THERE is no better illustration of French chic than Renault’s new Megane Coupe.
It’s one of those cars whose sleek, curvaceous lines can’t fail to impress even those not normally interested in anything with four wheels.
Like an automotive supermodel it exudes glamour and is particularly eye catching from the rear. It certainly attracts admiring second looks from other drivers curious to identify it.
But the rakish roof line and low ride height - 12 mm lower than the new Megane Hatch - are deceptive because this is still a spacious five seater with a sensible amount of elbow and head room in the rear.
Large doors which open to 90 degrees mean it’s reasonably easy to get into the back seats and while four doors are useful there is no doubting the design of the Coupe certainly has the edge over its hatchback sibling.
Despite sharing the same name the only exterior parts that are common are the bonnet, wings and headlamps.
Inside too that French design flair - combined with practicality - is immediately obvious.Figure hugging sports seats - in the case of my test car in leather, a £919 option - are comfortable and hold you firmly in place on fast bends.
The trendy looking dashboard features a large digital speedometer immediately in front of the driver, with the rev counter as a slightly smaller secondary dial.
Finger tip controls immediately behind the steering wheel allow you to alter radio settings without taking your eyes off the road and there is a useful armrest/storage box between the two front seats.
This car was the Megane Coupe Dynamique TomTom, which meant it had a TomTom navigation system with a 5.8-inch colour screen built into the dashboard.
The TomTom controls are built in with a control panel located near the gear shift, unlike on some of the smaller Renault cars with the same facility which are operated by a hand held control unit.
The TomTom incorporates traffic information, alternative routes and speed camera locations amongst its many useful features.
On the road the manners of the Coupe compared to the hatchback Megane are completely different as the former has stiffer springs and dampers for an even sportier ride and is a delight to drive when urgency is the order of the day.
Itr was powered by Renault’s latest petrol engine, the 1.4-litre, turbo-charged TCe 130 unit, which gives impressive performance combined with good fuel economy.
Boasting 130 bhp it is the perfect example of the downsizing trend which sees smaller engines replacing larger ones without a drop in performance levels.
In fact this 1.4 develops the power of a 1.8-litre engine and has the torque of a typical 2.0-litre. At the same time it will average almost 43 miles per gallon.
The Megane Coupe is a very desirable package. It has the looks, the performance and with the TCe 130 engine the economy to make it easy on the pocket. What more could a buyer ask for.
Fast Facts
Renault Megane Coupe TCe Dynamique TomTom
Price: £18,722
Mechanical: 130 bhp, 1,397cc, 4cyl petrol engine driving front wheels via 6spd manual gearbox
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