I’ve learned to forgive that by this point.
Another real review by a real enthusiast on a car many can afford to buy, not a super car review by a teenager with questionable taste and more money than sense
I’ll keep subscribing!
We need more tyre talk in this reviews! Is it something you missing on purpose or just a coincidence? Important bit of a driving experience imho. Otherwise keep breathing a new life in that good old british motoring journalism, good luck!
What do you want to know about tyres?
JayEmm on Cars Basics. What set is fitted in the car you drive and how it feels with them. Or maybe there’s a better choice for this model... Just a little add on to the list of characteristics you mention in the review, nothing more.
@@JayEmmOnCars what tire is mounted and pressures if you feeling extra anorak. Tires are by far the most relevant bit on how a car drives/reacts.
The most flagrant one is m5 f90 (and even the rs6) on pirellis and michelins they are totally different cars. Michelins they are understeer boring 4wd, on pirellis they are a woot to drive.
I owned a mk2 Clio for 2 years. Best car (£ for £) I've ever owned I think. I was going to upgrade to a meganne cup but the build quality of Renault put me off.. Such a shame. Oh did I forget to mention the Clio cost me around 1.5k in repairs.. and the craziest thing is... I'd buy it and go through all that again given the chance..
We have used Renault Kangoos and Clio vans for a very long time and they have been excellent reliable vehicles and absolutely NOTHING wrong with the build quality of them so much so I bought a 2008 Kangoo 1.5 dci Expression car version and last of the original Kangoos that has also been totally reliable with no problems with build quality that just sails through its MOT every year no problem. One of my friends neighbours bought a 2006 Clio van from us when it was being being replaced years ago and they still have that today and he loves it because it has been totally reliable in all of that time. My friend also has a 2006 Clio car also one of the last MK2 Clios that has been totally reliable and nothing wrong with the build quality of that car either. Renault actually come out top of all of the European makes in the ACTUAL break down charts where as ALL of the German makes with the exception of Porsche come out as POOR.
Steering feel is top notch for an electric system, I'm not sure why you would think otherwise - unless there's something wrong with it
That sign off about (lack of) build quality was hysterical 🤣 Excellent vid as always James...
I got the impression in this video more so toward the end he couldn't wait until he'd finished to get out of the thing lol
Funny we have used Renault Kangoo and Clio vans for years and they have been excellent reliable vehicles and nothing wrong with the build quality and nothing has fallen off of them either. So much so I bought a 2008 Kangoo 1.5 dci Expression car version one of the last of the original Kangoos and nothing wrong with the build quality of that and it has also been totally reliable and sails through its MOT every year no problem. My friends has a Mk2 2006 Clio that is still going great as well with no problems with build quality.
The 250/265/275 all shared the same box (not sure it could have also been in the Mk2 Megane) and it's also the same box in the 280/300 with a shorter shifter. The yelow Rev counter was not an option it was just standard in the 250 and replaced with grey in either the 265 or 275 (I forget which), possibly it was still yellow in the 265 Trophy which predated the 265 mainstream/standard model
I've just bough a MK2 R26 for £5.5k.. Liquid yellow. Beautiful.
..although with 100k miles on it, it needed a bit of work: front disks & pads, rear tyres, all fluids, spark plugs, filters etc, front left toe arm, front right (lots of stuff Inc lower wishbone), clutch & flywheel.:.. and then decided to replace exhaust (2.75 Miltek), short(er) shifter (new standard shifter - modified), braided brake lines and a remap. Oh and a replacement key. Because I got all that done by Renault and K-TEC, I've spent the best part of £5k bringing it back to a lightly modified standard spec. It may need an engine rebuild at some point which will be another £2k ish (to oem standard) or around £8k for a fitted forged unit with upgraded clutch, hybrid turbo, injectors etc... however it would also be producing between c. 360 and 400bhp (with warranty!).
I think you should ride the Trophy 275 as well. 300/330hp is the sweet spot what i here.
250 had yellow Rev counter. 265 and 275 have grey Rev counter.
Sold my 265 last year and went back to a normally aspirated Clio 200 for track days. You are right the exhausts sound horrible I’ve never heard a decent sounding RS MK3 Megane!
Yes is true, i have megane 3 rs and engine sound is .....
Nice colour coding with the yellow shirt and g string, well played matey.
Yes; you can pay more money for higher quallity materials inside, golf for example; or you can pay for faster car on a track, the question is, what do you want?
Great cars. I really don't think he reviewed it to it's full potential.
1:54, I just noticed. Simple no-frills shirt matches the car. Genius !
Lovely car. I have a yellow RS250. Can confirm they sound shit with a modded exhaust. Mines has a 3” turbo back scorpion exhaust. Best thing I did was stick the standard cat back in it to shut it up a bit (and pass an MOT.
Is it just me or is the one you’re driving sounding a bit whiny? Classic Megane gearbox problem.
As someone who just had to have the Recaros and is also not the skinniest, I'm kinda over it now and on the way to work, I'd probably prefer the comfy seats
I have a full fat version (cup chassis but heated leather etc) I think the seats are superb for everyday driving, Recaros look the part but getting too old for that now 😀
After 2 Mini Coopers I’d take French build quality any day - my RS265 Cup has been 100% reliable and half as costly to run compared to BMW stretched timing chains and thermostat issues - vive la RS
You are quite right that Renaults are fairly reliable compared to other European cars, but I think the point is to compare to Honda and other Japanese cars: Where the wiring in a Honda (say in the engine bay or behind the boot trim) is all in neat plastic runners and is *all the right length*, the wiring in these Meganes is very, very messy, and some of the wiring is nowhere near the right length, it's coiled up with a cable-tie out of sight. It's as if "close enough is good enough" whereas Honda are much more exacting. For example, I found that one of the control modules in the boot of the Megane had been double-sided-taped (!!) in place at the factory, which had lost it's stickiness and was now hanging by it's wires. :(
There's also typical European traits of using a lot more plastic parts in the cooling and clutch system (and so on) compared to Japanese car too -- but I guess a lot of that is to do with the supply chain of Valeo parts rather than Nissin parts and the types of components they supply. Albeit the Megane's F4R engine was originally designed in 1982, so there is not much plastic on the physical engine itself thankfully (unlike a MINI or VW or so on), it's mainly in the plumbing and external stuff.
Had one, was stolen 1 month ago. So sad 😢
Sorry to hear that. Hope the thieving scum bag got locked up and is now the belle of the ball 'inside'.
aw damn, did you have insurance?
@@autobahnproven if he goes inside it will inflate his ego and he'll get a pat on the back, even the soft toff guards will even laugh and smile about his crime he's done no doubt and testing his patience if he actually goes in for a meagre little sentence.
@@Dockhead I'm inclined to agree with you. Unfortunately.
You serious I heard of one being sold for cheap about a month ago. It sounded too cheap to be true.
Sometimes I think about a car and you review it the next day, this is creepy
It is. Only this week the same thing happened to me with the MR2 video.
someone along from me just bought one yesterday, (in yellow too) and today this video is up, very creepy
Top candidate if you want a fast, fun, affordable, manual, 3 door hot hatch which looks a little bit special.
Imho the car really needs lowering springs and spacers. Can´t say the handling changed (good thing) but it looks so much better! I even like the standard seats and prefer them to the Recaro seats as it´s my daily driver.
The stereo is not impressive, I´ve spent £1000 to improve it and I´m still not satisfied.
And it´s struggling at high speeds.. At least mine does.
Just taught that myself yesterday, when done really driving the car, just cruising along, wanted to crank up the volume, the sound fell apart at moderate levels. I'm thinking either the amp is not sufficient or the speakers it self are not for the job. Drove a 265 last year, with the Bose speakers, wasn't blown away but didn't notice that the system lack power. What did you do?
@@williamwallace45 I have the Bose system in mine. I use a Car Audio Shop which I´ve been very happy with earlier. I gave them a limit at around £1000 and they put a Hertz 10" sub in the back which I think is alright. They also installed a Kenwood X801-5 amp because in their experience that´s usually a weak point. No speakers was replaced. Front speakers still lacks real punch so I guess they are the next step to replace.
@@SViip Since this would be my track day car, I would add any extra weight to it, but if the head unit is not up to the job then I guess I won't bother.
@@williamwallace45 In that case I think it´s a wise move to stay clear from audio upgrades.
When I watch your reviews and especially this one I don't think 10 minutes pottering around north Essex does this particular car justice. I'd like to see you at a track day with the owner giving it a proper shakedown. Would this be possible?
One day maybe but track days are hard to film at
So I was sitting at home this (early) morning enjoying yet another of your great works with my first and most sacred) coffee of the day and I was thinking. As I like mildly modified cars also it would be great for a trusted reviewer ( I think I can trust exactly what you say about cars myself) to be able to investigate (if the opportunity presents itself) questions from viewers and provide your honest answers. I was thinking specifically about what you were saying about the exhaust on this car (standard vs modified). This is relevant to me as I have a MK3.5 focus ST and would like to know if it is worth adding a performance exhaust for better sounds Vs keeping it 'stock'. And if so, which one to choose (depending on viewer preferences of course) Surely there could be an opportunity here to add another facet to your programme by logging what requests you get from people then when you get an opportunity, to answer those questions. What do you think?
Hey Jay. How's the steering is this Megane RS compared to the Focus ST Mk3? Particularly the steering weight, feedback and feel?
All it needs is performance filter, exhaust and tyres.
It’d be kinda nice if you put the year of the car in the title or description. For someone who’s not as familiar with the cars. Just a thought.
Another French Quirk! But they have made some great cars. Keep them coming Jay.
The Megane cup s infact any fast Renault, cars I look back on and wish I'd had the chance to own
Can't beat the seats of my FK8
People always compliment the handling on theres
Gearbox bearings were definitely shot in this car when filmed.
Be good to see you review a 308 gti
Agreed, I'm currently looking at the 308 gti, leon cupra and this gen megane rs
I so very want this car.
Does anyone have experience driving one with the sunroof? Does it impact the driving dynamics in any discernible way?
Amazing review, any chance you could send me the link to the review for the Toyota Alphard? Can't find the review anywhere!
I took it down as I want to re edit it, it will be reuploaded soon
@@JayEmmOnCars thought I was going mad!
Would be great to get a review of an actual generation RS 280 vs RS 300 (Trophy), is the cheaper one good enough or is the money on the Trophy well spent?
Put some decent Michelins on it ! The turn in and steering will feel much better then than the Pirelli's.......
Can hear the diff bearings are on their way out in this one.
what is the difference between cup and cup s? there is also a nav and nav s? cant find any good info that compares them :/ difficult to find out which one i should look for
I currently own two megane 250cups and 100% agree with what you said there, I track them and use them daily and there great allrounders, fun and not too expensive to run/maintain. I have a question, what video editor/uploader do you use? TIA
Premiere Pro
Jay would you recommend a 250 Cup ? Would you say bucket seats are mandatory or leather normal ones are good enough?
Depends what you use it for. My personal preference would be the Recaros
@@JayEmmOnCars No track use , just general commuting and sometimes spirited drives :) For 7-9k it seems like such good car. Very uncommon too
@@mrstudio5389 Recaro seats are the ones
I have the recaros in mine, theyre not uncomfortable I've done road trips in them. Main thing is theyre not painful and THEY LOOK SO GOOD
Was just watching a mk3 Trophy-R extensive drive and chat by a Hong Kong based supercar collector ch: @XRX and he is carrying on like it is the GOAT.
I really like your reviews but not sure about this tbh, ur welcome to drive my full spec 275 cup s and see the difference
I have a 250 cup, mine has a full scorpion system, intercooler and remapped to 300bhp, with the recarro seats, brilliant cars handle like a dream and really pulls hard disagree with your exhaust comment I love the pops and bangs on mine standard exhaust is basicly silent, but that's personal preferable I suppose, I picked up mine on 80k miles for £6500, I don't really why anybody would pay 12 - 15 grand trying to get into a 275 you can have basicly exactly the same car for half the price. There very foccused though woudent recommend if you have a family, getting in and out of the thing is a nightmare the stereo is absolutely terrible, mine absolutely consumes fuel ⛽ but I only do very short journeys, there's quite a few creeks and rattles but mines 10 years old now so to be exspexted, in short these are drivers cars!
I wish you would test a cheap as chips Bentley Continental as I wonder if its worth blowing £20 K on one.
My £2K Citroen C6 is totally reliable and all the warnings about the unreliability is whatever the French word for Bollox is. Worth a punt?
What’s the mpg on these pal? I’m looking at a 2016 cup at £13500, but it’s the same bog standard spec as the one on your vid.
I get 28ish round town and 35ish on the motorway from my 265
I average around 27-28 mpg, but when it goes as well as they do you won't worry too much about that 👍
I completely disagree about the exhaust note, from all the turbo 4 pots it sounds the best stock and modded
Thats my main problem with French cars "They didn't give 2 shits when they were screwing it together" otherwise there's a few out there I'd be tempted to but, its just I can't be arsed with the build quality or more the lack of it.
He exaggerated it as much as he could when describing it . Coming from Alpina and M3 to my RS250 , build quality for a French car was actually spectacularly good.
@@mantazini I was more going off my experience of cars had by me, family and friends, there's been a couple of good ones, a Mk1 Megane and a newer C3 Picasso but on the whole there's been more bad than good.
Sold mine months ago and now having an Audi TT, I can say he's exaggerating quite a bit. You can feel a little bit of quality differences in some parts but is not that much for a 10-20k price difference when new (depending on the country). The car itself is very well built and if you compare the early ones (2009/2010) with other cars of the same age and price point, you will find that this car aged amazingly well. No cracks or rattles on mine at all, and the plastics are quite good.
Having lived with a 265 for 3 years, I can say the build quality was in fact quite good. I'm talking about the engineering, reliability, lack of rattle, great metallic paint finish with no orange peels. But as pointed out in the video, the fit & finish was average at best, my fuel cap also stuck out and my two front headlights didn't quite line up the same on the bumper.
@@graemew7001 im sorry but even if you had a gold plated V8 and gods hands building a Picasso you aint getting 'quality'
Penske Lease y’all
THANK FUCK ITS NOT CLARKSON AND CO ! GOOD REPORT JAMES 👍
I totally disagree with the Exhaust comment. Put a decat and middlebox chop and throw your back seats down. you're welcome.
My last one had a decat and no mid section and no back seats and sounded garbage. To each their own.
The öhlins suspension is standard in every cup s.
Not in the UK.
@@PureLeeful really!? Makes no sense :) but anyway, thanks, didn't know that.
Pretty sure they were around a £2000 option. Think the price of basic Cup-s was £23995, may have been more on the continent with ohlins as standard?
@@PureLeeful Back in 2017 when I bought my M3RS I was offered a new white cup s without the recaros for about 34k€ incl. 5 years Service package. I think the recaros, the street legal Akra-exhaust system and the öhlins suspensions were here in Germany all in between 1500 and 2000€ if chosen as option. That's sick, but because I think all three options are great, I looked for a young used car, which is equipped with this.
I didn’t think it was humanly possible for you to ‘only’ talk for 10 minutes 👀
@6.40 with your yellow shirt
This could almost have been the diesel you were reviewing with the lack of talk about the chassis feedback/sensation and also the fact you didn’t seem to go over 40mph for the whole video...
That's an oddly spec'ed car. The only visible option is the paint and that cost something like £1500. Could have got recaros instead for that
I drove one of the 275 cup ones when they came on the market. I love the look of the car, but I was so disappointed in the lack of precision of the steering, rear suspension jumping all over in a curved road with a bit of uneven asphalt .The fact that the engine was pulling like 160hp , not 270(but was brand new , and maybe was yet to tight in ). Overall good looking car , but compare to a GTI, waaay lower engineering design. Try to find the Clio RS, from the same generation, that was magical.
Nonsense!
did you press the RS mode??? You must be in the linear normal mapping, if you use extreme mode you will see its real face
@@kimmywong1667 yea man,first thing i ve done.
I've got the r26 and still prefer the fat arse of the r26/225
I've got a 250 cup but had an R26, both brilliant cars. I personally loved the shape of the previous version in Renaultsport form but it was a Marmite kind of car to some. 👍
Not a great sounding engine???
I beg to differ.
French cars still are better build than any British car ever was...
The chrome gauge bezels look horribly cheap!
I had a 65 plate Megane 275 and the gearbox went at 10k miles. Joke of a car 😅
@ 4:30 I disagree: th-cam.com/video/k3-3LVU2IPo/w-d-xo.html
Not sold on this car
The design hasn’t aged well at all.
You're joking aren't you. I think it's a timeless design
@John Mitchell I think that it looks older because they only facelifted it slightly in the front. As for it being cheap looking, that's the French for you
@@Hauuy-el1vv I think you're right. I've had mine for 4 yrs now and I still get people admiring it!
Not a chance... that car at 10yrs old still makes me look twice. I think its aged gracefully. Can't say that about many hatchbacks of similar age!
WTF ! Totally pointless vehicle,!
How ? Have you driven or owned one ?
Yes it is pointless, but it is mad fun.
You sound like a Golf owner
Edit: a Silver Golf
It’s no more pointless than any hot hatchback, in other words it’s practical and fun to drive, so a great only car and not pointless at all.
It definitely has the best value for money in the league. You can regard it as a poor man Honda CTR!
Looks tragic. .....another terrible review. .......unsubcribing. .........
How many times have you unsubbed now Tom? At least three by my count
JayEmm on Cars between you and me your reviews especially your Lotus reviews are the best on u tube. ;)
@@tombell7670 well there's a sort of Lotus review coming soon
Tom Bell go away it’s not a terrible review
Uk beers reviews And British beers okay I will thank you , but before I go could you please recommend a British Beer :)