17 Jan 06
Press Renault about changes to the Megane and the company will talk about new instrument graphics, desensitised automatic light sensors, different wheels and the fact that you can now get a body-colour plastic insert in the bumpers.
So far, so unimpressive.
Why, then, does it feel so much nicer than any previous Megane? Sure, there's a brand-new 2.0-litre dCi engine, about which Renault will happily chat all night. The familiar 1.5-litre dCi has also been revised, now offering over 25% more torque than the 25mpg less-efficient 2.0-litre petrol it shares price parity with.
But it's not the engines you concentrate on, because the diesels have always been good. It was in other areas that the Megane felt not quite there, paling alongside the Golf or Focus. It was as if the quality and dynamics engineers had not quite been given the time needed to finish their jobs.
It was a car that grabbed attention because of its ass, its equipment, its low prices and its super-high crash safety record, rather than the feeling it inspired in the driver. Now, however, its repertoire is wider.
