Renault Megane RS 300 Trophy long-term test review: report 3

The car Renault Megane RS 300 Trophy Run by Steve Huntingford, editor

Why it’s here To see if this thrilling hot hatch continues to impress when you live with it every day

Needs to Combine the pace and agility we’ve come to expect from Renault Sport cars with the practicality we haven’t

List price £31,835 Target Price £30,775 Price as tested £35,435 Miles 1924 Official economy 34.4mpg Test economy 26.2mpg

22 August – The niggles

If you've read my previous reports, you'll know that I'm a big fan of the Renault Megane RS, but there are still a few things about it that irritate.

For starters, I prefer to have the engine in Sport mode, because this makes it sound so much better, but every time I start the car a message flashes up on the dashboard telling me the engine will revert to Neutral unless I override within 15sec. Having gone to the trouble of selecting Sport in my preferred settings, I don't want the car to repeatedly ask me if I've changed my mind. Besides, surely you buy a Megane RS specifically because you do want something sporty?

Second, while Renault provides a range readout that tells you how many miles you can expect to do before you need to fill up, this stops working when you get low on fuel. In other words, precisely when you actually need it.

And finally, I find the keyless entry far too quick to lock the car. The idea of systems like this is that so long as you have the key on you, the doors will automatically unlock as you approach and lock as you walk away. But with the Megane, I can strap my daughter into the back and the car will have relocked itself and folded the mirrors away by the time I've got round to the driver's door, despite me never having been more than a metre away.

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