Renault Mégane



It has more space, sharper looks and a neater interior loaded with equipment than ever before. Add an economical diesel and the new Renault Mégane has got a better chance against its mainstream rivals than it's had in a long time.

Test Car Specifications

Model tested: Renault Mégane Energy dCi 130
Price: £23,500 (approx.)
Engine: 1.6-litre four-cylinder turbodiesel
Transmission: front-wheel drive, six-speed manual
Body style: five-door hatchback
CO₂ emissions: 103g/km (Band B, £20 per year)
Combined economy: 70.6mpg
Top speed: 122mph
0-62mph: 10.0 seconds
Power: 130hp at 4,000rpm
Torque 320Nm at 1,650-4,000rpm

What's this?

A hugely important car for Renault. Sales in the family hatchback class might be under pressure from compact SUVs and crossovers, but it's still a marketplace where sales are in the millions. So the Mégane has a job to do, and that's to beat the likes of the Volkswagen Golf, Ford Focus, Peugeot 308 and a host of others in this hotly contested category. A tough job, but on looks the Mégane's got some serious answers, as the new car is a bold looker, with a rakish profile, wide stance and cool front and rear headlight signatures. It's big, too, with plenty of head-, leg- and shoulder room all round.

Specifications have yet to be confirmed for the Mégane's summer 2016 introduction, but higher trim levels will come with Renault's R-LINK 2 system, with its tablet-like screen dominating the centre of the dashboard. It's a neat system, quick and easy to use with a bit of familiarisation, bundling all the Mégane's entertainment, info, connectivity and driving functions into a touch-screen interface. It, says Renault, is a first for the class, and it'll undoubtedly be a big draw for many customers.

How does it drive?

That screen and the spacious cabin aren't the only reasons to buy the Mégane, though. While the petrol-fuelled GT flagship proved disappointing to drive, the 130hp 1.6-litre dCi impresses. It's quiet, the diesel engine is barely audible, and it's not lacking in go, the 320Nm peak torque arriving at 1,650rpm and staying until 4,000rpm. Hence there's no need to rev it. The manual six-speed transmission is slick enough, though some might find the clutch a bit abrupt. The chassis shows some talent too, it riding well, the wide track helping keep roll to a minimum in the bends, while grip itself is high. The steering too offers good weighting, and even a touch of feel; this middling Mégane was actually more pleasing at the steering wheel than its GT relation with its different rack and rear-wheel steer system.

What it's not is particularly remarkable to drive. That isn't necessarily a complaint in this class, as the Mégane's selling points are its size, comfort, refinement, that technology and its stand-out looks. All of which are desirable. The diesel's usefully economical too, with a quoted official combined economy figure of 70.6mpg and 103g/km of CO₂. If you can live without 20hp, the 1.5 dCi diesel slips under the 100g/km CO₂ barrier and in its most efficient ECO₂ form has an official combined economy figure of 85.6mpg.

Verdict

Doing everything you could possibly want from your family hatchback, the Mégane should help see Renault climb back up the charts in this tough class. It'll sell on looks alone, its neat exterior lighting the stand-out feature. Unusually, we actually prefer the slightly more restrained style of the standard car over the GT flagship. Likewise, the 'lesser' Mégane drives with a level of rounded competence that is perfect for this market, refinement high and equipment levels likely to be very good. They'll need to be to justify the near Volkswagen Golf levels of pricing. Renault's toughest task is likely to be to persuade customers out of Kia and Hyundai showrooms as much as it will be tempting them from its more traditional rivals, but with the new Mégane it's got a better chance than it's had in a while.

Exterior Design

Interior Ambience

Passenger Space

Luggage Space

Safety

Comfort

Driving Dynamics

Powertrain