Making it Silky Smooth
Renault’s previous compact sedan, the Fluence, left much to be desired stying-wise. The Fluence was basically built on Renault’s compact ‘C’ platform, and built by Samsung Motors. The return of the Megane Sedan marks a departure from predictable styling, and in with a greater effort to make this car something very appealing. Did Renault get the formula right? Clifford Chow takes the Megane Sedan for a spin to find out.
The Megane is powered by a 1.5 litre common rail turbo diesel engine, producing a good 250Nm of torque at 1,750rpm, which is good for an excellent 27km/l. While there is just a small bit of lag at the lights, the Megane is truly a fine drive, delivering very smooth performance, but as with smaller diesels, torque tapers off just above the midrange. Century sprint timing is a unhurried 12.5 seconds, and there is a decent amount of dampening coming from the suspension to keep the car well planted, while soaking up the road. Place this car on a B road, and you will appreciate how much has gone into setting up the suspension.
There is a little bit of dip coming from the set-for comfort suspension, but in most cases, you get very minimal frontal roll. Overall, the Megane stays poised, and will only send itself into controllable understeer if pushed over the limit.
There is a good amount of insulation to keep out the signature diesel chatter, and at times, you are able to forget that it is a diesel engine.
There are no shift pedals behind the wheel, but the gearshift lever does have your manual selector, if you’d love to shift cogs manually. The leaver does come across as too puffy and chunky for spirited driving. You would be better off allowing the electronically controlled dual clutch (EDC) 6-speeder do the job for you. Gear changes are smooth, and you do not get a brutal surge with each gear change.
One gripe though with the transmission, is that it does allow the car to slide backwards when in gear, which can prove unsettling for those who are unprepared.
The market segment is a very crowded one, with the likes of the Volkswagen Jetta, Toyota Corolla Altis and the Honda Civic and many more on offer.
The standard offerings, the comfortable ride, and the diesel fuel economy, makes the Megane a very attractive offering. The large boot space is truly a plus, especially for families who need the added room to stow that child’s seat.
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