Renault delivers a hefty styling punch with new Mégane

Renault South Africa has just unveiled the new range of Mégane vehicles for 2016 and we had the opportunity to put them to the test on the road and the track as well as some tight handling exercises on the skidpan.

Complete new style

Making use of four new core design elements namely Stylish Design, Quality, Cockpit Technology and Drivers Tech, the four new model deriatives exude the essence of these elements.

The new Mégane carries a striking new side profile. Gone are the angles and cut back lines and in their place sleek new modern lines that are very pleasing to the eye.

The exterior sees a host of styling cues and equipment that can be found across Renault’s new vehicles. A few key features are the LED pure vision headlights, always-on LED tail lamps, 18 inch diamond cut alloy wheels, front and rear diffusors and signature panel bulges on the rear haunches.

The interiors have also seen a major redesign with Alcantara leather, coloured stitching and colour accents being used to full effect.

Keeping in line with the rest of Renault’s new fleet, many of the fantastic new features carry through into the Mégane, such as the twin TFT screens, which are now available with either an 8.7 inch or a 7 inch bundled with the 7 inch onboard unit housed in the binnacle and Renault’s new R-Link 2 system.

The GT derivative sees black and blue Alcantara leather sports seats that really suck you into place during spirited driving, while the GT Line not quite as sporty.

Technology

There are very few C-segment hatches that are going to come with the amount of technology that has been crammed into the new Mégane.

The Multi-sense system has five modes that all generate their own colour schemes and change the colours of the in-car lighting and the screens when engaged.

Engage Sport mode and everything turns red, ECO mode will give you Green, Blue gives you Comfort mode.

The GT EDC has been fitted with launch control now and it is a cinch to operate. Hold the shift paddles in, left foot on the brake pedal, floor it and when all three lights in the gauge cluster go off, let go and enjoy the sound and fury.

Also fitted to the GT EDC models we tested is the new 4Control chassis. It's not new technology but the way the GT uses it is disturbingly good. At a slow speed the rear wheels will actually steer in the opposite direction of travel to tighten your turning circle and at high speeds they turn with the front wheels to limit understeer. The rear wheels will actively steer up the 3.5 degrees and you can actually see it in action as the vehicle slaloms through cones.

This was felt mostly on track when barreling into a corner way too fast and fully expecting the front to wash out and the rear end to come past you. The rear wheels actually begin steering you around the corner, making it feel disturbingly like a rear wheel sports car, and you feel yourself drifting it around the corner.

As amazing as it was to hammer the GT around the track, the road test with the GT Line version was superb. Besides a small bit of wind noise over the mirrors, the drive was very relaxing. So much so that we actually extended our route by 60 km’s just so that we could enjoy the car even more. It was an absolute pleasure to drive these vehicles on the road and on track. I don’t doubt that they are going to find good homes.

With over 25 thousand Méganes sold in just over 20 years, in South Africa Renault has just hit a homerun with the new Mégane. Sleek, sporty styling that is easy to live with, and a beautiful interior with a host of choices to suit just about everyone.

Models and Pricing

Dynamique - 1.6l Naturally Aspirated 5-Speed Manual	R 279 900
GT Line Manual - 1.2l Turbo 6-Speed Manual	R 339 900
GT Line EDC - 1.2l Turbo 7-Speed Dual Clutch Auto	R 354 900
GT EDC - 1.6l Turbo 7-Speed Dual Clutch Auto	R 449 900

All models are backed by a 5 year / 150 000 km Warranty and a 5 Year / 90 000km service plan.