![]() And because there’s this misalignment and because the steering angles you’re working with are small, you find yourself having to make constant corrections. But somehow the calibration of the two isn't harmonious. You tip it into a corner, the front end responds - and so does the back end. However, the systems don’t quite work in perfect harmony. Now we should like this, but the combination of a very direct steering rack and the 4Control four-wheel steering has made the Megane ultra-keen to change direction. The harder thing to get to grips with is the car’s agility. It’s very stiff, and while the quality of the damping, especially in extremis, is superb (thanks in no small part to the hydraulic bump stops), when you back off it’s too harsh to be enjoyable.īut you can maybe live with that. But on a road, especially the sort of British country road that you want a hot hatch to excel on, there are one or two issues. I suspect it’s brilliant if you’re on a track. We rated both the Honda Civic Type R and Hyundai i30N more highly when we group tested it. And so far we haven’t been convinced by the new Cup-chassised Megane. So let’s get this straight: the Trophy has 20bhp more and no suspension changes from the Cup.Ĭorrect. But then Renault only has 1.8 litres of capacity to call on when most rivals have at least 200cc more. ![]() It all sounds rather a lot of work to go to when the end result (296bhp 6000rpm and 295lb ft 3200rpm) is no more than class average. The spindle tolerances are also finer, so it uses the air more efficiently. In addition, the turbos now spin (at almost 200,000rpm) on ceramic bearings, reducing friction by a factor of three, lowering noise and improving response times. As ever, there’s no parts or even tech carryover from track to road, but speed and process is something F1 can help the road car people with. So Renaultsport got in touch with the F1 team, and less than a week later they had the results back. Trouble was the internal Renault department that needed to carry out the CFD analysis of the new designs was booked solid for several months. Apparently the existing cylinder head didn’t have the necessary cooling and stiffness to cope with the extra temperature and loadings, so had to be completely redesigned.
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