| Long Term Test | Renault Mégane Coupé GT |
Been anywhere interesting?
I'll not bore you with my holidays, but a week off did mean the Mégane has covered a few less miles than usual this month. For once the airport trip was for pleasure rather than business, which meant more suitcases than usual. The boot swallowed them all too - even if getting them in is a hassle. A trip up to Bradford to Kahn was in my schedule later in the month, the very same day a Porsche 911 Carrera GTS arrived. Regardless, the Mégane was pressed into service, taking me on a 540-mile round trip in a day.
Anything stand out?
It's leggy. Which is why the Mégane took preference over the 911 for the Hove-Bradford-Hove run. It required just a splash of fuel on top of the 450-mile range (500 at a real push) I'm typically getting from a tank to do the journey. It always impresses on long trips, living up to the GT from its GT-line name in more than just looks.
It's quiet on the move and the speed limiter function - something I never thought I'd use - is pressed into service regularly thanks to the proliferation of average speed roadworks. The seats are always comfortable, too, which, if you're spending the best part of a day in them, is always a bonus. It looks great too, which is important when you're rocking up somewhere like Kahn where it's all about style.
... and for the wrong reaons?
Long trips only remind me of the Mégane's shortcomings in the cup-holder department. Usefully on the Kahn trip I had a spare shirt with me, as coffee spillage - thanks to no useful cup holder - was particularly annoying. The fuel gauge is a bit sneaky too; it'll cover over 300 miles on half a tank, only for the needle to drop like a stone over the next 150 miles or so. The trip computer goes from 60 miles range to zero immediately as well, resulting in a glowing warning and range-anxiety frustration in the search for a fuel station.
While the speed limiter is proving extremely useful, does its use really need to be signified by a bright orange light? It glows with distracting intensity in the instruments. Those instruments are tricky to see a lot of the time too, any shade or bright light rendering them virtually invisible unless you back-light them by putting the main lights on.
Where next?
I've given up on track day predictions as really I don't think it's going to happen. Renault offered plenty, but there are none until next year now and the Mégane will have been prised from me by then. So more of the same really, with a trip to Goodwood for the Revival thrown in for good measure.
