Review of the new Renault Megane Coupe Range

The three-door Coupe version adds great looks and a sharper driving experience to a Renault Megane repertoire that already included first rate refinement, comfort and build quality. It's still not the sportiest compact three-door on the road but as an overall package, it has few major faults.

You used to know where you were with family hatchbacks. There was a mainstream five-door version and more red-blooded buyers gravitated towards the sportier three-door. At some point, however, simply calling that racy bodystyle with the three doors the 'three-door' has fallen out of favour. These days, we're increasingly seeing these cars branded as 'Sports Coupes', 'Sports Hatches' or as with the latest Renault Megane, 'Coupes'. At least Renault has put the effort in to justify its more exotic naming strategy. The Megane Coupe looks the business but is that enough to earn it sportscar status?

In the current market, deleting a pair of doors and bolting on some plastic styling accessories is no longer enough to turn a family friendly five-door hatch into a thrusting three-door with bucket loads of desirability. The best executed three-door hatchbacks have their own look and personality but Renault is aiming to move the game on in this regard. The Megane Coupe is a dramatically different visual proposition from the Hatch but not too dramatic. Renault has gone for classical beauty with this car in a departure from the avant-garde styling of the second generation Megane that alienated as many buyers as it enthused.

The differences between the Megane Coupe and the five-door Hatch don't end with the bodywork. The coupe rides 43mm lower with 12mm of that total accounted for by its lowered suspension. The ride is noticeably firmer than the five-door car but still far from uncomfortable on a well-surfaced road. Indeed, the Megane must be one of the smoothest-riding small coupes out there. Refinement is another strongpoint of the package with road and wind noise well-suppressed and the engines proving far from intrusive at cruising speeds. All this talk of comfort and refinement probably won't have your pulse racing but the Megane Coupe can entertain too.

"More than simply a Megane with two fewer doors.."

How much excitement you get will depend largely on your choice of engines. The 1.5-litre dCi diesels and the 1.6-litre petrol are adequate but offer little by way of brute force. Much better for buyers wanting a Coupe that lives up to its name are the 130bhp and 160bhp diesels or the 178bhp 2.0-litre turbocharged petrol. There's even a fiery 250bhp R.S. Renaultsport model at the top of the range. Body roll is well contained helped by the car's wide stance and there's a nimbleness to the handling even in the cheaper versions.

If you can't stretch to well over £23,000 for the potent Renaultsport version, the 178bhp 2.0-litre TCe engine is well worth considering. It's an advanced powerplant with a twin scroll turbocharger helping it pull hard from just over 1,000rpm without a trace of turbo lag. Peak power arrives at 5,500rpm but so does rather a lot of engine noise. It's far better to ride the low end torque which is measured at a hefty 300Nm at 2,250rpm and change up early with the slick long-throw gearbox. The dCi 130 engine produces the same amount of torque but at just 1,750rpm. Its delivery isn't as silky but it can creep under the 9.5s barrier for the 0-60mph test. The TCe 180 unit does the sprint in 7.8s.

Only the headlamps, bonnet and front wings are carried over from the five-door hatch to the Megane Coupe's exterior and you'll believe that when you see the car. It's certainly an appealing piece of design and one that's well worthy of consideration alongside the market's prettiest hatchbacks and compact coupes. The rear end is particularly admirable with the side window line rising dramatically to a point that meets with that of the curving rear screen above the pumped-up haunches. The downside of this elegant glasswork is poor rear visibility but with a set of parking sensors installed, that should be easy to live with.

The Coupe's interior is more sober. The design follows that of the straight-laced Laguna but the Megane also inherits that car's first-rate build quality. The materials are as good as it gets for a family hatchback although some of the buttons are rather small. The only real spark of individuality comes from the digital speedo that dominates the instrument cluster. Space in the rear is OK for a pair of adults but the Coupe's rakish roofline impinges on headroom. At 344-litres, the boot is on the generous side for a car of this kind and usefully shaped.

In terms of trim levels, it's a familiar Renault case of Expression, Dynamique, GT or Privilege for Megane Coupe buyers, assuming they can't stretch to Renaultsport R.S. trim. Even the Expression gets 16" alloys, air-conditioning, a trip computer, keyless entry, remote central locking and front fog lights, so it's hardly Spartan. The Dynamique adds automatic wipers and headlamps plus an upgraded stereo, cruise control and tinted windows. Standard kit also includes ESP stability control, ASR Anti-Skid Regulation and a comprehensive collection of airbags in line with Renault's excellent reputation for safety.

Priced mainly in the £15,000 to £20,000 bracket, the Coupe comes in at just £400 more than the more spacious and practical hatch but it should appeal to a very different kind of buyer. With its sleek looks and polished feel, it could conceivably pinch sales from the compact Coupe sector as well as from rival three-door hatchbacks.

Power-crazed coupe buyers won't be enamoured with the Megane's 1.5-litre diesel engines but more rational motorists will find it tough to turn their noses up at combined economy figures of 62.8mpg from both the 85bhp and 105bhp engines. With respective CO2 emissions of 118 and 120g/km, these units help make the Megane one of the cleanest 'coupes' around. Even the pokier power options don't fare too badly. The 128bhp diesel returns 55.4mpg and 134g/km and the 2.0 TCe petrol comes up with 37mpg and 178g/km.

Can we let Renault's latest three-door Megane get away with claiming to be a coupe? Looking at the car, you'd have to give it an unreserved thumbs up. The flowing lines and curves are a long way removed from the five-door model and its wide, purposeful stance leads one to expect sportscar handling. Some of the engines are more family hatchback than sports coupe in their approach but the more powerful units help uncover a rewarding driver's car. The Megane Coupe's core strengths are still its ride, refinement and plush interior but few would argue that it holds its own on a twisty road and the styling will convince many long before they ever get behind the wheel.

The three-door model is always the sporty one in any family hatchback range but in going all-out and calling its Megane three-door the 'Megane Coupe', Renault signalled its intent. More than simply a Megane with two fewer doors, the Coupe injects added style into proceedings that should give manufacturers of rival three-door hatches the jitters.

TOP 5 MEGANE DEALS

The results below show the top MEGANE deals on buyacar

Renault Megane 1.6 16V 110 Expression 3dr Coupe
Price £12,545 Read Megane Reviews	Save £4,310
Renault Megane 1.5 dCi 86 Expression 3dr Diesel Coupe
Price £13,326 Read Megane Reviews	Save £4,619
Renault Megane 1.5 dCi 106 Expression 3dr Diesel Coupe
Price £13,681 Read Megane Reviews	Save £4,764
Renault Megane 1.5 dCi 106 Dynamique TomTom 3dr Diesel Coupe
Price £14,533 Read Megane Reviews	Save £5,112
Renault Megane 2.0 dCi 160 GT 5dr Diesel Hatchback
Price £16,226 Read Megane Reviews	Save £6,749
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