Trim the options
If I had £100 for every time a car manufacturer told me it had “streamlined the range to make it simpler for customers” I’d be sailing the Mediterranean in a yacht bigger than Sir Philip Green’s.
But Renault is one of the few firms that have followed through with the promise because the facelifted Megane is available only in Iconic and R.S. Line trims – and even I can remember those.
What I can’t do is tell the difference between the new-for-2021 Megane and the old one.
Well, not without seeing it with its now standard LED headlamps lit.
The front bumper has been changed but very subtly and the door handles now have lighting, so again darkness is required. Oh, and there a few more colours available.
Inside it is a bit more different. The quality of materials has been improved and there’s a new 9.3-inch vertical touchscreen for the R.S. Line’s infotainment system and a seveninch one for our Iconic-trim test car.
Most importantly, Renault has added proper knobs to control the air conditioning which gets a large tick from me because it’s safer.
The number of trim levels is simple and so are the engine options.
There’s a 115bhp diesel with the choice of double-clutch automatic gearbox or a six-speed manual, and a four-cylinder, 1.3-litre petrol unit with 138bhp and the same choice of two gearboxes. Our £21,495 Iconic test car is fitted with the petrol engine and manual gearbox.
Soon a plug-in hybrid version of the Megane hatchback (it’s already available in the Megane Sports
Tourer estate) will be offered.
As with the previous Megane you can play around with Renault’s Multisense driving mode control which will allow you to choose between Comfort, Eco and Sport to change steering weight, throttle response, exhaust note and the colour of the digital instrument screen and interior lighting.
None of this fundamentally changes the car’s character or makes it any more enjoyable to drive. Comfort works just nicely, especially as the car’s suspension is set up to err on the side of keeping its occupants feeling relaxed. The 1.3 petrol engine in our test car is smooth and responsive with more than enough power.
The manual gearbox has an imprecise action and isn’t a pleasure to use however, so I’d cough up the extra £1,600 for the automatic option, even though that seems like a hefty premium to pay.
With sales of plug-in hybrids and pure EVS overtaking diesels for the first time last year, it’s hard to say how many customers will go for the diesel-powered Megane. But it’s still a good choice if you cover high mileages because the 1.5-litre motor will easily return mid-50s to the gallon against the petrol’s mid 40s.
There’s nothing to dislike about the facelifted Megane but it’s up against ever growing opposition from many quarters.
Renault has announced a huge campaign to launch up to 24 new models within the next five years with many of them being electric.
One that’s already been revealed is an electric modern take on the old Renault 5 that looks brilliant.
Sadly, despite being a sound car, the Megane lacks the 5 concept’s pizzazz. Put simply, it needs to be more distinctive to give buyers a reason for choosing it.