Written by: Martin Ward
Wednesday, June 24, 2009 

It is a bit confusing because we don’t really know what to call the new Estate model from Renault. The official price list clearly describes it as the new Megane Sports Tourer but in the press pack they gave us, it is described as the new Renault Megane Estate. There could have been a breakdown in communication between Renault UK and their French colleagues but whatever it is called, the new Sports Tourer is probably the best looking load lugger available on the market today. It should stay that way for some time to come as there is very little in the pipe line that will beat its styling. However, there is a trade off between style and load capacity as the plunging roof and sloping rear door does mean that interior space is lost.

 

The new Sports Tourer is built at the Renault plant in Palencia in Spain on the same lines as the Hatchback and Coupe so consequently benefits from all the production related improvements that have been introduced at the plant. The quality has certainly improved over the previous Megane, with the quality of fit and finish evidently better.

The new Sports Tourer is slightly longer than the outgoing model which now measures 4,559mm in length and 1,804mm in width (excluding door mirrors) so it is a very useable every day car without being too large.

 

There will be four trim levels available: Expression, Dynamique, TomTom Edition (based on the Dynamique) and Privilege; as with all Renault ranges, nobody really understands the line up. There is a good choice of engines available: a 1.6 litre 100hp and 110hp petrol, 1.4 litre TCE petrol 130hp, 2.0 litre TCE petrol 180hp and the diesel choice is 1.5 litre dCi 106hp and 1.9 dCi 130hp. There are also engines available with FAP and an automatic gearbox option. There are a total of 21 different versions available on the price list.

 

The new Megane is a quiet car, not in the same league as the new Golf or Mazda 3 but compared to the old model, it has vastly improved. Renault engineers have spent much time and money on the improvements and these include adding sound proofing felt onto the platform, followed by a layer of foam and then finally the carpet. This all contributes to making the Sport Tourer a quieter car.

 

Renault did tell us that it is now possible for the owner to change a headlight bulb so it doesn’t have to be taken to the garage like the old Megane did. This will save time and money for the owner.

 

Renault say they see the main competitors for the Sports Tourer as the Peugeot 308 SW, Vauxhall Astra, Ford Focus and Volkswagen Golf. Prices for the new Megane Sports Tourer start from £15,485 and go up to £22,785 with first deliveries due in mid August.

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