Renault Megane Sport Tourer first drive

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Downsizing, down pricing and generally paying less in motoring costs has become an art. But the car you own, lease or have as company transport for many people is vitally important for their image.

Take for instance the relatively new Renault Megane Sport Tourer, prices from £15,855 to £23,975. This is a C-segment or lower medium sector vehicle but in perceived size and looks it could easily double as a D-segment Laguna, prices £19,450 to £27,100.

The smartly styled Megane Sport Tourer is only marginally shorter in length to the Laguna Estate 4,559mm against, 4,803mm and the all important estate load area is 486-litres seats up or 1,562-litres seats folded for the Megane against 501 and 1,593-litres for the Laguna. For company car drivers the Megane offers lower Benefit-in-Kind tax levels as well.

Both ranges have a wide choice of petrol and diesel engines and trim and equipment levels.

Renault has suffered for new car sales in the recession despite the Scrappage Scheme with sales down nearly 30% last year (63,174 units) over 2008’s total of 89,570 new car sales. But this year with new models on offer things have changed with sales for the first seven months up by a very healthy 101% to 58,607 new car registrations.

Fleet and business user-choosers customers make up the majority of Renaults new medium and large sized car sales in the UK but retail buyers should not overlook the brand as the new model ranges offer some well priced and smartly styled options.

I have just spent a week with the new-ish Megane Sport Tourer five door estate, in particular the 1.9-litre dCi 130 turbodiesel with the top of the range Privilege TomTom specification.

Priced at £22,090 this model is not the best buy in the range but it was the car Renault could supply after another Journalist managed to damage my scheduled test car.

If it was me buying, leasing or contract hiring the Megane Sport Tourer I would be looking at the 1.5-litre dCi 106 Expression priced at £18,915. This model has a Euro 5 compliant engine, only incurs £0 road tax in its first year and £30 for the following years and the BIK company car tax is a reasonable 13%.

However my Euro 4 emissions test model suffers from £110 a year in road tax and 18% in BIK costs, not too bad but every penny counts.

There is nothing revolutionary, unique or particularly new about the Megane Sports Tourer over say the estate versions of the Ford Focus, Vauxhall Astra, the excellent VW Golf and the popular Peugeot 308. However it looks really sharp and classy with its rising waistline giving the side view a sporting stance and makes the vehicle look quite long and substantial. At the rear the load area is sensibly styled so as not to lose too much practical carrying space because of a steeply forward raked tailgate.

The interior seems well built and laid out with good quality materials and a digital instrument panel. The rear legroom is good as is the headroom so it pretty well measures up for family, work or leisure transport. Core features for all models include electrically operated and heated door mirrors, five height adjustable head restraints, Renault’s unique keycard entry/exit system, multi-function computer, remote central locking, anti-lock braking, electronic control handling, front, rear and side airbags. The base Extreme model has a good radio/CD sound system, manual air conditioning and electrically operated front windows. The more you pay the more you get and the Privilege version as tested has more or less everything that would ever be needed. These items include alloy 16-inch wheels, folding door mirrors, automatic dual zone climate control, electric windows front and rear, rear parking sensors and part leather upholstery to go with the leather trimmed steering wheel.

The layout of the controls was generally good although the short stubby control stalks mounted behind the steering wheel were not in the driver’s line of vision.

Ride comfort was fine even on the optional 17-inch roads wheels, a little on the soft side but after a few weeks of driving cars with sports specification suspension it made a refreshing and comfortable change. The Megane Sport Tourer is not the most dynamic handling of cars in this class such as the Golf or Focus but for most people it will be more than acceptable. Road holding was sure footed with the usual tendency for understeer when pushed but is was consistent so you know where the parameters are.

There are some fine new engines in the range both petrol and diesel but the 1.9-litre, dCi 130bhp, 221lb ft, direct common-rail turbodiesel engine is still only Euro 4 compliant so its production life span is limited. Top speed is an immaterial 127mph with zero to 62mph taking a brisk 9.8 seconds. With torque available from 1,750rpm the mid range response, without having to fully use the six-speed manual gearbox, was tireless to drive and quite rapid when needed for overtaking dawdling traffic on single carriageway country roads.

Official Combined Cycle fuel consumption is 55.4mpg and my test car returned an overall 50.2mpg, good in this sector despite its Euro 4 rating. The more modern 1.5-litre dCi 105bhp would suffice for most owners in this family transport sector.

The Megane Sport Tourer as a package is a good option if a family sized work and play estate car is your choice. It seems well built and its expensive looks and styling make it an attractive proposition but it is not cheap if the published prices are in fact the real-life transaction price. A rather suspect, given the economic climate, a deal can be had, if not look at the much cheaper Kia Cee’d SW or Hyundai i30 Estate, both exceptionally good value and good looking alternatives.

MILESTONES. Renault Megane Sport Tourer Privilege TomTom dCi 130 5-Door. Price: £22,090 (£23,570 as tested). Engine/transmission: 1.9-litre, cDi common-rail turbodiesel 130bhp, 221lb ft of torque from 1,750rpm, 6-speed manual. Performance: 127mph, 0-62mph 9.8 seconds, 55.4mpg (50.2mpg actual), CO2 134g/km, VED roads tax £110, BIK company car tax 18%. Insurance group: 21E. Load capacity: 486-1,562-litres. For: Sharp, classy and expensive looking styling, practical load space, comfortable interior, well built, good engine range options, compliant ride. Against: This engine is still only Euro 4 compliant, this version is expensive to buy and run and the predicted residual values could be better.Miles Better News Agency Girlracer magazine

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