Advert
Renault has regularly featured in the Estate Cars section of the Guide thanks to the diminutive Clio but now the larger Megane gets a share of the limelight too. Renault will have its fingers crossed that the Megane Sport Tourer can impress in the sales charts too; as part of a reduced model line up in response to poor sales, it needs to do well.
The Megane has received a mid-life facelift which keeps it looking fresh, with a number of detail changes including the adoption of LED daytime running lights. The interior is largely the same as the previous model, which is no bad thing, but material quality has been improved. The result is a match for anything in this class.
The secret to the Megane's strong fuel consumption is a high-tech 1.2-litre turbocharged petrol engine. The TCe's direct fuel injection and turbocharging allows it to out-perform the previous 1.6 litre engine and achieve a 25% improvement in fuel consumption. Of particular note is the 140 lb.ft of torque, 90% of which is available from just 1,650 rpm.
The Sport Tourer badge hints at the fact that Renault wants you to think of the Megane as a chic estate rather than a purely practical load lugger. Despite this, the Megane boasts a respectable 524 litres of boot space with the seats up or 1,600 litres with the seats down, so it can still turn its hand to a bit of dirty work when needed.
The Renault Megane Sport Tourer has a stylish and high quality interior and a state-of-the-art petrol engine. In addition to this it offers a useful amount of boot space and decent refinement. There is much to recommend in the Megane; if you are looking for a fuel-sipping compact estate you could do a lot worse.
