It’s not cheap, either, although that is a comment aimed specifically at this Signature spec model, which clocked in with an asking price of €29,490. On an average Irish main road, that’s a serious demerit, and hearing your car crash and wallop over bumps just saps your confidence in it. Long-range comfort, thanks to that fuel economy, should be an asset, but again the Megane falls short, thanks to too much road and tyre noise, and suspension that reacts noisily to bumps. You do get a big, upright touchscreen which gives the cabin a faint aura of posh Volvo Again, I'm not expecting a car like this to handle like a Porsche, but it would be nice for it to handle better than this. Sadly, though, Renault has forgotten that a relaxed ride doesn't have to mean a car that flops and rolls in a series of unruly lurches around corners, not helped by steering that seems connected to the front wheels mainly by satellite uplink. Now, I’m on record as saying that cars should err more towards comfort than sport, at least on the road, and I’m pleased to report that the Megane has a soft and pillow-like ride. Sporty until you come to a corner, and then it all falls over. Work the slightly floppy, long-throw six-speed manual gearbox frequently enough and you could almost call it sporty. A touch grumbly from cold and around town, but it’s smooth and quiet on the open road, and with extremely good mid-range urge. It’s enormously economical, easily averaging high-50s MPG figures. Up again with the engine, Renault’s familiar 1.6-litre 130hp dCi diesel. Reasonably roomy as well, and there’s a hefty 503-litre boot slung out the back under that pert rear end. For a while there, in and around 2008 to 2009, it seemed as if Renault had forgotten how to make a properly comfy and supportive front seat but I’m pleased to note that no longer seems to be the case.Īside from being mounted just a touch too low for those with long legs, the pews in the Megane are fine, and my back-seat passengers reported all was comfy in the rear, too. Maybe it was taking our praise of the cheap-and-cheerful Dacia Duster a bit too much for granted? With cars such as the VW Golf, Toyota Auris, and Opel Astra topping this class, it's a wonder quite what Renault was using for a cabin quality benchmark. The cabin occasionally joined in out of sympathy, I guess, and the plastics used on the inside really do call the overall build and construction into serious question.ĭisappointing: sporty until you come to a corner, and then it all falls over Aside from having an interior too fond of pound shop plastic for a car with quasi-premium aspirations, the Talisman is gorgeous at which to look, and squishy-sofa comfortable inside. We don't get the big, Passat-sized Talisman in Ireland, as there's no right-hand drive production, and that's a bit of a shame. “Grand Coupe”) manages to out-pout them, and looks very much like a 7th/8th scale Talisman.Ī devilishly good-looking four-door saloon but it certainly fails to live up to its “Grand Coupe” name The Megane hatch is handsome enough in and of itself, as is the estate, but this saloon (okay, okay. Now though, the saloons can often be the best-looking, the best-proportioned versions and so it proves here. Once upon a time, four-door variants of five-door hatchbacks were the dumpy, ugly cousins, designed to try to fooled under-promoted middle managers that they were being given a “proper” car, with a boot and everything. It is a devilishly good-looking four-door saloon though. It is, and let's be honest here folks, a regular, old-school, four-door saloon. Sources: Manufacturers, ANDC, JATO Dynamics.Not even Sean Spicer hiding in a hedge would be able to bluster his way though calling the new four-door Renault Megane a coupe, never mind a Grand Coupe as Renault currently insists on calling it. Use the dropdown at the top right of this page to find sales figures for any other car model sold in Europe since the early 2000’s.Ĭar sales statistics are from the following countries: Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Great Britain, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland. Megane coupe sales (also included in figures above):ġ996-2002 Megane I (1999 facelift pictured)Ģ008-2016 Megane III (2012 facelift pictured)
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