17 Jan 06
Only pressing the PR man suggested why that might be - Renault's policy of continuous development. It's the car company that listens, it says, to customer feedback, engineers' discourse, the warranty division's grumbles. For example, the Megane's boot used to channel rainwater onto heads when open. Owners muttered, so now a channel has been fitted so it doesn't. No fanfare was made.
So, even though they reckon it's unchanged, have there indeed been subtle changes to spring rates, suspension bushing, levels of friction in the dampers? We suspect so, because the Megane simply now feels more complete. Not class-leading, but appreciably better than before.
The interior also feels more solid - a good thing, as it needed too. The seats are still set high; the steering wheel remains slightly angled; and space for legs in the back remains at a frankly unacceptable premium for a family car. But it doesn't tend to have that annoying zizzing sound and you feel it's bolted together with much less approximation. In addition, the speedo needles now point to your speed, not a 10mph-wide block, while blue and white backlighting for the instruments is sexier.
