SPYSHOTS: Renault Megane RS Trophy facelift seen?

It hasn’t been too long – just a few months, in fact – since the current-generation Renault Megane RS Trophy-R made its debut, and reclaimed for the French brand the title of quickest production front-wheel-drive car around the Nurburgring Nordschleife from the FK8 Honda Civic Type R.

As with the previous sighting of the Megane RS update, detail changes are limited to the headlamps and tail lamp internals, and exterior bodywork appears unchanged on the development vehicle seen here. While this has been called the updated Megane RS Trophy-R, that ‘-R’ suffix denotes some intensive weight loss to the tune of up to 130 kg, which sees the rear seats replaced by a roll-cage, cross-brace and harnesses.

The black example here appears to have the full complement of rear seat headrests and rear wiper, so this could instead be the uprated, but not stripped-down Trophy, which adds 20 PS and 10 Nm of torque over the base model. Both current editions of the Trophy and Trophy-R come in DIY manual or EDC dual-clutch, the latter offering 20 Nm more than their three-pedal twins.

The 299 PS, 400/420 Nm 1.8 litre turbo four should remain unchanged, though infotainment and interior trim could be updated. The Megane RS Trophy is distinguished by having the Cup chassis as standard, which is comprised of a Torsen limited-slip differential, 25% firmer shock absorbers, 30% tighter springs and 10% stiffer anti-roll bars compared to the Sport chassis.

The 4Control rear-wheel steer system is carried over from the standard Megane RS. The car here also lacks the chrome surround for the central exhaust exits, here sporting an Akrapovic sticker above the outlet. New exhaust, and maybe a tune? Perhaps some extra power and torque could be on the cards, after all.