Renault MEGANE II SPORT HATCH RANGE
With The Megane Sport Hatch,
Renault Once Again Demonstrated That Radical Design Is Alive And Well Amongst The Major Manufacturers. Andy Enright Reports
Gambling can be as easy or as difficult as you want it to be. When the stakes are small, its easy to back the long shot, to go out on a limb. Stake the business, the house and the pension on anything and youve got to be wholly confident itll pay off. Renault have done just that with the Megane II.
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Along with the Clio and Laguna, the Megane is one of the holy cash cows for
Renault and logic would dictate that they should play this one safe. Except it hasnt happened like that. The Megane Sport Hatch range is anything but conventional.
Where do you begin in describing the Sport Hatchs sheer visual shock? At the back, naturally. The bustle back certainly differentiates the Renault from a number of watered down rivals. In fact, this one design feature dominates the car. Blank it out and the Megane has a conventional line, looking much like an amalgam between a
Ford Focus and a
Rover 25.
If, as suspected, we grow to appreciate the quirky styling, Renault could certainly be quids in. The market in which the Megane competes is traditionally the big volume sector and expectations are intense. The Megane platform will be shared between Renault and
Nissan and will account for 1.8 million vehicles by 2006.
Due to be distributed in 75 countries, Renault has its eye on 14% of the family hatch segment, challenging for the title of Europes best selling car. Of course, the Sport Hatch is just one part of a jigsaw that also includes the five-door hatch, the saloon, the convertible and a dizzying myriad of other Megane spin-offs. Built at Renaults high-tech Palencia plant in Spain, the three-door Megane is off to a good start by making its immediate rivals like the Ford Focus and the
Vauxhall Astra appear decidedly dumpy and old hat.
"No matter how striking you may find the exterior styling, for many the biggest surprise will come when they drop into the drivers
seat"
Prices start at £11,090 for the 98bhp 1.4-litre 16v, with a 115bhp 1.6-litre 16v, a 136bhp 2.0-litre 16v and the 225bhp 2.
0-litre turbo Megane Renaultsport models also available. Four diesels are also on offer, 80bhp or 100bhp versions of the 1.5-litre dCi for budget customers and 90 and 120bhp 1.9-litre dCi units for those looking for something with a little more shove.
The most powerful petrol and diesel versions are also fitted with a Nissan-manufactured six-speed manual gearbox. A tiptronic-style automatic transmission is also available for the 1.6 and non-Renaultsport 2.0-litre petrol powerplants as well as the 1.
5-litre dCi 100. No matter how striking you may find the exterior styling, for many the biggest surprise will come when they drop into the drivers seat of the Megane II. The design is neat without being gratuitously radical, but the real revelation is the great strides forward made in terms of quality of materials and finish. Its almost as if a Renault designers company hack was rear-ended and he got an
Audi courtesy car for the week.
Soft feel plastics, quality fabrics and a cohesive design philosophy means a not-so-fond farewell to old-school Renault interiors, many of which were built with the visual drama and structural integrity of a film set. Genuine innovation is in evidence. Take Renaults anti-submarining airbag, a device which leaps forth from the seat cushion to protect the pelvis. This replaces the traditional (and some would say uncomfortable) hump at the front of the seat and is a neat solution that provides both comfort and unparalleled safety, effectively making it impossible to slide beneath the seatbelt in the event of an accident.
Renaults unparalleled experience in the MPV market shines through, not only in terms of passenger space - which is excellent - but also in the provision of multifarious cubbies, boxes and pockets. Theres a hatch in the floor to stow valuables, storage boxes between both front and rear seats and even a chilled glove compartment. The metallic hoop handbrake is a neat touch, although motoring anoraks will remember a similar device in the Alfa 75 of the eighties. Like the Laguna II, the Megane features a card rather than the traditional key, and multiplex wiring systems ensure that all of the usual refinements such as rain-sensing wipers, cruise control with speed limiter and automatic headlamps are available.
Spend more and you can even specify a full length sunroof and Carminat satellite navigation. As well as ABS, Brake Assist and tyre pressure mentoring, the Megane II is also the first car to use next generation ESP stability control software that incorporates CSV understeer control. Unlike many stability control systems that are very good at figuring out when the back end is trying to overtake the front, CSV is tailored especially for sporting front-wheel drive cars and gives enormous confidence on wet roads. Renault have been extremely clever with the Megane II Sport Hatch.
The styling blends an element of conservatism with flagrant look-at-me extremes. It is a gamble but one that Renault may well cash in on. In designing a quality feel into the car and supplying a decent set of powerplants, what seemed like rash foolhardiness gradually appears more the work of brilliant product planning. Some will say that the Megane Sport Hatch should have been a little more mainstream.
Let them buy boring. Ask yourself one question. Just how much boring do you need on your driveway?
FACTS AT A GLANCE
CAR: Renault Megane II Sport Hatch range
PRICES: £11,090-£14,590 on the road
INSURANCE GROUPS: 3E-18E
CO2 EMISSIONS: 120-209g/km
PERFORMANCE: [2.0] Max Speed 125mph / 0-60mph 9s
FUEL CONSUMPTION: [2.0] (urban) 26 (extra urban) 44.6 (combined) 35.5mpg
STANDARD SAFETY FEATURES: Twin front, side, curtain and anti submarine airbags / seatbelt pre-tensioners / ABS
WILL IT FIT IN YOUR GARAGE?: Length/Width/Heightmm 4209/1777/1457
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