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New Renault Megane RS Trophy-R Costs Almost As Much As the BMW M2 Competition

An eye-boggling £72,140 for the Nurburgring Record version. That’s how much the most expensive Renault Megane RS Trophy-R costs in the United Kingdom, and it’s terribly expensive for a compact hatchback with front-wheel drive and a 1.8-liter turbo four-cylinder engine.
Renault Megane RS Trophy-R 22 photos
Photo: Renault
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Only 32 examples of the breed are coming to the UK out of a total production run of 500, and if you were wondering, there are two cheaper options. The Carbon Wheel version is £63,140 and the Megane RS Trophy-R before options costs no fewer than £51,140 on-the-road.

Let those numbers do their thing in your mind for a minute, then hear this. Over in Britain, the BMW M2 Competition is £51,150 with a good ol’ stick shift. The Mercedes-AMG E 53 is £64,280 and the Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 retails at £75,348 in this part of the world.

Make no mistake about it, Renault is milking the cash cow with the Megane RS Trophy-R. This kind of pricing is as irrational as it gets, but then again, there’s nothing quite like this Renault out there. Not even the Alpine A110 comes close even though they share the 1.8 TCe, and Honda has yet to unveil a more hardcore version of the Civic Type R.

And now, here’s something you wouldn’t have expected of the French automaker. The Trophy-R is almost twice as expensive as the Megane RS. More to the point, it’s £27,835 more than the bog-standard model and £19,305 more than the RS Trophy. Madness, isn’t it?

But wait, that’s just the tip of the iceberg! Goodies such as a lightweight battery, the ducting pipe for the air intake, and the six-point harness for the Sabelt seats are a few go-faster options worth taking into consideration. As far as bang for the buck is concerned, you’re better off taking Mercedes-AMG on their offer with the A45 S uber hatchback with 400-plus horsepower.

On the other hand, it’s worthy to remember there’s no hot hatchback out there as visceral and untamed as the Megane RS Trophy-R. Half road car and half track toy, we’re loving this Renault to bits!
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About the author: Mircea Panait
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After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well.
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