| First Drive | Valencia, Spain | Renault Mégane Coupé-Cabriolet |

You know the drill by now: hatchback gains electric folding hardtop, loses much practicality, adopts awkward rump-heavy silhouette, struggles dynamically.

This is Renault's Mégane version. All the above will apply to a greater or lesser extent; how good it is depends on the degree of the compromises. The Coupé-Cabriolet (CC) market is actually quite crowded now - Ford, Volkswagen, Volvo and Vauxhall all do one, and Peugeot does two. Can the Mégane CC excel?

In the Metal

There's only so much you can do with this sort of car, because you need a big space to fit the folded roof into. The main focal point of the Mégane CC's design is the all-glass hardtop; otherwise it's fairly typical - and not a great deal different to the outgoing version, grille aside.

What the glass top means is an airy cabin, though one that's otherwise designed no differently to the regular Mégane. Often, CCs have a roofline noticeably lower than their hatchback progenitors, and while that is the case here, the Mégane is far from cramped. However, rear leg room is almost non-existent when a pair of normal human beings is sat in front.

Surprisingly, the CC's boot is bigger than the Mégane hatchback's when the roof isn't in it. Even when it is, there's still a decent amount of space, though access is limited.

What you get for your Money

Like Peugeot with the 308 CC, Renault will offer only a few high-specification versions of the Mégane CC: Dynamique TomTom, GT and GT Line. The latter are sportier, though they don't get the (slightly confusing to use) TomTom satnav as standard.

Equipment includes alloy wheels, air conditioning, cruise control, Bluetooth and a leather steering wheel. GT cars are fettled by Renaultsport for better handling, including suspension, braking and steering tweaks. Naturally, they get bigger wheels and sportier trim inside and out, too.

Prices start at £21,595 for a Dynamique powered by the base 1.4-litre TCe 130 petrol engine, with 128bhp. GT cars, only available with the 178bhp 2.0-litre TCe petrol or 158bhp 2.0-litre dCi, top the range at £24,880 and £25,830 respectively.

Driving it

Our test car was in Dynamique trim, powered by the 158bhp 2.0-litre dCi diesel engine - a combination that won't be offered in the UK. This unit will only be available in GT spec. It returns 47.9mpg and emits 155g/km of CO₂.

Renault has done plenty of work stiffening the Mégane's chassis to compensate for the loss of rigidity in the transition to CC. It's added 160kg to the weight and necessitated hardening the springs and dampers, though to Renault's credit the car neither feels slow nor rides harshly. Body control is tight, but the car will soak up the majority of bumps without rattling the cabin. If anything, there's a little too much bounce, but it's always comfy and settled.

Engine noise is well suppressed and there's enough low-end grunt (280lb.ft at 2,000rpm) to mean you're not constantly working the six-speed gearbox at low speeds. It's not great at keeping wind turbulence away from your hair do with the top down, though, but with the roof in place it is very refined indeed.

The steering could have more feel, but what's new, and the front tyres have a tendency to scrabble for grip at lower speeds than you might expect. But hey, it's not supposed to be a driver's machine, and in everything else it's an agreeably comfortable car.

Worth Noting

For the first time, Renault will offer a twin-clutch automatic gearbox, called EDC (Efficient Dual Clutch), initially only with the 108bhp dCi 110 diesel engine. Built by German gearbox specialists Getrag, it's a six-speed unit that, like all the others on the market, offers manual-matching efficiency with the comfort of an automatic.

Summary

There's much to like about the way the Mégane CC conducts itself on the road - though nothing exceptional. It's priced keenly, is well-equipped, comfortable, decent to drive and tastefully styled - if not radically. Certainly, it's better at the basics than the Peugeot 308 CC is, if not quite as flash or flamboyant - qualities admired in this sector. If the Coupé-Cabriolet suits your particular lifestyle, here's one that's worth a good look.