2004 Renault Megane Sport Tourer 1.6 16v from Romania

Summary:

Excellent choice for a family estate

Faults:

Nothing until now, the car is almost new.

General Comments:

This car is the estate model so the inner space is large and comfortable. There are a lot of storage spaces and the interior is well-finished, although the materials may wear sooner than you expect. The seats are firm, but comfortably and can be easily adjusted to fit almost anyone.

The electrical progressive steering is excellent, also the brakes. The grip is good until 150-160 kph, but at higher speeds the car tends to "take off", especially when unloaded.

The engine has a decent performance, but lacks the torque under 3000 rpm. Is not by any chance a sport car, but cruising at reasonable speed is easy and comfortable.

Gearbox is quite "tight" and the clutch is sometimes difficult to operate; hopefully it will loose in time, the car is still new.

The car is very good equipped with almost everything coming as standard. My car is Expression trim which means 6 airbags, climate control, ABS/EBD, CD-player, power heated mirrors and 4 power windows, automatic lights/wipers, fog lamps, computer and so on as standard.

Economy is not bad for a car of its size with a gasoline engine - 10.5 liters/100km in town and 7,0-7,8 liters/100km outside, depending on the speed. If you go beyond 130kph the consumption will follow.

The sound quality is surprisingly high for such 15 watts speakers and the overall interior ambiance is nice and comfortably.

Giving its price - Euro 12360 without taxes - it is a lot of car for this money. The equipment and the design - inside and outside - are outstanding for this price class.

My only concern is its reliability in time. Renault warranty term in Romania is pathetic (just 18 months) and the roads here are quite tough.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 15th January, 2005

2nd Feb 2005, 09:56

I have a July 2004 dCi Sport Tourer which has recently suffered from a stiff gear change and difficulty getting it in to reverse gear. I have just picked it up from the dealership, where they have changed the gearbox oil and replaced the gear linkage (under warranty). This seems to have solved the problem, so if I was you, I would get your car to the dealer before the warranty runs out!

22nd Sep 2005, 08:27

I came back with further details after 8 months. The car has now almost 20,000 km, but still no serious complain. Everything is working like in first day (actually even better, considering the fact that gearbox is working well now).

The only one exception is one retractable curtain from the right back door which, without any visible reason, remains blocked outside the door. The whole assembly has been changed by the dealer under warranty with no cost.

However I've been astonished when I saw the cost of the part on the dealer’s invoice (payable by the customer if there was no warranty) : almost 800 Eur!!! :)

Just a few comments regarding some annoying details:

The seat belt buzzer could drive you crazy if you want to go over the corner without putting it on;

The brake and the throttle pedals are too close placed so you may experience problems if you have some bigger shoes.

Anyway these are small issues for a car otherwise far better than expected.

2004 Renault Megane RS 225 2.0 turbo from UK and Ireland

Summary:

Grown-up fun, if you can tolerate the unreliability

Faults:

Lever for adjusting the height/reach of the steering wheel came off the first time I tried to use it, 15 minutes after I took delivery.

The steering rack has been making a crunching sound on full lock ever since I took delivery.

Power steering failed after 600 miles.

General Comments:

This is a frighteningly quick car at times. Turbo lag is noticeable when accelerating from low speeds, but once you get going there is ample power throughout the rev range. The car will cruise very comfortably at high speeds and suffers from little of the unpolished road manners that characterize most 'hot hatches'. What this also means, however, is that handling has been compromised somewhat, and it certainly can't hold a candle to the 205 GTi I once owned in terms of cornering ability.

In addition to a slightly wallowy ride, the makers' other concession to comfortable motoring is masses of sound-proofing. At low speeds, you would barely know that the engine was running, which suits me fine, but will disappoint boy racers looking for a really sporty exhaust note. As well as being quiet, the cabin is extremely comfortable, even on long journeys.

The immensely powerful brakes give the car a very secure feel, while the suspension set-up and those wide wheels make it feel far safer in the rain than other cars that I have driven. That said, torque steer is still a problem, and is not helped by over-light (when it's working!) power-steering.

Reliability is the most serious issue, and my car has been back to the shop 3 times in 840 miles.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No

Review Date: 24th November, 2004

18th Apr 2005, 05:17

As an update to the above, the car now has 3500 miles on it and is 6 months old. In addition to the problems noted above, I have had to have the ignition coil replaced twice, and now the starter button has failed completely, clearly making the car undriveable. I am also getting vibration from the brakes when they're applied at speed (not much of a problem at the moment!), and will have to have them fixed once the car is running again. I am now determined never to buy another Renault, and I will be sure to sell this one before the warranty expires.

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