Quality Used Renaultsport Megane 225 Cup & Trophy For Sale

Original Press Releases For Renaultsport Megane 225 Trophy and Cup Models - For More Information & Cars Available Please Contact Me.

Renaultsport Megane 225 Trophy Information

Renaultsport Megane 225 Cup Information


New limited edition Mégane Renaultsport 225 ‘Trophy’ available to order from 14th March, costing £20,000 on the road


New ‘Cup Chassis’ option to be made available later in the year

The UK has seen a raft of new hot hatches burst onto the scene in the last 12 months, including the latest offerings from Renault’s performance arm, the Clio Renaultsport 182s and the Mégane Renaultsport 225. Now, Renault has combined all its motor sport expertise to produce arguably one of its most focused road cars ever in the form of the Mégane Renaultsport 225 ‘Trophy’.

The latest addition to the Renaultsport stable, officially unveiled at the Geneva Motor Show on 1st March, takes its lead from the awe-inspiring Mégane Trophy race car which is set to grip the motor racing world as part of the 2005 World Series by Renault race meetings, which starts in Zolder, Belgium on 30th April.

Launched in April 2004, the current Mégane Renaultsport 225 on which the Trophy is based, has continued to attract hoards of fans, particularly as it’s as comfortable on long distances as it is on the track. However, much to the delight of driving fans everywhere, the Renaultsport team hasn’t been content with the plaudits flooding in for their latest creations, so they have now taken things once step further by enhancing the car’s brakes, chassis and steering to give the purest driving experience possible for the performance enthusiast and track day driver.

As the largest market by far for Renaultsport products, the UK is to receive the largest allocation in the world of the new flagship Mégane, but as the new Trophy will only be available as part of a limited production run, the UK will take delivery of just a few hundred examples. With demand expected to outstrip supply, the second piece of good news for drivers is that the engineering changes made to the Trophy will be available as a ‘Cup Chassis’ option on the standard Mégane Renaultsport 225 a bit further down the track.

A new attitude for maximum driving pleasure

Engineered to be an even more driver-focused car, including a new sports-tuned chassis and suspension, unique Dunlop tyres and new Brembo brakes, the new Trophy is not a stereotypical ‘limited edition’ model with just a new body colour and more equipment, and will certainly give the recent spate of new hot hatch entrants to the sector much cause for concern.

Powered by the same two-litre turbocharged engine as that found in the current Renaultsport 225, the Trophy will be one of the fastest hot hatches around, with a

0-62mph time which will certainly keep Audi TT and Porsche Boxster owners honest. Mated to a six-speed, close-ratio manual gearbox, this class-leading engine develops 225hp at 5,500rpm and 300Nm of torque at 3,000rpm, with at least 90% of this torque available between 2,000 and 6,000rpm.

New sporting "Cup Chassis"


Independent Pivot front suspension


Uprated front and rear spring rates (25% front, 77% rear)


Front and rear damper rates re-tuned

The chassis of the new Mégane Renaultsport 225 Trophy has been developed entirely for the pleasure of driving and benefits from unique components and settings. Improved body support results in lower roll angles, less pitching during acceleration and also less nosedive under braking. Cornering potential and overall road handling on all types of surface has also been improved thanks to revised front suspension set-up with greater turn authority and significantly reduced understeer.

Cut speed with confidence - New braking systems


Drilled front and rear brake discs with Brembo front calipers


Increased brake master cylinder diameter (23mm to 25mm) and the removal of Brake Assist (deleted to improve track-driving potential, reduce pedal travel and enhance progressive feel)


ESP can be disengaged above 35mph

Another boon for the new car, particularly for track day drivers, is that the Trophy’s electronic stability programme (ESP) system can now be switched off completely above 35mph. Although the system will still intervene should the car veer off line under heavy braking, its intervention threshold has been set higher and its operation made less intrusive.

Working in tandem with the ESP system, the front and rear disc brakes are now drilled to aid cooling and optimum operation in wet conditions, plus the diameter of the master cylinder has been increased from 23.8mm to 25.4mm for better pedal feel and reduced travel. With such a high braking capacity, the Brake Assist system has been removed to allow drivers to make the most of the vehicle’s deceleration potential.

New wheels and tyres for optimum grip and road holding


18" Anthracite Alloy wheels - 1.5 kg each lighter than Mégane Renaultsport 225


Dunlop Sport Maxx 235/40R18 - specifically developed for the Mégane Renaultsport 225 Trophy

The new 12-spoke, 18-inch anthracite alloy wheels are each 1.5kg lighter than before, while the new Dunlop SP Sport Maxx tyres which feature a special silicon-based tread compound, have been chosen for their exceptional wet traction and grip, excellent dry grip and enhanced steering performance.

New steering system to give even greater road feel and sensation


New intermediate sliding shaft design replaces rubber coupling to improve column stiffness and thus phase response


New control software

The new Trophy benefits from a new electric power-assisted steering system which gives enhanced steering feel, while new software - ‘High Frequency Curve Assist’ - has been developed to re-define the self-centering forces felt in a bend.

Sports car performance not at the expense of luxury

Aside from the changes made under the skin, the limited edition Mégane Renaultsport 225 Trophy can be distinguished on the outside by its unique ‘Nimbus’ metallic finish and 18" anthracite coloured wheels.

Inside, performance does not come at the expense of interior comfort, with the Trophy featuring new sports front seats with part-leather trim and blue weave cloth, plus blue seatbelts and stitching on the gearknob, gaiter and steering wheel. In keeping with the car’s sporting nature, carbon fibre inserts appear in the centre console and door handle surrounds while a numbered plaque features in the lower part of the dashboard to emphasise the car’s exclusivity.

The Trophy will also be arguably the most comprehensively equipped car in its sector. It shares all of the standard Mégane Renaultsport 225 equipment, including; ABS, cruise control with speed limiter, eight air bags, trip computer and tyre pressure monitor, but loses carpet mats and six CD multi-changer (replaced by single CD). It does however, gain climate control and given the limited volume, there will only be two options available – xenon headlamps and 160W Cabasse six CD multi-changer.

In Western Europe, sales of sports hatchbacks in the C-segment reached a total of 34,500 units in 2004. With more than 2,700 units sold in the nine months following its launch, the Mégane Renaultsport 225 has taken a 7.8% share of the market in this segment, selling particularly well in France, UK, Germany, Switzerland and Spain. Sales have also been good in Mexico, South Africa and Japan. The addition of sales outside Western Europe enabled the Mégane Renaultsport 225 to achieve total sales of 5,200 units worldwide in 2004, representing 39% of total Renaultsport sales in 2004.

The order book for this season’s must-have accessory opens on 14th March, with the Mégane Renaultsport 225 Trophy available as a three-door Sport Hatch only. The Trophy retains the same 17E insurance grouping as the current Mégane Renaultsport 225, and even with the technical and equipment enhancements, is available for £20,000 on the road.



RENAULT RAISES THE PERFORMANCE HATCH STAKES WITH LAUNCH OF NEW MEGANE RENAULTSPORT 225 CUP

New Cup version of Mégane Renaultsport 225 available to order now, costing £18,600 on the road
New ‘Cup Chassis’ option available to order on existing 225 for £500
Renault’s reputation for producing fine hot hatchbacks is well documented, but even by the company’s usual standards, 2005 is turning out to be a vintage year, with the ‘Cup’ version of the Mégane Renaultsport 225 the latest model to join the fold.

In the last three months alone, Renaultsport has launched two limited edition ‘Trophy’ models, namely the final incarnation of the current Clio – the Renaultsport 182 Trophy, and the Mégane Renaultsport 225 Trophy, the latter launching the new Cup Chassis pack.

The standard Mégane Renaultsport 225 launched in 2004 has received widespread acclaim for its combination of searing performance with refinement and the Cup Chassis pack was showcased as part of the specification of the Trophy, aimed at drivers willing to trade some ride comfort for a more focused driving experience and pin sharp handling amongst other things.

Mégane Renaultsport 225 Cup – hard-core focused for £1,400 less

Whilst the 225 Trophy had some unique interior and exterior features, the new Cup version takes only the mechanical changes from the Trophy and incorporates them into the Cup Chassis pack and a new version, the 225 Cup on sale now at £18,600, which is £1,400 less than the regular three-door 225 Sport Hatch fitted with the optional Cup pack.

The Cup option pack is offered on the Mégane’s little brother, the Clio Renaultsport 182, with over 50% of customers choosing it. In addition, for those prepared to do away with a few of the luxury features and in return save both weight and money, the pack is fitted as standard to the Clio Renaultsport 182 Cup and this version accounts for half of all Clio 182 sales. Therefore, in total over 75% of all Clio Renaultsport 2-litre are fitted with the Cup Chassis pack.

This range idea is now carried over onto Mégane Renaultsport, with the new Sport Hatch only 225 Cup at £18,600, and the standard versions of the 225 costing £19,500 for the three-door Sport Hatch and £20,000 for the five-door Hatch without the optional Cup Chassis pack for an extra £500.

The new Cup version offers the best Mégane driving experience yet, by benefiting from the Cup hallmark of removing certain items of equipment to reduce weight and cost giving even greater performance, allied to the brake, chassis and steering improvements that come as part of the Cup Chassis pack.

The Mégane Renaultsport 225 is arguably the most comprehensively equipped car in its class including air-conditioning, 18-inch alloy wheels and part leather seat upholstery, so even after removing several bits of kit, owners will not exactly be lacking in luxury. On this occasion, the Cup reduction programme sees the loss of the six CD multi-changer for a single disc, hands-free Renault Card for ignition and locking, tyre pressure monitor, no leather trim on the doors and central armrest (but still on the outer edges of the seats), metallic paint or carpet mats.

The upside is that the price comes down by £900 and the 225 Cup includes the Cup pack that costs £500 on the 225 making the 225 Cup £1,400 less. There are however no options available on the 225 Cup other than metallic paint if you don’t like the standard Capsicum red, so if you want to load up your 225 with luxuries like heated leather seats, climate control or a sunroof, then the Cup is not for you.

Combined with the unique, 1.5kg lighter anthracite colour alloy wheels, retained from the Trophy, you can see how the car has achieved a total weight saving of 10kg, giving the car a 0-62mph time of 6.3 seconds, 0.2 seconds faster than the standard car and a top speed of 147mph.

The Cup Chassis pack has all of the various engineering changes made to the Mégane Trophy including: 18" anthracite alloy wheels, Dunlop Sport Maxx 235/40 R18 (ilo 225/40 R18), drilled front and rear brake discs, Brembo brake discs and callipers, bigger brake master cylinder with Brake Assist removed, revised steering connection and electronic programming, retuned dampers with uprated front and rear springs (25% and 77% stiffer) and dis-connectable ESP.

The new Mégane Renaultsport 225 Cup enhances the driving pleasure of the current car with its specially tuned chassis, steering and braking set-up and together with the new availability of the Cup pack option on the 225, is expected to establish the Mégane Renaultsport 225 as the leader of the hot hatch pack along with its Clio stablemate.
 

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