Renault Megane Sport Tourer (2016-2022) Review

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

Strengths & weaknesses

  • Stylish design
  • Comfortable and quiet
  • Reasonable quality interior
  • Some key safety technology is optional
  • Design eats into boot space
  • Disappointing real-world fuel economy

For a long time, buying a family estate car meant choosing something unexciting to drive and bland to look at. The cars were boxy, dull and it was a struggle to tell one from another.

But the Renault Megane Sport Tourer - on sale since 2016 - is one of a new generation of big-booted cars that add a bit more excitement to the recipe, even if your main consideration is the amount of stuff you can cram inside.

For example, the Volkswagen Golf Estate offers the same understated design and high quality interior as the Golf hatchback. The Seat Leon ST feels sporty to drive and looks it too, with sharply-creased lines down the side, while the Vauxhall Astra Sports Tourer offers a good blend of comfort and responsiveness when you turn the steering wheel.

And if you’re looking for style, then the Renault Megane Sport Tourer is arguably one of the best looking family estate cars. A sloping roof, angled bootlid and windows that become shallower towards the back, give the car a sporting look that disguises the boot that's increased in size over the Renault Megane hatchback

It's an inexpensive used car and new prices start at less than £20,000 with mid-range models coming in at less than £25,000 before any Renault Megane Sport Tourer deals - slightly cheaper than rivals.

Open the bootlid and you'll find a handy separator to create a false boot floor, under which you can keep valuables, plus cubbyholes to keep loose objects from rolling around. Split rear seats allow you to expand the space without having to fold all the rear seats down.

The 521-litre boot is 19 litres smaller than the Astra Sports Tourer, 66 litres smaller than the Seat Leon ST, 84 litres smaller than the VW Golf Estate and a substantial 139 litres smaller than the Peugeot 308 SW. That's with the rear seats in place. Drop the back seats and the difference grows only further.

It's a similar story with the Ford Focus Estate and Skoda Octavia Estate. Look to off-road style crossovers, however, and it's a mixed back, with the Peugeot 3008 offering similar load space and the Nissan Qashqai much less with the rear seats in place and far more wthem folded. 

As for comfort, the Megane beats even the comfort-oriented 308 SW. The Renault is adept at soaking up potholes and broken surfaces. which makes it one of the smoothest cars in its class. Only short, sharp bumps really unsettle the car and jolt occupants.

Soft suspension can leave cars wibbling and wobbling in corners or over bumps but the Megane is stable, with accurate steering: you quickly get a sense of how much the car will turn as you steer, so you’re not constantly adjusting the steering wheel in the middle of a corner. However, it’s not quite as agile or as fast to react as a Seat Leon ST or Ford Focus Estate, which are more fun to drive.

It’s the same story with the engines. They are quiet and most families will find that they have plenty of power, but there’s not yet an engine option that make the car feel really sporty. Fuel economy in real-world driving falls disappointingly short of the car's official figures, too, though this is not unique to the Megane.

Inside, the Megane isn’t much more spacious than a Vauxhall Astra or Peugeot 308. it's comfortable enough but if you’re going to carry tall passengers in the back, then a Skoda Octavia will allow them to stretch out more.

It comes fairly well-equipped, with air-conditioning, Bluetooth for connecting a smartphone wirelessly, and a digital radio as standard. The interior feels well-made across the range. When fitted with the 8.7-inch touchscreen media system (standard on reasonably-priced Dynamique S models and above), it feels high-tech and a cut above most rivals. This portrait display dominates the front of the car, with sharp graphics and a touchscreen that responds relatively accurately.

The software is relatively slick, though not as good as you’ll find in an Audi A3 Sportback, but lacks the rotary dial that this uses. This makes the screen particularly distracting to use while driving - particularly if you want to zoom in on the sat-nav map, for example.

The five-star independent Euro NCAP safety rating awarded to the Renault Megane hatchback also applies to the Sport Tourer, but some useful safety technology - particularly automatic emergency braking - is only available as an option.

Key facts

Warranty Four years / 100,000 miles
Boot size 521 litres
Width 1814mm
Length 4626mm
Height 1449mm
Tax From £120 to £200 in first year, £140 thereafter

Best Renault Megane Sport Tourer for...

Best for Economy – Renault Megane Sport Tourer Expression+ 1.5 dCi 110

The lower-powered diesel is the most economical, with official figures of 76.4mpg and CO2 emissions as low as 96g/km. Expression+ trim is by far the cheapest.

Best for Families – Renault Megane Sport Tourer Dynamique S Nav 1.2 TCe 130

This petrol engine has a balance of decent fuel economy and usable performance. Dynamique S cars include a rear parking camera plus front and rear parking sensors to help avoid knocks.

Best for Performance – Renault Megane Sport Tourer GT Nav 1.6 TCe 205

The range-topping version has a considerably faster acceleration time (0-62mph in 7.1sec) than the rest of the range, but isn’t particularly sporty.

History

  • December 2016 Renault Megane Sport Tourer goes on sale

Understanding Renault Megane Sport Tourer names

Trim level Dynamique Nav

There are six trim levels on offer to buyers, ranging from the base Expression+ to GT Nav, adding standard equipment to the specification as they increase in price.

Engine 1.5 dCi 110

There are four engine options, two turbocharged petrol units, designated TCe, and two diesels, with the dCi name. The power output in horsepower (which may also be written as PS or hp) is shown too. You may also see the engine's size in litres, which can be the same for different power outputs. In this case, it's 1.5.

Gearbox EDC

EDC indicates that the car has an automatic gearbox.

Renault Megane Sport Tourer Engines

There are four engine options for buyers of the Megane Sport Tourer, two petrol and two diesel.

The TCe 130 petrol engine seems small for such a big car - it’s just 1.2 litres in size - but has a turbocharger which is meant to boost power without having too much of an impact on fuel economy. An official fuel economy figure of up to 52.3mpg and 120g/km CO2 emissions would suggest that was the case.

It’s available with a manual or automatic gearbox and performance is reasonable, although the 0-62mph acceleration time of 10.6 seconds does make the car feel slow to respond at times.

The other petrol option is the TCe 205 engine that’s only available in the top-of-the-range GT Nav. The extra power reduces the 0-62mph time to 7.1 seconds, and enables the car to surge smoothly away from standstill. It makes driving more relaxed rather than very sporty because you don’t need to rev the engine hard when accelerating. The Equa Index suggests that real-world fuel economy will be around 31mpg. It only comes with an automatic gearbox.

For half-decent fuel economy the dCi 130 diesel engine has an official fuel economy figure of 68.9mpg. It’s another disappointing performer in the real-world - the Equa Index suggests you can expect 50mpg - but, in fairness, that’s not much less than the alternatives offer. You'll pay around £2,500 more than for a car with the TCe petrol motor.

Console yourself with the knowledge that the engine suits the laid-back nature car well: it delivers much of its power soon after you press the accelerator, without the need to rev the engine and its 0-62mph acceleration time of 10.0 seconds is fairly standard for this type of car. There’s no automatic option.

A less powerful dCi 110 engine has a slightly better official fuel economy and is cheaper by around £1,000. But it's a little less economical in real-world driving because you need to rev it harder to get reasonable performance. Official CO2 emissions as low as 96g/km, make it cheaper for company car tax than the more powerful diesel, which emits 104g/km CO2.

1.2 TCe 130

Petrol

51.4-52.3mpg

130hp

10.6 secs

122mph

1.2 TCe 130 EDC

Petrol

50.4-52.3mpg

130hp

10.3 secs

124mph

1.5 dCi 110

Diesel

72.4-76.4mpg

110hp

11.6 secs

116mph

1.5 dCi 110 EDC

Diesel

74.3mpg

110hp

12.7 secs

116mph

1.6 dCi 130

Diesel

68.9mpg

130hp

10.0 secs

123mph

1.6 TCe 205 EDC

Petrol

47.1mpg

205hp

7.1 secs

143mph

Renault Megane Sport Tourer Trims

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

Buyers of the Megane Sport Tourer can choose from a total of six trim levels with different amounts of standard equipment.

The lower levels also limit the optional extras that you can buy - you can’t fit a sunroof to the cheapest Meganes, for example.

The specification of the base Expression+ includes 16-inch alloy wheels, front fog lights, cruise control, air-conditioning, electric windows, DAB digital radio, Bluetooth for connecting your phone wirelessly and a USB socket.

You’ll pay £1,500 more to upgrade to a Dynamique Nav car. As the same suggests, this includes sat-nav, displayed on a seven-inch touchscreen, along with rear parking sensors, dual-zone climate control, wipers and headlights that switch on automatically when needed. Voice control lets you instruct the car to dial a phone number and there’s an upgraded Arkamys sound system, as well as a keyless entry and synthetic leather and cloth upholstery.

From this level up, you can order options such as automatic emergency braking, sunroof and rear parking camera.

For another £1,000, the Megane Dynamique S Nav brings the 8.7-inch portrait touchscreen in the centre of the dashboard, which instantly makes the interior look minimalist, by reducing the number of buttons. It also adds a rear parking camera, front parking sensors, 17-inch alloy wheels, and darker tinting on the rear windows.

Adaptive cruise control, which keeps the car a set distance from the one in front, automatic parking and an all-round 360-degree camera system are available as options.

At the top of the range are three trim levels.

Signature Nav has everything on the Dynamique S cars, plus 18-inch alloy wheels, leather seats and brighter LED headlights.

GT Line Nav is based on the Dynamique Nav trim level - so doesn’t have the large touchscreen. But it looks sportier outside, thanks to redesigned front and rear bumpers, a ten-spoke 17-inch alloy wheel design and dark chrome side mirrors. There are silver-striped sports seats inside.

Finally, GT Nav takes the GT Line Nav trim and adds a rear parking camera, front parking sensors, the 8.7-inch touchscreen, 18-inch alloy wheels and bright LED headlights. it’s fitted with 4Control - a steering system that can swivel all four wheels. It can make the car turn more sharply, but feels artificial because you can sense that there’s more than just a simple mechanical connection between the steering and wheels.

Renault Megane Sport Tourer Reliability and warranty

Renault does not have a good reputation for reliability, but the company has made some progress: Renault was 19th out of 30 manufacturers for reliability in the 2019 Auto Express Driver Power customer satisfaction survey

The warranty covers four years and up to 100,000 miles, which is better than the average in the car industry (although not quite as good as Hyundai’s five years and Kia’s seven years).

Used Renault Megane Sport Tourer

Most Renaults are predicted to plummet in value and that's the case for the Megane Sport Tourer, which is unlikely to be worth much more than 36% after three years and 36,000 miles of motoring.

This makes the Megane an excellent used choice - as there should be some extremely cheap examples on offer. In the meantime, it can be possible to find savings of £6,000 on a nearly new Megane Sport Tourer.

Cars with the big 8.7-inch touchscreen media system are relatively affordable when new, so they are proving popular amongst new car buyers. This means that you should be able to find a used Megane with the feature fitted, without having to pay more than a few hundred pounds extra over models that don't have the feature.

In fact, more expensive Renaults tend to suffer from the greatest loss of value, so their second-hand price may drop to a level that's close to lower-specification cars, making them potentially strong value used choices.

Prices below show typical BuyaCar discounts for our pick of new and used models. Scroll down further for the very latest new Renault Megane Sport Tourer deals or search for all new and used Renault Megane Sport Tourer offers.

   

List price

BuyaCar new

1 year old

2 years old

3 years old

Best for economy

Price

£19,850

£16,944

£13,350

n/a

n/a

Renault Megane Sport Tourer Expression+ 1.5 dCi 110

Save

 

15%

33%

n/a

n/a

Best for families

Price

£21,050

£18,596

£15,000

n/a

n/a

Renault Megane Sport Tourer Dynamique S Nav 1.2 TCe 130

Save

 

12%

29%

n/a

n/a

Best for performance

Price

£27,450

£24,745

n/a

n/a

n/a

Renault Megane Sport Tourer GT Nav 1.6 TCe 205

Save

 

10%

n/a

n/a

n/a

 

Other Editions

Megane (2016 – 2022)

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