In the middle of the year I test drove the Renault Megane hatchback range and was left rapt by the experience.
Rounding off 2017 are the wagon versions of the Megane – to cart around Chrissie presents in – which turned out to be equally as impressive.
In the spotlight were the GT and GT-Line boasting the same 1.6L (151kW/280Nm) and 1.2L (97kW/205Nm) turbo petrol engines as in the hatch, coupled with a seven-speed sports automatic transmission with dual clutch.
External
It’s as attractive as a station wagon can be. Of course possessing the same front end as the hatchback and sedan variants with the sportiness of the interior.
The tail end is where the difference lies; robust looking and split in half by the taillights with a roof spoiler on top.
Internal
Again the interior is identical to the hatchback with great interior styling, R-Link vertical touchscreen interface and racing style bucket seats – blue trim in the GT.
The heated seats are dressed in the ‘felty’ Alcantara and (as I’ve previously mentioned) well-bolstered which keeps you in position but sometime gets in the way of movement.
The Megane cabin is refined, sporty and the ambient lighting adds that extra touch.
This lighting changes colour to match the selected drive mode ie. Red =Sport.
Of course as a station wagon there is awesome boot space with a 510L capacity that can be sectioned off with a cargo blind.
It comes with two removable floor panels that aren’t connected but give it more versatility.
For bigger items, rear seats can be easily let down with a spring loaded one-touch release system in the boot.
Features
There are no powered seats but almost every other default feature is fitted as standard such as sat-nav, dual climate control, a sunroof, park brake, speed limiter, adaptive cruise control and driver assistance tech.
Drive and Engine
Performance in each is as it was in the hatch – outstanding.
And this is taking into account the increase in size for the wagon; in fact if you don’t look behind you’d swear you were still in the hatchback.
The feel of the drive is dynamic and sporty making it a breeze to manoeuvre around anything through the direct steering while taking in the bumps well.
While the smaller of the two powerplants is more than adequate for the average driver and does a nice job of climbing hills and overtaking, the 1.6L GT just has that little bit extra.
Even in Neutral mode (one of five) you’ll happily leave others in your wake. It possesses an amazing amount of power, the RS Drive sport mode is almost not needed.
There can be such a thing as too much power in an instance and the GT tends to hold the gears at higher revs so you’ll need to give it more space or resort to the long paddle shifters.
Under hard acceleration it can get a bit untamed if you don’t keep the wheel under control.
The engine note is also matched to suit the sportiness with a nice and meaty growl.
I would liken the Renault Megane wagon to the experience of the Subaru Liberty with plenty of power plus that little bit extra but keeping in mind that the latter has a much bigger engine.
Fuel usage came out at between 8.3-9.5L/100km which is better than it seemed as I watched the fuel gauge rapidly deplete and I profess I was making the most of the available grunt.
Safety
Standard with the two Megane models are sensors all round the body, rear view camera and park assist as well as AEB, lane departure, distance warning, blind spot warning and adaptive cruise control with speed limiter.
Only the GT is fitted with the 4CONTROL steering system, launch control and multi-downshift for faster gear changes.
Good Bits
Outstanding power- Excellent handling
- Interior finish
- Cabin design
- Storage capacity
- Safety features
- Ambient lighting
Not So Good
- Search me. Nothing to mention.
Facts and Figures: 2018 Renault Megane Wagon
- Engine: 1.6L turbo petrol four-cylinder 151kW/280Nm or 1.2L turbo petrol four-cylinder 97kW/205Nm
- Transmission: Seven-speed sports auto dual clutch
- Warranty: 5 Yrs
- Safety: Not yet tested
- Origin: Spain
- Price: From $33,990
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