The appearance of the Megane certainly stands out from the crowd. Especially the hatchback, which caused a real sensation when it first appeared — the car came out bold and stylish, but many argued about its design. The sedan looks much more restrained, although it is no less beautiful.
However, when it comes to how the car behaves on the road, the Megane is the epitome of calm. It happens that even a die-hard fan of fast driving sometimes doesn't want to squeeze everything out of the engine, enjoy precise responses, and listen to the screech of tires in corners. Sometimes you just want to cruise along the highway at a steady pace. And for ordinary drivers, this is an ideal scenario altogether.
The Renault Megane doesn't try to seem like a sports car. Of course, it's nice when an inexpensive car has sharp handling settings, but by and large, that's not the main thing. After all, it's not a sports car and nowhere near one. Especially since most buyers with the 1.6 engine don't even think about how the car behaves in corners. What matters to them is that the cabin is spacious and the suspension doesn't notice potholes. And here the Megane showed its best side. It turned out to be very comfortable and friendly to its owner.
See for yourself. The gas pedal is somewhat sluggish, electronic. The suspension is genuinely soft. The gearshift lever moves with no effort at all, although its precision is quite acceptable, but it doesn't add any excitement. The engine, which meets Euro-4 standards and is also very economical, produces 115 horsepower but responds to pedal pressure with a delay. So what happens if you add up all these features? It turns out pretty good. Because the gas pedal is damped, you're unlikely to drive jerkily — only smoothly. Of course, unless you deliberately try. Gears can also be shifted carelessly without worrying about the clutch pedal — there will be no jerks. In other words, the Renault requires minimal attention from the driver. Better let them watch the road or, at worst, read billboards, rather than think about how to handle the car properly.
The interior is done in the same spirit. No pseudo-sporty elements, but everything is very convenient. The steering wheel is wrapped in excellent perforated leather. The seats have not too pronounced but noticeable lateral support and a good shape — they are clearly designed for long trips. Particularly pleasing is the ability to adjust the headrests for tilt. True, the ergonomics also have their drawbacks. First, the pedal assembly is very cramped — the gas and brake pedals are too close to each other. If you can't decide which one to press, this arrangement might even help. But in all other cases, it will be inconvenient. You can get used to it, of course, but in winter shoes it will be annoying. And another thing: the speedometer on the Megane is simply a mockery. Reading the readings is almost impossible. Maybe such a strange and motley scale was specially "promoted" by traffic cops so that Megane drivers would speed more often, especially since the speed itself is hardly felt in the car? You sincerely think you're driving 90–100 km/h, and when you stare intently at the speedometer (and you need to look for about five seconds), it turns out it's already 130–140! Then try to explain that...
The cabin pleasantly surprises with its thoughtfulness, quality of materials, and attention to detail typical of French cars.
There's a lot of space in the back. Moreover, since the wheelbase of the sedan is increased by 61 mm compared to the hatchback, there's more free space here too. The trunk is even more spacious, although the lack of an interior handle on it looks strange. Overall, the interior is very roomy and comfortable — four or even five passengers will fit here without any problems.
For complete comfort, only good sound insulation, a quality audio system, and fewer vibrations are missing — with these, the Megane is just okay. But if all that were present, the car would be called not Renault but, say, Volvo. And the price would be corresponding.
The thoughtfulness of the interior is simply amazing. I'm not even mentioning the multitude of cubbies and shelves. The side door pockets (present both front and rear) can hold several half-liter bottles or a bunch of other small items. The central armrest and door armrests also have spacious compartments. Even in the back under the glass, there's an opening cubby. There are also niches under the floor. A huge cooled glovebox goes without saying as an addition to this storage terminal. Everything is there: lighting in every door, tilt-adjustable headrests, and sunshades in the rear windows. And what plastic! Soft and pleasant to the touch. And even the harder plastic, Renault manages to make it look expensive and high-quality. It's slightly rubberized, so holding onto it is a pleasure. And everything is assembled neatly, with even gaps. The French sure know how to surprise.
There's enough space in the back for everyone. No problems with storing small items — the Megane's creators made cubbies and shelves, as they say, with a reserve. The Megane's trunk is simply huge, although the opening is a bit narrow.
True, once during a trip something in the cabin squeaked terribly. "Ah, the French, the French, at least something squeaks," I thought, "well, okay, it'll fall off and stop." But the squeak just wouldn't stop. So I drove around for half a day until I decided to clear out all the junk from the glovebox. Surprisingly, along with it, the squeak disappeared somewhere. "Did it really fall off?" I thought again.
All power windows have an automatic mode. The car also turns on the lights, wipers, and locks the doors by itself as soon as you start moving. So, again, the car takes on part of the driver's work. Of course, it would be nice if it also steered itself, pressed the pedals, honked, waved its hands, and cursed at other road users, but still, it's not bad. This Frenchman is courteous. And rightly so — as if the driver has nothing else to worry about than managing the wipers or checking the oil level (when starting the engine, the Megane, like any other decent "Frenchman," does this itself).
Handling is normal. Yes, the electric power steering doesn't always provide natural feedback, but in most cases, it's sufficient. Yes, there is body roll, but the car holds its line well. Except that with sharp steering movements, it sometimes enters a corner more abruptly than expected. Of course, enthusiasts won't like this handling, but the Megane doesn't aspire to sports car laurels. Although it can basically do everything — it's not for nothing that 2.1 billion euros were spent on developing its platform. It's just lazy and doesn't provoke you to drive fast. Even the engine sound is completely "nothing," not at all encouraging you to "rev" it once more. But for ordinary driving, sometimes comfortable, sometimes a bit brisk, it's quite enough. At the same time, the car doesn't have the strictness of a stern schoolteacher and will forgive the driver even a rough mistake in control — the safety systems are tuned as they should be.
But the car is comfortable. The Megane holds a high-speed straight so well that some locomotive would envy it. It doesn't know the word "rut." Nor does it notice small potholes and other irregularities. After all, the Megane is equipped with a special suspension adapted to our conditions. It has longer springs, reinforced shock absorbers, and front suspension arms. But the brake drive isn't the most successful. At the beginning of the pedal travel, they engage smoothly, and then, on the contrary, too abruptly.
The main difference of the restyled Megane is the changed "pattern" of the headlights.
Overall, the car turned out very interesting and distinctive. It's contraindicated for those who like to drive fast and aggressively — they're unlikely to like the Megane's somewhat sluggish character. In all other respects, it's a good car. And for those who choose calm and comfortable driving, it's downright excellent. Don't forget about safety either: the Megane was the first in its class to receive five stars on the EuroNCAP scale. It even has rear seat belts with pretensioners. And if you forget to buckle up, it will ask you to do so. "Monsieur, you forgot to fasten your seat belt!" But not raising its voice immediately, first politely, quietly beeping with a buzzer. And only if you're completely disobedient will it raise its tone.
For its services, the Megane will ask you for from $16,549 for the base version with the 1.4-liter engine. If you want a trim like ours, you'll have to shell out 20,849 conventional units of not-at-all French currency. That's certainly not cheap, but against the backdrop of quality and equipment, the price doesn't look like outright robbery. Although the same Japanese classmates of the Megane are cheaper, they're also simpler. And besides, you'll have to do everything yourself in them! While the Megane will simply take on part of your worries. If there's one thing the French have always known how to do, it's take care.
So, I received the key card from the "Frenchman" and set off to study its habits. I'll say right away: the car turned out to be interesting, with its own character and a number of unexpected solutions that you don't get used to right away, but then you understand their logic.
The first thing that catches your eye when you get in is the unusual shape of the steering column and instruments. You look not through the steering wheel, but rather over it. At first, this seems strange, but after a couple of kilometers you realize that it's even more convenient this way — all the information is read instantly, and the steering wheel doesn't block the view. However, if you're tall, like me, finding the ideal position will be difficult: there are many adjustments, but you want a little more to make it perfect.
On the move, the car surprises. The increased ground clearance is not just a marketing gimmick, but a really working option. I deliberately drove off the asphalt onto a dirt road, and the car felt confident, not catching anything unnecessary with the bottom. The suspension seemed quite firm to me: on small bumps it collects the road, but on large joints and potholes it can shake noticeably. For our roads, this is more of a plus than a minus — you don't want to break the suspension in the first pothole.
Under the hood of my test car was a 98-horsepower engine with a volume of 1.4 liters. To be honest, it's enough for the city: you start briskly from a standstill, and you feel confident in traffic. But on the highway, when you need to accelerate sharply for overtaking, the engine clearly lacks "air." You have to plan the maneuver in advance and downshift in advance. The fuel consumption pleased me: in the combined cycle, I got about 7 liters, which is quite decent for such a car.
The gearbox pleases with the clarity of its shifts, but it has one feature — it is quite "dry," without lubrication, which may seem unusual at first. But you quickly get used to it. The clutch is informative, and it's easy to pull away even for a beginner.
Inside, the trim materials are solid, but there are some quirks. For example, the hazard warning light button is not where everyone is used to, but on the center console, closer to the floor. To find it, I had to fumble around the dashboard a couple of times. But the trunk pleased me — all 520 liters easily fit everything needed for a trip to the dacha.
To sum up, this car is an excellent choice for a family that values practicality and doesn't chase dynamics. It offers a good set of options for reasonable money. But if driving excitement and fast overtaking on the highway are important to you, you should look at the version with a more powerful engine. Although for the money they ask for the base version, the car looks like a very worthy offer on the market.
A lot of interesting things remained behind the scenes. For example, how the car behaves in corners — there are rolls, but they are not critical, and the car holds the given trajectory. Or how the air conditioner works in the heat — it copes with this task perfectly, the cabin cools down in a couple of minutes. Overall, the car left a pleasant impression.
