Renault Megane RS 300 facelift in UK as EDC auto only

The facelifted Renault Megane RS 300 that was introduced in February has gone on sale in the United Kingdom, though it appears to have done so without the offering of a manual gearbox option. The DIY gearbox option has now been removed ‘from all markets’, Renault UK said in response to a query by Car Throttle.

A check on the specifications section of the Renault UK website appears to confirm that both RS 300 and RS 300 Trophy variants of the hot hatch are only available in ‘TCe 300 Auto EDC’ guise. The high performance version of latest Megane now boasts of 300 PS and 420 Nm across all variants, which means that the RS 280 version from the pre-facelift with 280 PS and 390 Nm of torque has been discontinued.

The Renault France website, however, continues to list pricing for both manual and EDC dual-clutch automatic transmission options for the facelifted Megane RS 300 and RS 300 Trophy, with the two-pedal version commanding a 2,000 euro (RM9,769) premium over the equivalent manual.

Variant comparison of the facelifted Megane RS 300 on the Renault UK website (images above). The Renault France website however continues to list both gearbox options (image below)

In the United Kingdom, the Megane RS 300 starts from GBP32,995 (RM176,899), or GBP36,995 (RM198,345) for the more focused RS 300 Trophy. In France, the hot hatch starts from 40,700 euros (RM198,844) for the manual RS 300, or 45,700 euros (RM223,273) for the manual RS 300 Trophy.

For comparison to the pre-facelift car launched in Malaysia last August, the manual was introduced at RM279,888, while the EDC auto arrived at RM299,888; both prices for the 280 PS/390 Nm hot hatch were on-the-road without insurance.

A selection of equipment which is standard on the Trophy but optional on the regular RS 300 includes the 19-inch ‘Interlagos’ wheels that are an GBP800 (RM4,289) option on the RS 300, panoramic sunroof that is a GBP1,000 (RM5,361) option on both, and Recaro sports seats which are a GBP1,600 (RM8,578) option, available only on the Trophy.

The RS 300 Trophy has been set up with an even greater focus on handling, featuring springs and dampers which are 30% and 25% stiffer respectively compared to the regular RS 300, along with anti-roll bars which are 10% stiffer than those fitted to the standard car.

2020 Renault Megane RS 300 Trophy facelift