Renault Mégane
The Renault Mégane is a small family car produced by the French automaker Renault since 1995. It is offered in 3- and 5-door hatchback, saloon, coupé, convertible and station wagon bodystyles. The Renault Scénic (launched 1996) is the first modern compact MPV to be built in Europe, and is based on the Mégane floorpan. | |
| Manufacturer | Renault |
|---|---|
| Production | Mk I: 1995—2002 Mk II: 2002—2008 Mk III: 2008—present |
| Assembly | Marseille,France Buenos Aires,Argentia Bursa,Turkey |
| Predecessor | Renault 19 |
| Class | Small family car |
| Body style(s) | 2-door coupe 2-door convertible 3-door hatchback 4-door notchback 4-door sedan/saloon 5-door hatchback 5-door station wagon |
| Layout | FF layout |
| Engine(s) | I4 I4 Turbo I4 Diesel V6 |
| Transmission(s) | 5-speed manual 6-speed manual 4-speed automatic |
| Related | Mégane Renault Sport Renault Scénic |
| Designer | Patrick le Quément |
Mégane I (1995-2002)
The Mégane I was unveiled in the autumn of 1995, as a replacement of the Renault 19. The car was essentially a reskin of its predecessor, and carried over the 19's floorpan, engines, transmissions and chassis design, albeit with much modification. Taking its name from a Renault concept car shown in 1988, the Mégane further developed the new corporate styling theme introduced by Patrick Le Quément on the Laguna, most notably the "bird-beak" front grille - a styling cue borrowed from the legendary Renault 16 of the 1960s. As with the 19 and the 11 before it, the Mégane was produced in Renault's Douai plant in northern France, and in the Spanish plant of Palencia.
Safety was a key focus of the Megane I, Renault's first car reflecting their new focus of selling on safety. It featured a pillar-mounted 3-point seatbelt for the middle-rear occupant (replacing the common 'lap strap'), standard front belt pre-tensioners and load limiters, driver's airbag and an impressive safety structure - a specification ahead of most rivals in 1995. Some features, such as the 3-point middle belt, had debuted on the Renault 19 safety concept vehicle (and in fact this feature entered production on the Renault Laguna before the Megane). The car also benefited from Renaults first "System for Restraint and Protection" (SRP), essentially a system of careful optimisation of occupant restraint by interaction of the seat, seatbelt, pretensioner, load limiter and airbag. Megan I achieved a best-in-class 4-star crash test rating in the 1998 round of testing by EURONCAP
1997 saw the introduction of the Mégane Scénic compact MPV.
Power came from the Renault E-type ("Energy") engine in 1.4 L, 1.6 L, 1.8 L, and the F-type unit in both 1.9 L diesel and 2.0 L petrol form, although this time around there was a wider variety of 16-valve derivatives. A 1.9 L diesel engine in both normally aspirated and turbocharged forms was also available.
Phase 2 (1999-2002):
A mild facelift in 1999 gave the Mégane I a modified grille, more advanced safety features and upgraded equipment, and the 16-valve engines were used across the range. It is still being produced by Renault Argentina, where it is sold alongside the Megane II line at a considerably lower price.
Phase 3 (2002-2008):
Mégane II (2002-2008)
The Mégane II was launched in 2002, and marked a completely fresh start. The two cars bear very little resemblance, the new vehicle having been inspired by the manufacturer's new style first seen in the Avantime. The new Mégane was voted European Car of the Year for 2003, and achieved a 5-star safety rating in the EuroNCAP crash tests,[2] the first small family car to do so.
Mégane II and the Laguna were both showcases for a great deal of innovative technologies Renault launched at the beginning of the 2000s; the Renault Card keyless ignition system, standard on the Mégane II, was a first in this class and has since been widely adopted. Similarly, the option of a panoramic glass sunroof is another area in which Renault led where others followed.
In Brazil, Renault launched a flex-fuel version, called "Hi-Flex", which is able to run either with unleaded gasoline (petrol) or ethanol. Like the Brazilian Scénic and Clio versions, the Mégane's engine can work with any mix of gasoline and ethanol, due to the use of an electronic control module. The flex version has a 16V 110 hp (115 hp with ethanol) 1.6-liter engine developed and produced in Brazil, but the 2.0-liter version does not allow ethanol use, because its engine is made in France.
RenaultSport (RS) versions of the 3-door and 5-door hatchbacks were introduced, equipped with a turbocharged petrol 2.0 L 16v engine producing 225 PS (165 kW/222 hp). Along with the engine, changes were made to the front and rear suspension geometry to improve handling, and the model features a deeper, wider front bumper. The Mégane Renault Sport competes in the hot hatch segment of the market.
As with the previous Mégane, the range of models is extremely wide; there is a three and five door hatchback available, named "Sport Hatch" and "Hatch" respectively, there is a 4-door saloon/sedan (Sport Saloon), a five-door estate (Sport Tourer / Grandtour), and to replace both the Mégane Coupe and Convertible, a new retractable hardtop
The Coupé-Cabriolet features an innovative folding glass roof mechanism built by Karmann and has become a cult car in its own right, with several owners' clubs. Although up against increased competition from other volume manufacturers also launching their own CCs, the Mégane is still considered to be one of the most attractive, especially its elegant silhouette with the roof down.
During its first full year of sales, the Mégane II topped the French sales charts, with 198,874 registered in 2003. It has also sold very well in Britain, being the nation's fourth most popular car in 2005 and fifth most popular in 2004 and 2006. In 2007, however, it dipped to eighth place with just over 55,000 examples being sold.
I really like this model and can't wait for the launch of the new megane III
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