Renault Megane (2016-2022) Review

Style, low prices and high-tech interior make the Renault Megane a sound family car

Strengths & weaknesses

  • Comfortable and enjoyable to drive
  • High-tech touchscreen on more expensive models
  • Distinctive styling
  • Rear space is below average
  • Sluggish automatic gearbox
  • Touchscreen can distract the driver

The Renault Megane has never been the most exciting, high-tech or highest quality family car, but the latest version offers strong value with particularly slick styling.

The new model is distinctive on the inside, too, with a large portrait touchscreen in the middle of the dashboard of higher specification versions and smaller conventional screens on more affordable models.

Most of the in-car functions, from entertainment to ventilation are activated via this touchscreen system. This reduces the amount of buttons on the dashboard, but also makes it far more distracting than it should be change many of the most basic functions while driving. If this sounds like an annoyance to you, it's worth going for a rival with a more conventional dashboard - the VW Golf, Ford Focus and Skoda Octavia, to name a few.

Cheaper cars get either a monochrome display or smaller touchscreen but all feel comfortable and reasonably well made, even if the interior is a bit dark.

It’s distinctive outside too. In a sector where cars can be a bit boring, and similar, the Megane’s headlights sharply pointed lights stand out from conservative cars like the Golf, Vauxhall Astra and Octavia, even if it’s not quite as fresh as the Mini Clubman.

The overall look is sporty and, the driver gets a sense of this too, with a low seating position. In the more powerful GT Line versions, the performance is relatively strong too, though you need to step up to the sporty Renaultsport Megane.

On the move, the Megane is a good all-round performer but not the best you can get. It's smooth and quiet - like an Audi A3 or Peugeot 308. In corners you get a good sense of what the wheels are doing through the steering wheel, so you can squeeze through narrow gaps in the confidence that you won’t take off a side mirror. If you're really looking for precision, though, a Ford Focus, Mini Clubman or Seat Leon all provide more confidence through the steering wheel.

Of more concern to family buyers is that there isn’t as much space in the back as other family cars. Unless you have a pair of basketball players in the front seats, the rear isn’t cramped, but neither does it have the space to stretch out that you would have in a Skoda Octavia. The boot is average too - which means that most families will find it merely adequate.

For maximum boot space, the Megane Sport Tourer estate car is a much wiser choice. As for a more sporty feel, GT Line cars improve on the cornering of the standard Megane, with an upgraded steering system that turns all four wheels, rather than just the front ones. This makes the car turn more sharply and increase manoeuvrability, but the driver does get the unsettling sense of a computer being between your steering inputs and the wheels actually turning.

Opt for the Renaultsport Megane performance model, however, if you want rapid acceleration as well as agile handling.

 

Key facts

Warranty 4 years / 100,000 miles
Boot size 384 litres
Width 1814mm
Length 4359mm
Height 1447mm
Tax From A (free) to E (£145 per year)

Best Renault Megane for...

Best for Economy – Renault Megane Expression+ 1.5 dCi 110 manual

It doesn’t have the hi-tech interior but this version is cheap to buy, free to tax and has an official fuel economy figure of 76.4mpg (expect around 60mpg in the real world).

Best for Families – Renault Megane Dynamique S Nav 1.5 dCi 110 manual

This trim level introduces the 8.7-touchscreen system and adds navigation, as well as family-friendly parking sensors and DAB radio.

Best for Performance – Renault Megane GT Nav 1.6 TCe 205 Auto EDC

It's the closest we'll get to a sporty Megane until the fastest RenaultSport versions arrive in 2018, but it's quick enough and looks the part.

One to Avoid – Renault Megane Signature Nav 1.2 TCe 130 Auto EDC

At this trim level, the Megane's price starts to look expensive. This petrol engine costs more to tax than the diesel and the automatic gearbox can feel slow and sluggish.

History

  • 2016 The current Renault Megane goes on sale

Understanding Renault Megane names

Trim Expression +

There are six trims in total (Expression+, Dynamique Nav, Dynamique S Nav, Signature Nav, GT Line Nav and GT Nav). Each higher level means more equipment and a larger price.

Engine 1.5 dCi 110

Petrol engines are badged TCe and diesels are called dCi. You may see the size of the engine given in litres, along with the amount of power, shown in horsepower (here it’s 110).

Gearbox EDC

Automatic versions of the Megane are called EDC

Renault Megane Engines

TCe 130, TCe 205, dCi 110, dCi 130

There is very little to separate the two diesel engines on offer here. The dCi 130 doesn’t feel much more powerful than the dCi 110, and as long as you don’t mind changing gear a bit more frequently to get the most out of the engine, then the smaller dCi 110 is perfectly capable of swift progress on any type of road. It’s also the greenest model in the range, with an official figure of 76.4mpg (expect 60mpg in normal use) and CO2 emissions of 96g/km, making it exempt from road tax.

The lower-powered petrol engine returns 53.3mpg, which is good for this segment, and if your Megane will be mainly used for short journeys, then this is the model to go for because diesel engines need regular high speed runs.

At the moment, the most powerful engine is the 205 horsepower petrol version, which feels quick and sportier than the rest of the range. It can only be selected with the seven-speed EDC auto gearbox, which can be manually operated via steering wheel-mounted paddles, but the short delay between pulling the paddles and the gear changing is frustrating.

 

Fuel

Fuel economy

Power

Acceleration (0-62mph)

Top speed

1.2TCe 130

Petrol

52.3mpg

130hp

10.6sec

122mph

1.6 TCe 205

Petrol

47.1mpg

205hp

7.1sec

143mph

1.5 dCi 110

Diesel

76.4mpg

110hp

11.3sec

116mph

1.6 dC1 130

Diesel

70.6mpg

130hp

10.0sec

123mph

Renault Megane Trims

Expression+, Dynamique Nav, Dynamique S Nav, Signature Nav, GT Line Nav and GT Nav

Although the sheer number of trim levels available may seem baffling, you can be sure of getting a good level of standard equipment, no matter which choice you make.

The cheapest Expression+ models come with cruise control, Bluetooth connectivity for hands-free phone calls, electric front and rear windows, air conditioning and a DAB radio.

Safety equipment includes Emergency Brake Assist, which applies the brakes if an object is detected in front and software that helps keep the car on the road if it’s in danger of skidding in corners.

Dynamique Nav replaces the old-fashioned monochrome display with a 7in touchscreen in the middle of the dashboard. This includes a sat-nav, as well as the option to download additional apps to the car. These cars also have headlights that switch on automatically when its dark, as well as plasticky synthetic leather seats and the Vision package, which a warning if you drift out of your lane and headlights that can dip automatically when traffic approaches.

Another step up the trim ladder to Dynamique S Nav models sees larger 17in wheels added, tinted rear windows and the stylish 8.7-inch touchscreen that dominates the dashboard, offering the same range of functions as the 7in touchscreen, but in a larger format.

Signature Nav adds 18in alloy wheels, black leather interior upholstery, full LED headlights and a Nappa leather steering wheel.

GT Line Nav cars receive a similar spec to Dynamique Nav models, including the smaller 7in touchscreen, but with sporty highlights, including a special GT bumper, a rear diffuser, bespoke 17in alloy wheels and black cloth upholstery inside with silver piping.

Customers wanting a car with the most powerful 205hp engine must opt for the top-of-the-range GT Nav specification, which comes with 18in wheels, four-wheel steering and the larger 8.7in touchscreen.

Renault Megane Reliability and warranty

According to Renault, the new Megane has the best in class service, maintenance and repair costs at just £1,550 in accordance to the manufacturers intervals. The Ford Focus Zetec, for example, is slated to cost £1,832 for the same interval.

Renault also offers an impressive four-year warranty - a year longer than the industry standard - with unlimited mileage in the first two years. After that, the car will be covered for a further two years as long as its total mileage doesn't go over 100,000.

French cars' poor reputation for reliability is slowly being erased: the Renault ZOE and Kadjar came second and third place respectively in the 2016 Auto Express Driver Power customer satisfaction survey.

Used Renault Megane

It's not currently possible to hunt down a used car bargain when looking at the fourth generation Megane, purely because it hasn't been on the market long enough, but that does mean the previous generation now boasts huge price reductions.

It's not rare to achieve savings of between £7,000- £10,000 on a mid-range 1.5 dCi diesel model if you're prepared to plump for the previous generation.

Bargains are likely to be harder to find with the new car, because it is expected to hold its value better, making used prices more expensive.

Other Editions

Megane Sport Tourer (2016 – 2022)

Style is high on the agenda for Renault's medium estate - the Megane Sport Tourer - but it's still a practical and comfortable car