Renault Megane Sport Tourer

Expert Rating:

What is it?

Renault has carried a reputation for being a maker of unreliable cars in the past - typically French, some would claim - but it has been working hard to cast aside that of late by releasing models with progressively better quality. However, while it's been successful in giving its latest models the appearance of quality by using soft touch plastics and generally tidying up their designs, they've also lost some of the character that defined the last generation models.

The Mégane is a good example; it's a league apart from its controversially bottomed predecessor in terms of quality, but it's arguably also, well, boring. This, the Sport Tourer, won't do much to raise the excitement level of the range - estates never do, do they? Still, if it's as well built and practical as the hatch, it should at least prove a smart buy for those looking for a competent, reliable and spacious medium load-lugger. How times have changed.

Is it any good?

Renault has sculpted the exterior in a way that avoids making it appear rump heavy, which is a good thing, but even more impressively, it's done so without eating into practicality - as so many of these 'lifestyle' estates do. The boot is a good few litres bigger than the Ford Focus Estate's, for example, yet the Renault has a sportier, sleeker stance.

The chassis is stretched a little to make more room in the boot and rear compartment for passengers' legs and a quick glance back from the driver's seat confirms that the ST is relatively spacious. There's plenty of head, leg and elbow room front and back and there's loads of seat adjustment for the driver, so finding a good driving position is easy.

And really, apart from the boot, it's a business as usual Mégane. That means, as we were saying before, it's well laid out in the cabin and agreeable to drive, but it's also quite uninvolving. It will prove a good cruiser because it's comfortable - the suspension is on the soft side, but it's settled at higher speeds, largely resisting the tendency to bounce - but there's also a vague sense of driver involvement because it grips well and has a modicum of steering weight.

Should I call the bank manager?

You better just make sure you know exactly which version you're going to buy before you do, because there's an almost baffling plethora of engines and trims to choose from - 21 in total. Prices range from a very reasonable £15,795 to a very pricey looking £22,785 - a number that could be built upon significantly if you're frisky with the long options list (including a body kit costing four figures).

Renault thinks the most popular version will be mid-level Dynamique powered by a diesel, for which you should budget around £20,000. To be exact, £19,585 will buy you a 128bhp dCi diesel, which will give you more than enough torque for your bags of cement, yet will still mean fuel economy in the low forties.

There are nine engines in total, however, ranging in power from 85bhp to 178bhp. Of the four diesels, half spit out 120g/km or less of CO₂, which means you're only paying £35 into the government coffers every year. At the other end of the spectrum there's the almost pointless 2.0-litre turbocharged petrol unit with 178bhp, though the highest powered 158bhp diesel - which we drove - is a peach in terms of its easy power delivery and refined hush at motorway speeds.

Summary

There's nothing fundamentally wrong with the estate version of the Mégane, yet at the same time there's nothing exciting about it either. It's big, well made, cheap to run and a decent drive, so if you're in the market for a medium sized estate, there's plenty to recommend - you won't be making the risky, slightly left-field choice you once were with a Renault. That's a bit of a shame, but it's hardly ugly, is it?

Mark Nichol