Car Detail

The All New Renault Megane hatchback model beats its major competitors in terms of value for money despite being at the top of its game for quality and efficiency.

The current five-door Renault Megane hatch model arrived in October 2008 with a hike in the levels of equipment, safety, performance and environmental friendliness that are being adopted by each of the other cars in the Renault Megane Range in due course.

Four trim levels for the new Renault Megane range of Extreme, Expression, Dynamique and Privilège are priced from £10,995 to £22,335 with a significant amount of comfort and technology features that are optional extras with much of the competition.

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All new Renault Megane models feature as standard air conditioning, a CD/radio sound system with at least four speakers, 60:40 split rear seat (apart from the Coupé-Cabriolet), electric front windows and height and reach adjustment for the steering wheel.

Most Renault Meganes also have alloy wheels, an audio connection for an MP3 player and electric rear windows. Every Megane Coupé-Cabriolet also has an electrically-powered folding metal roof, a six-speaker sound system and automatic lights and wipers. Leather upholstery, climate control, cruise control and xenon headlights are all either standard-fit or options on the plushest Megane models.

The new Megane Hatch also has automatic lights and wipers, Bluetooth connectivity, cruise control and rear electric windows.

Safety is taken to the next level on the latest Renault Megane, with Electronic Safety Programme incorporating Anti-Skid Regulation and Understeer Control as standard on every Megane model.

There are six airbags in the new Megane, with those for the driver and front passenger now being two-stage auto-adaptive, allowing them to work in harmony with the size and weight of both occupants. New larger lateral airbags are incorporated into the new five-door’s design to protect the thorax region, along with Renault’s latest generation headrests.

All Renault Meganes have a maximum five-star safety rating for adult occupation protection and have ISOFIX child seat mounting points.

For environmentally-aware buyers the best performing new Megane hatchback is the 1.5 dCi, which has economy of 64mpg and a low CO2 figure of just 118g/km. The new Megane hatchback 1.5 dCi model also earns a low insurance rating (Group 5E).

The wide range of Renault engines contains a mix of frugal, low-emissions units, smooth and free-revving units and muscular, high-performance powerplants. In the case of the new Renault Megane hatchback, as the sport-oriented model in the range, Dynamique trim gains the potent 2.0 TCe 180 engine and the most powerful diesel, the 1.9 dCi 130.

The latest Renault TCe (Turbo Control Efficiency) powerplant builds on the success of the current 1.2 TCe 100, offering impressive performance and refinement with low emissions and high fuel economy. The 2.0 TCe 180 delivers torque of 300Nm at 2,250rpm and CO2 emissions of 178g/km.

The Renault Mégane will also receive the 1.4 TCe 130 engine to complete the new petrol engine family to emulate the success of the award-winning dCi diesel range.

The 1.6 VVT 100 five-speed is reserved for Expression models of the Megane only, while all three of the diesel engines (86, 106 and 130bhp) are eco-friendly, forming part of Renault’s eco² range. Six-speed manual gearboxes are standard across the range with the exception of the Expression 1.6 VVT 100 and 1.5 dCi 86 which are five-speed. Automatic versions follow in Spring 2009.

In the Megane Sport Saloon dCi 86 diesel, economy is 60mpg with 109mph performance. In the Hatch and Sport Hatch the dCi 86 achieves 64mpg and 115mph performance.

The equivalent petrol engine is the 1.4 16V 100, which is capable of 40mpg and 113mph in the Sport Hatch. Mid-range engines include a dCi 106 diesel, a 1.6-litre petrol with manual or automatic transmission and a dCi 130 diesel, also with a choice of manual or automatic transmissions.

More power is offered by the 165bhp 2.0-litre turbocharged petrol and dCi 150 diesel, which has 340Nm of pulling power. The dCi 150 offers a combination of 130mph pace and 51mpg economy.

The RenaultSport 225 Lux Hatch can sprint to 60mph in just 6.2 seconds and attain 147mph, yet this 225bhp hot hatch is also rated at 33mpg. There are also potent RenaultSport dCi 175 models for diesel fans. In the Sport Hatch the RenaultSport dCi 175 Lux runs to 137mph, 0-60mph in 8.5 seconds and 50.4mpg.

The new entry-level five-door Renault Megane hatchback is the 1.6 Extreme at £14,855 followed by the 1.5 dCi from £16,615, the TCE 130 Dynamique Tom Tom at £18,555 and the range-topping 1.9 dCi Privilege Tom Tom auto costing £23,525.

Prices are based on manufacturer's recommended retail price.