The Megane has its own way to beat the rivals with Renault’s powerful engines
Renault is a French manufacturer and it has proved itself in almost every segment of cars in the UK and it impressed the audiences across the globe with its tech-fest vehicles. It sells engines to other automakers too. Mercedes-Benz A Class is one of the models that use Renault engines. The 1.5 litre diesel engine has been used in the A Class and it is not Mercedes made but a Renault made engine.
Similarly there are number of visitors who came back from their holidays in France, majority of them seen impressed by any of the models which are not introduced in the UK, such as the Talisman by Renault which is not for the UK customers. But the automaker has made another option available for the UK customers which ticks all the right boxes. The fourth generation of the Megane is one of the best hatchbacks available in the UK. The most appealing thing is that the Megane borrows the styling cues of the larger vehicles manufactured by Renault.
What is it?
Although the Megane is an unusual entry in the road legal family hatchback segment but you should know by now that the Megane has elegant cues and styling angles to please its customers. It is the only hatch offered in the market that has four engines from the very beginning. Where its rivals like Vauxhall Astra, Ford Focus, Seat Leon and Volkswagen Golf have very limited engine options.
Four Engines as Standard
If you are looking to buy a Megane hatchback and are worried about the engine options, then don’t worry at all because you will have four engines on hand to select from. There are both diesel and petrol engines options available where an 110bhp and a 130bhp diesel engine is available.
If you are one of those Londoners who love to buy petrol engines than Renault has two petrol engines on sale. A 130bhp petrol and 205bhp engine for Renault Megane GT. You can opt for any of these engines. All engines have both manual and automatic gearbox options available where you can have a six speed manual transmission or might opt for a seven speed dual clutch automatic transmission.
But before you opt for any of the gearboxes, keep in mind that the manual transmissions are bit cleaner than the automatic transmissions. Manual transmissions have slightly lower carbon emissions and fuel economy is relatively higher but just in the case of Renault Megane.
All wheel steering system
For the first time in the UK market and for the road legal cars, Renault has introduced all wheel steering system on Renault Megane GT. A new chassis upgraded to support this newly emerged system. This new technology is exclusively efficient in the city traffic where you always need tight manoeuvres. It decreases the overall turning radius of the car by turning all four wheels relatively.
Turbocharged engines
Both petrol engines are exclusively fitted with turbochargers and allow some decent performance and economy. The turbocharged petrol engines start with 1.2 litre energy TCe 130. The 130 is the power level of the engine where the entry level engine produces 130bhp and coupled with a six speed manual gearbox as standard however you can opt for an automatic option too. The pick of the bunch engine is relatively clean too and it emits 122g/km of carbon emissions.
Second turbocharged engine is the one used in the Megane GT models and it is capable of generating 205bhp where it has a displacement of 1600cm3. This engine doesn’t have any manual gearbox option at all and has a really smooth power delivery.
It takes under ten seconds to pass the 62 miles per hour mark, it exactly takes 7 seconds to complete the 62 miles per hour speed. The Megane with this engine feels very muscular and hefty on the road and can easily overtake the traffic ahead on the motorway. There is a larger column mounted paddle shifter offered in the Megane to offer smooth and exclusive control of the transmission with this 205bhp engine.
The Megane Diesel engines
It is the best thing that the Megane has also been offered with diesel engines and there are the best diesel engines used in the hatchback. It uses the same diesel units which were used in the Renault Kadjar and Nissan Qashqai models.
Other unit is a 1.6 litre dCi that is capable of cranking a relatively higher power and available in two power variants from 110 to 130bhp. Both engines have the best fuel economy and if you are looking for economy numbers than these engines are the best in the class. The smaller unit has 77 miles per gallon of fuel economy and the carbon emission of 96g/km.
The most rounded choice
Each and every engine unit offered in the Renault Megane has its own identity in other models but in the case of the Megane, the 130 dCi is the best engine that has won the hearts of our experts. It has a mid-range torque that flows to the higher engine revs too. It helps the Megane to get the momentum without struggling in the smaller of the larger gears. It even has great sound under some hard acceleration.
The hybrid power option
Renault has decided to introduce the 165 bhp diesel electric hybrid vehicle which will have a 1.5 litre engine with dual turbochargers for the normal Meganes but the GT version will use the 165bhp from 1.6 litre engine.
On any engine you can have any transmission, even it is a manual or an automatic. Self-shifters are also available and they do not allow slip between the ratios. It offers the accuracy as good as the Ford Focus do on the road but the Renault experience is something that you will never forget. The Megane has been using the same architecture that Nissan and Renault will be using in the future.