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Damned with faint praise. Image by Dave Jenkins.

Damned with faint praise
Renault looks to have moved the Mégane's game on in terms of quality and value, but just how dynamic is the regular version?

   



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| Week at the Wheel | Renault Mégane dCi |

Somewhere in an advertising consultancy in France a person winces every time they hear Thierry Henry's voice, or the word 'va', inevitably followed by another 'va' and climaxing in a 'voom'. We've been using Renault's slogan to judge their cars ever since they came out with it. Away from the glitz of an international launch, does the new Mégane enjoy the three word acclamation in 1.9 dCi guise?

Inside & Out: star star star star star

The old Mégane had a hump - well a rump - and much was made of it literally and in the advertising sense; it was all about the ass. Odd then that the new Mégane has had a serious nip and tuck in that department and boasts no such J-Lo styling appendage. Instead it's the other end that has taken up the task of injecting some flair into the car's appearance, with a heavily shaped snout that features a two tier bonnet that rises in a step from the bulge of the wheelarch to a plateau bracketed by Renault's trademark headlight treatment. This, along with the steeply raking roof line that lends it a rakish profile - even in five-door form - ensures that the Mégane stands out.

The interior carries over many of the points of praise we noted in the Laguna. There's a step change improvement in quality, look and feel relative to the old car and an air of solidity that has been sorely missing in comparison to the VW benchmark. It is marred by a couple of lapses that detract from the overall package, most annoyingly the digital dash and instruments - they look at odds with the rest of the interior and are - in our opinion - an ill-advised departure from traditional dials.

Engine & Transmission: star star star star star

Renault's 1.9-litre common rail turbodiesel acquits itself well in terms of all of the headline requirements. It's powerful, smooth and torquey and pulls the Mégane forward with as much urge as most would ever need. It also makes a fine fist of refinement, though this is undermined by excessive road and wind noise in the cabin. However, the engine itself is well mannered, as well as economical, averaging 44mpg in its week with us - a figure it will exceed if used as a cruising tool.

Ride & Handling: star star star star star

The Mégane finds itself in a no-man's land offering a compromised and firm ride but somehow failing to provide the customary and expected handling benefits. All who rode in the Mégane commented on the hard ride; none on its handling prowess. Ford's Focus (most notably, but other rivals too) offers both superior compliance and entertainment. Given Renault's aptitude for producing hot hatches with benchmark damping it's an irony that its bread and butter models miss the target by such a wide margin.

Equipment, Economy & Value for Money: star star star star star

As you'd expect, a range-topping Mégane Privilege offers a rake of features and luxuries. Heated leather, dual-zone climate control and integrated satnav with a user friendly interface are the main points of note. The added value of the clarity and quality of their installation is harder to quantify, but appreciable none the less. Running costs should be competitive courtesy of sensible servicing intervals and costs, along with reasonable fuel economy. Our usual trawl of the Internet readily found discounts of ten percent available - it's still very much a buyer's market, even on new models.

Overall: star star star star star

Renault has moved the game on massively in a number of areas with its latest models. They are much more rounded offerings and the Mégane does close the gap to class leaders in terms of quality, accommodation and value. However, dynamically it falls well short of class honours and is no more than average. In summary, the Mégane is perfectly capable, but it lacks flair. I hate to say it, but to uphold the tradition, I will: new Mégane; no Va-Va-Voom.

Dave Jenkins - 5 Jun 2009



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2009 Renault Mégane Hatch specifications: (1.9 dCi 130 five-door manual)
Price: Ł19,535 on-the-road (equivalent model is €27,000 in Ireland).
0-62mph: 9.5 seconds
Top speed: 127mph
Combined economy: 55.4mpg
Emissions: 134g/km
Kerb weight: 1310kg

2009 Renault Mégane. Image by Dave Jenkins.2009 Renault Mégane. Image by Dave Jenkins.2009 Renault Mégane. Image by Dave Jenkins.2009 Renault Mégane. Image by Dave Jenkins.2009 Renault Mégane. Image by Dave Jenkins.

2009 Renault Mégane. Image by Dave Jenkins.2009 Renault Mégane. Image by Dave Jenkins.2009 Renault Mégane. Image by Dave Jenkins.2009 Renault Mégane. Image by Dave Jenkins.2009 Renault Mégane. Image by Dave Jenkins.



2009 Renault Mégane. Image by Dave Jenkins.
 

2009 Renault Mégane. Image by Dave Jenkins.
 

2009 Renault Mégane. Image by Dave Jenkins.
 

2009 Renault Mégane. Image by Dave Jenkins.
 

2009 Renault Mégane. Image by Dave Jenkins.
 

2009 Renault Mégane. Image by Dave Jenkins.
 






 

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