As the four millionth Mégane rolled off the line this week at Renault España’s Palencia plant, Glenn Brooks was trying the just-launched facelifted model on UK roads.
More than 18 years have passed since the first Mégane replaced the now long-forgotten Renault 19. As we’re into the middle of the lifecycle of the third generation, it’s refresh time for a range that extends to four body styles (not counting the Fluence sedan).
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The hatchback, coupé, coupé-cabriolet and Sport Tourer estate have all been given new bumpers, grilles, and lights, as well as enlarged Renault logos at either end. It’s an effective facelift and does lift the look of the cars, especially from the front. If you like the Clio, then you’ll be an instant fan of what’s been done to the Mégane.
R-Link, which I’ve tried and liked in the Captur and Clio is now either standard or optional depending on the model and trim available (but not the coupé-cabriolet). This tablet-like touch-screen system sits in the middle of the dashboard and groups all multimedia functions, including navigation, audio, and connectivity for mobile devices. Owners can also use vehicle-linked services and access the Renault R-Link Store, with a catalogue of dozens of apps that can be downloaded in-car.
Apart from the R-Link monitor, the cars’ interiors have been tidied up and now have a better feel to them. Controls are well placed, the steering wheels look and also seem to feel better, and seat fabrics have been freshened up. It’s all very 2014 – clean lines, colourful where appropriate, and technology-rich. It also looks genuinely different from the inside of a Golf, Astra, Focus, i30, Auris, cee’d, Civic, 308, León, C4, Mazda3, Bravo or Cruze. Listing of all those cars does make you wonder anew why Nissan Europe would want to re-enter this class, which it will do later in 2014.
What about new drivetrains? Yes, there’s news on that front. This is the first Renault to offer the Efficient Dual Clutch (EDC) six-speed automatic gearbox in combination with the TCe 130 petrol engine. If you need a reminder about how such transmissions work, here goes. There are two clutches, the first for odd gears (first, third and fifth) and the second for evens (second, fourth and sixth) and reverse. Just as in a manual gearbox, the ratio is selected using synchronisers but with the EDC, the synchronisers are operated by electric actuators, themselves controlled by an ECU. The idea is to give you the in-town ease of an automatic but without the added weight and extra fuel consumption of a conventional torque-converter unit.
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By GlobalDataRenault has created the ‘Energy’ sub-brand for its most economical engines. Of the five four-cylinder engines in the latest Hatch and Sport Tourer line-up, three have this prefix. The entry level unit is the 1.6 16v 110 (horsepower), which is joined by the TCe 130 Auto EDC (1,198cc, 16 valves and you can guess the power output) and Energy TCe 115 S&S (1.2 petrol with stop & start). The two diesels are the Energy dCi 110 S&S (1,461cc, 8v) which also comes as an EDC auto, and the Energy dCi 130 S&S (1,598cc, 16v).
There is one other available engine but it’s reserved for the Renaultsport 265 S&S. This is a 1998cc four-cylinder petrol which propels this three-door hatchback to 62mph in a claimed 6.0 seconds exactly. The RS also has uprated brakes and a so-called ‘PerfoHub’ front axle as well as bespoke rear suspension.
Renault seems finally to be on the comeback trail in the UK. Dacia was one of the big success stories of 2013, with over 17,000 vehicles sold but the parent brand is also on the improve. It had total registrations of 46,173, and thanks mainly to the Captur, the YoY rise for December was 44%. In January, sales were up 19% to 2,830 units in a market which rose by 8%. That improvement is commendable, but Renault has a way to go yet to become a mainstream brand again in Britain, with Honda, Land Rover and Mini all outselling it in 2013.
To keep the registrations tally moving in the right direction, up to GBP1,200 has been cut from the price of certain Mégane variants. And these are some of the best selling model grade and engine combinations too. Prices for the Hatch now start at GBP16,745, while the Coupé line-up begins at GBP17,645 and the Sport Tourer at GBP17,745.
The latest range has two-three years left in its life cycle, but already the first details of the next generation have appeared. Project codes are said to be BFD (five-door), KFB (wagon) and DFB (coupé). As you might expect, the five-door hatchback will be launched first, with production at Palencia set to commence in November 2015, according to a source within Renault Group. Wagon build at the same location is due to follow in June 2016, with a new coupé set for November 2016. The coupé-cabriolet is built in France, not Spain, and the Douai plant should commence production of the next model in 2017.
Not all Méganes are manufactured in Western Europe: the five-door and Fluence are made by OYAK-Renault in Turkey and there seems no reason why the successors to those cars wouldn’t also built in Bursa. The same applies to assembly at the Avtoframos plant in Moscow. The big question, however, is what happens in China. Two weeks ago, Renault told the media that its new JV with Dongfeng, ‘DRAC’, will start manufacturing C and D segment crossovers from 2016 at a plant in Wuhan province. That would mean the next Koleos and Espace, both of which will use the Alliance’s CMF architecture.
As Mégane generation four will also be CMF-based it’s likely we’ll see Chinese build from around 2017. Why the delay? For the moment, the factory in question has a stated capacity of 150,000 units per annum but a December 2013 statement from Renault noted that this could be doubled, and that Dongfeng-branded vehicles would also be made there. So the Mégane will in all likelihood be made in the PRC, but it won’t be among the first vehicles to be built at the Hubei plant.
All of this is of course, still a few years away and what matters in 2014 and 2015 is how well the newly updated range of cars sells in a European market that seems to be strengthening. The competition is tough but things are looking up, with the updated range not only making the January top ten best sellers’ list in France but outselling the Peugeot 308 too. Here in Britain, the Focus, Astra and Golf have always been more popular but with Renault’s new pricing/standard equipment/economy mix, the restyled Mégane deserves serious consideration by anyone shopping in that class.
