Test drive by Renault Megane sedan 2006 - 2009 sedan

Three Megane two

Renault made a hatchback. He was recognized as a car of the year. Then the French almost without delay presented three more cars: a station wagon, a sedan and a Cabiolet compartment. And all under the same name - Renault Megane II.
Renault Megane II - and when they say so, without specifying the body, which means that it is a hatchback - was not only recognized as a 2003 car. He has also become one of the absolute European sales leaders. Well, what, it would seem, is it necessary? Slogi coupons, and as soon as the public interest begins to weaken - show her something else, done on the same basis.
They did not wait for Renault until Megane II gets familiar, and less than a year after the premiere presented a car with three new bodies: a sedan, a station wagon and a coupe-battery.
Hatchback with trunk. Those who saw Megane II - the car is so bold in shape that another manufacturer would hardly venture to develop fantasies on this subject beyond the plasticine layout - could hardly imagine how, on the basis of this hatchback, you can make, for example, a sedan.
At the same time, there is no doubt that Renault is working in Renault. It is enough to see how the Symbol humpbacked clamps received from the sympathy of Clio - they took it, and the trunk was stuck. Probably, Megane could do the same scheme. Inspection dispelled fears. The sedan was not at all a hatchback with a hastily attached trunk, but a pretty car. Something even like e-klasse.
The sedan is for us. The French said so: most of the cars will export - in particular, to the south and east of Europe. Traditionally, sedans love in Russia, and even in Turkey, where Megans with the trunk will be collected. The assembly country should not upset anyone, although, probably, it can: it is known that in Turkey they collect not the most prestigious Renault - Symbol, while his brother Clio is done in France.
C Megane is another story: all equal cars and the Turkish assembly - a solution caused by logistics: it is better to produce goods closer to the place of its consumption.
 
 
Nobody attaches importance to the assembly to us at all, ”one of the company officials said in an informal conversation. - Previously, in Turkey, the first-generation Megane was collected, the cars are very popular in France. By the way, the current station wagons are gathered in Spain, and the coupe -batteries in France.
The Megane II sedan has a very decent trunk in size. Its volume is 520 liters, that is, more than in the seventh BMW series, Mercedes S-Klasse or Audi A8.
The salon is that the sedan, that the station wagon does not seem to be striking in size, but wherever you sit, is spacious everywhere, even at the back of surprisingly there is a lot of space. Renault engineers claim that they have achieved the best indicators in the classroom. And they explain it simply. Competitors, they say, usually all the bodies are sculpted by one base, the Hatchback, and we increased the distance between the axes by 6.1 cm. A good increase in pension - the base in the end turned out almost like on a machine of the next class - D. At the same time Even the station wagon does not look cumbersome - it turned out to be so successful as if initially Megane was designed for this body. However, the Cabiolet compartment was a success. Certainly - outwardly.
ALL AT ONCE. The coupe and a convertible in one bottle in Renault were mixed for a reason. They looked at the features of the development of the European market and found that in the last decade the demand for convertibles is growing, but they buy a compartment less and less. But here everything is offered to the consumer at once.
A Cabiolet compartment is a remarkable car that has a chance to become popular in Russia, as far as it is possible to say in a country where customers of open cars can be counted on the fingers.
Let their owners speak about the advantages of convertibles - they are not obvious to everyone, especially in Russia where people in large cities prefer not to open the window once again, if it is possible to drive air through the filter.
Magane convertibles can not make the surrounding air cleaner, otherwise there are almost no complaints about it. Talking in the cabin is not problematic at any reasonable speeds - do not scream, drowning out the noise of the engine and wind.
The roof is driven automatically, but under the condition that the car is motionless - the design weighs about 80 kg. In 22 seconds you are closed by a metal shell with a huge glass that has been cut into it. It turns out a compartment, so beautiful and integral that it is not easy to guess about the second, convertible, car life.
 
 
The head of a driver 190 cm tall does not rest against the roof - the seats pillows are prudently omitted 2.5 cm relative to other Megane modifications, although you could sit even lower or have a higher ceiling.
Being behind an adult is inconvenient in any situation - the layout of the roof, of course. The genre does not imply the transportation of fellow travelers on the back sofa, no matter what they talk about full -size seats, allowing you to feel true pleasure with high comfort. Still, the base reduced by 16.4 cm in comparison with the sedan and the station wagon could not but affect the internal space.
At a speed for 140 km/h, the compartment begins to whistle: somewhere air shakes, but no more noise is more than if on the most airtight machine to the thickness of the matches to open the window. In the compartment version, the car is likely to easily survive the Russian winter -it was calculated for temperatures up to -23 C.
One field of berries. All three cars are in common. Despite the fact that at the presentation they constantly spoke about the wide range of engines, only two were provided for journalists for the test. One is a 1.9 -liter turbodiesel and a capacity of 120 hp. There is nothing to complain about. The fact that it is put on a convertible indirectly confirms that the modern diesel even in the exhaust is not much different from gasoline. But we are unlikely to sniff him in Russia: despite the fact that Renault is the most popular passenger diesel brand in Europe, diesel engines will not be imported towards us.
The second of the presented engines is gasoline, two-liter, 136-horsepower. He surprised. Pretty sour on the bottoms - few were able to move with him without stalling - he did not explode further as the revolutions grew. There was not even a hint of picking up. He honestly and evenly accelerated the car until he rested against an unceremonious limiter, which triggers unusually sharply and unexpectedly - especially since the red zone on the tachometer is not indicated.
On the other hand, the engine in its characteristics is so averaged that it is difficult to make a mistake with it: what kind of program do not stick - pulls. A indicative case. During a stop for shooting, a colleague from another edition drove up to us: do you also have a diesel? he asked. And he and we had gasoline. The same two -liter, which, as you could notice from advertising, can be equipped with a six -speed manual gearbox.
Why the driver needs the sixth step is not entirely clear. This is not a Zhiguli - the noise in the cabin and does not reach the fifth, and you can’t reach the maximum speed at the sixth - you need to throw it back to the step. Due to the fact that there are many programs, the difference in the dynamics between the third, fourth or fifth or sixth is not felt much. It turns out that the only win is in the fuel consumption when moving outside the city, and in Europe, where you can brush 200 kilometers, without changing the transmission and rows. The Renovtsy, interestingly, during the presentation of the car repeated more than once that the checkpoint was supplied by the alliance partners - Nissan. If anything - questions for them.
 
 
So far, a two-liter engine is maximum for all three bodies, but a carpet compartment-a car with a sports character-in the future, may receive something more powerful.
Unfortunately, the ability to test the 115-horsepower gasoline engine with a volume of 1.6 liters on the test did not appear, like another possible motor-98-horsepower, 1.4 liters. However, the latter, according to dealers, will not be supplied to us.
They have cars and one similar moment in terms of controllability. The steering wheel power power, of course, allows you to save fuel, but it is difficult to call its work perfect. Although another thing is possible: among 16 different control algorithms - the amplifier itself adapts to various driving styles - there was simply no suitable for us.
The aircraft manner characteristic of Megane II turned out to be not very convenient, but quite tolerant - like some Dutch cup with a penis -shaped pen.
Different pleasures. How French cars differ, and Renault in particular is the different pleasant trifles that make life easier, but not the owner’s wallet. In Megane II, these are six standard airbags; an emergency gear that automatically turns on with sharp braking; Surgery gas tank - tightness provides a special rubber cuff on the lid; The card instead of the key, which, in the option of executing free hands, allows you to open the car and start the engine without taking out a piece of plastic from the pocket.
And Russian machines are traditionally equipped with reinforced suspension, additional protection of the crankcase and bottoms and adaptation to cold winters. However, it is not a fact that Russians will be able to try new cars this winter - according to Renault plans, they should appear on our market during the first six months of 2004. In the meantime, there are not even accurate prices: it is only known that the sedan will cost about $ 600 more than the hatchback, and the station wagon - almost as much as the sedan.
Text and photo Sergey Sherestnikov
 
Model/Modification Megane II Saloon Megane II Estate Megane II Coupe-Cabriolet
Manufacturer/country Renault S.A. /Turkey Renault S.A. /Spain Renault S.A. /France
ENGINE
Type/number/location of gasoline cylinders/4/row
Working volume (cubic meter cm) 1998 1998 1998
Power (kW (L.S.) at about/min) 98.5 (136) at 5500
Moment (Nm at rpm) 191 at 3750
TRANSMISSION
Front drive
Mechanical gearbox 6-speed
Brakes, safety
Front/rear disk, ventilated, disk
ABS 4-Canal, Brake Assist,
eBD brake force distribution system,
eSP exchange rate stability system - option
Front and side airbags for the driver
and front passenger, inflatable curtains
Dimensions/mass
Length/width/height (mm) 4498/1777/1460 4500/1777/1467 4355/1777/1404
Wheel base/clearance (mm) 2686/125 2686/120 2522/120
Tires 205/55 R16
Asselled mass/full (kg) 1275/1825 1290/1870 1390/1845
The volume of the fuel tank (L) 60 60 60
Maximum speed (km/h) 202 198 205
Acceleration to 100 km/h (sec.) 9.4 9.7 9.9
Fuel consumption (city/highway, l/100 km) 10.9/6.4 10.9/6.4 11.2/6.5
The price in Moscow has not yet been determined

 

Source: "Autopilot"