Inside & Out:
As hatchback-cum-estates go, the Renault Mégane Sport Tourer is among the better looking of the bunch, in our opinion. It has a sleek profile, which is almost coupé-like in its appearance, thanks largely to the steeply raked roof. The blue paintwork of our test car, combined with the sportier GT body and dark alloy wheels, made it even snazzier.
Renault's build quality has come on a lot in recent years and the Mégane is one of the best examples of that. Instead of questionable, hard plastics it now has soft touch materials that seem built to last. It's not quite at Volkswagen levels just yet, but it's not far off.
Expect the usual interesting features from the French firm, like a digital speedometer, push button start and a card key. The TomTom satnav system mounted atop the dash is a useful addition, but the controls are mounted on the centre console, behind the gear stick, which can be confusing for anyone new to the car.
Ride & Handling:
Renault has made the steering significantly weightier than that of the previous
Mégane Sport Tourer. Its action is responsive and the car is reasonably agile as a result - again, more so than most similarly-sized estates. It's not the most communicative of systems, though, and the wheel tends to self-centre itself quite dramatically. Feedback is reasonable, but it could be better.
Body roll is well reined in and the ride is pliant, though it's not up to the standards of more polished rivals like the
VW Golf or the Skoda Octavia estates. Cool as they look, the larger, 17-inch wheels make their presence felt over bumps and rough surfaces.
Engine & Transmission:
Our Mégane Sport Tourer came with the flagship 2.0-litre 158bhp turbodiesel dCi engine. It packs 280lb.ft of torque, so it's never short of squirt for overtaking and has enough grunt for a 0-62mph time of 8.8 seconds. Not at all bad for an estate.
The six-speed manual gearbox is smooth and has quite a short throw for a family estate car. It's hardly rifle-bolt stuff, but there's a slightly sportier edge here than you'd find in most potential rivals.
Equipment, Economy & Value for Money:
Look at the starting price and the Renault Mégane Sport Tourer seems very cheap - it costs £16,265 in basic 1.6 Expression trim. In GT dCi 160 guise, our test car is the priciest model in the range at £22,670. Before you shoot down the seemingly high list price, it's worth noting the generous amount of equipment that comes with it - climate control, satnav, rear parking sensors, Bluetooth phone connectivity and plenty more goodies are all standard.
What's more, you're looking at in excess of £23,000 for an equivalent Ford Focus Estate 2.0 TDCi Powershift in Titanium spec, while the top-end VW Golf Estate TDI Sportline DSG costs £24,255. Even the most lavish versions of the Skoda Octavia Estate go for over £24,000, so the Renault looks like good value in comparison.
The downside is that the French car won't hold its value as well, and the brand doesn't have the reputation for sturdiness that VW Group products do. Renault's saving grace is its excellent safety rating, though, so it's a case of give and take.
If you have seen a
Renault Mégane for sale that you fancy but you don't want to pay full price, head over to motors.co.uk to find out how much you would save buying it second hand.
