Mégane Is Renault's Sharply - Priced Star
Renault's second-generation Mégane small car shows the French manufacturer at its best.
Lots of style, plenty of features and handily priced, the Mégane tees-up serious competition for the Volkswagen Golf.
What You Get
Car Showroom tested two Méganes - a diesel sedan and a petrol hatchback - Renault also offers the racy Renault Sport hot hatch variant and the stylish Mégane Cabrio.
It's a classy European small car - stylish and well equipped with high-tech driver aids and handy driving dynamics.
And of course there is the talked-about extended rear end of the hatchback. Somewhat controversial when launched, the look of the 'Big Bum' Mégane was a bit ahead of its time, but has blended as other contemporary designs from rival manufacturers have appeared.
Under The Hood
Our Mégane sedan was powered by Renault's 1.9-litre four-cylinder dCi turbo-diesel - good for 96kW at 4000 rpm and 300Nm at 2,000rpm in manual form (260Nm in automatic as tested by Car Showroom). It's the latest common rail design with an interesting pre-injection system which reduces thermal loads, leading to noticeably quieter operation even when cold (when diesel engines deliver their tell-tale 'rattle').
Fuel economy is 5.8l/100kms (manual) or 6.8l/100kms for our automatic. With a 60-litre fuel tank, Renault says a range of between 882 to1,000 kilometres is possible between refills.
For the Mégane hatchback, Renault delivered a petrol version - the 2.0-litre 16-valve four cylinder with 98kW at 6,000rpm and peak torque of 300Nm although Renault says 90 per cent of that is delivered in the range of 2,000rpm - 6,000rpm. Fuel consumption is 8.2l/100kms (combined cycle).
Both of our test vehicles were fitted with the four-speed automatic transmissions (the manual is a six-speed).
The Interior
Our Mégane hatchback was the mid-sped 'Expression' variant while the sedan was the top-spec 'Privilege' - both showed the benefits of the Mégane II upgrades which delivered an enhanced, 'softer' interior.
The stylish colour pallet and high quality trim materials impressed the Car Showroom team.
Renault equips the Expression hatch, with climate control air and lumbar adjustment for the driver's seat. Whilst the Privilege sedan gains rear parking proximity sensors, a six-stack in-dash CD sound system and leather for the steering wheel and gear lever
With a steering wheel that adjusts for height and reach, the driving position scores high marks and we liked the white backlit instruments. Top marks too for the simple steering wheel buttons to operate the cruise control - which features a handy digital dashboard display for the set speed.
Renault also scores highly for the abundant interior bins and storage boxes, including clever boxes hidden under the floor in the front. The large tail of the Mégane hatch is for a reason with good luggage capacity (although not massively more than rivals).
We deducted marks for the fiddly remote audio controls behind the steering wheel and some of the interior plastics, which don't have the dynamic tactile feel of the Golf models.
Rear seat accommodation is on par with segment rivals.
Exterior & Styling
Styling is a Renault strong point and although the Mégane hatchback with its pronounced, extended rear end and steeply raked rear window raised some eyebrows when it first appeared, time and some later designs from rivals have softened things somewhat. Both hatch and sedan models are strong and distinctive in appearance - in a stylish, European way.
The latest Mégane Phase II upgrades delivered contemporary tapered headlights, a revised grille and bumpers, translucent rear lights and new wheels/wheel trims (16-inch steel wheels on our 'Expression' hatch and 17-inch alloys on our 'Privilege' sedan).
Edgy as the hatchback's styling is, the Mégane sedan is relatively conservative but highlighted by its nicely shaped rear end and stylish rear lights.
On The Road
Mégane rides on a MacPherson strut independent front suspension with a clever rectangular shaped lower arm for extra stiffness and roll control. The rear is a torsion beam design.
Standard safety equipment includes electronic stability control (with understeer control), six airbags (front, side and curtain), ABS anti-lock brakes with EBD (electronic brakeforce distribution) and emergency brake assist and cruise control.
Both the diesel and petrol engines in our test cars were nicely responsive although the four-speed automatic transmission fitted to our petrol hatchback tended to hold the gears (both up the range and down the range) for a tad longer than we're accustomed to.
Ride and handling was typically good as one expects from European small cars. The extra rubber with the Privilege sedan's 17-inch alloys delivered noticeably better grip and refinement than the hatchback's 16-inch wheels.
Challenges
Over our high-speed mountain test route several Car Showroom drivers commented that the power steering in both Méganes felt a little remote. Nicely weighted but lacking a bit of feel when tackling high-speed corners.
Interestingly, as part of the Mégane Phase II upgrades, Renault changed the power steering to a 'tube-in-tube' link system designed to provide better feedback but remove road-generated vibrations.
Our other minor criticism of the Mégane was the interior plastics, which don't match the Golf for quality feel and appearance.
Verdict
Renault is one of the automotive industry's global powerhouses; a company led by products thanks to its enigmatic chief, Carlos Ghosn. The Mégane is the volume mainstay of the Renault brand so it has to be good and it is.
Well-specced and - thanks to hard negotiations from the Renault Australia team - sharply priced, this stylish European small car compares impressively with its rivals.
The Competition
Mégane shapes up to some credentialed opposition in the European small car segment - a segment dominated by Volkswagen's Golf and Jetta.
Against the German duo, Mégane delivers an edge in pricing.
French rivals Citroen C4 and Peugeot 308 both deliver stylish alternatives but also require you to part with a few more dollars.
Likes
Value-for-money; nicely styled; practical interiors
Dislikes
Power steering lacks feel; hard interior plastics
