2005 Renault Megane Dynamique Sport Tourer 1.5 turbo diesel (106PS) from UK and Ireland
Summary:
Far nicer to live with than a mk1 Focus
Faults:
Small scratch on tailgate on delivery (polished out)
General Comments:
Fabulous car overall.
Comfortable, good looking in Sport Tourer guise, refined on the motorway, generous standard kit, solid build quality and astonishingly economical.
The little 1.5 dCi engine is all, but inaudible inside the car under 3,000 RPM, and punches well above its size (offering similar power and torque to VW's current 1.9 litre TDI unit), and gives very lively performance. Although you hear the turbo whistle up under the merest brush of the throttle, response is a little laggy under 2,000 RPM, but the 6 speed gearbox has quite close ratios (for a diesel) which means it's easy to keep it on boost. As a bonus, an 85 mph cruise sees just over 2,600 RPM on the rev counter.
Economy is astonishing. Unless you mercilessly thrash it, it never returns less than 50 mpg with 57-59 more likely on a run. In contrast to my old TDdi Focus which was more like 40 average and 47 on a run, yet was slower and far noisier.
My complaints about the Megane really are limited to two things. One is the handling. Although it's not bad, the power steering lacks feel and the understeer sets in far earlier and more doggedly than it ever did in the Focus.
That said, Renault clearly did their homework because the Megane is a far nicer companion on a long journey. Where the Focus was brilliant in the lanes, it was coarse, noisy, and tiring off them, and had truly appalling seats. Loping along the motorway or a fast A-road in the Megane, the relative lack of dynamics doesn't matter. Instead its superior refinement, more supple ride, vastly better performance and lower noise levels count for far more. Shame about the odd pedal position which can cause cramp in my right ankle on a long motorway run (complaint number 2)
Reliability faultless so far, although the myriad of electronics on the car does allow for plenty to go wrong. The keyless ignition seems gimmicky and the start button clearly has no physical link with the starter. On pressing the button, the car "boots" itself up, cranks the starter and sorts itself out. Clever, but ultimately rather pointless, and if it still works perfectly in 5 years time I will be amazed.
Overall though, the Megane continues to be a superb all rounder. The design has real flair (particularly next to the dull Ford Focus 2 and Golf 5), and I chose the Sport Tourer purely because I think it's far more handsome than the hatch. As a day to day runaround and motorway cruiser, it is as quiet, smooth and refined as any comparable car to come out of Germany. It's safe, cheap to buy, incredibly frugal and, touch wood, very reliable. Perfect family car material in other words. I'm well pleased so far.
Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes
Review Date: 29th November, 2005
12th Mar 2006, 05:57
Renault Megane Sports Tourer is a good car, but comes with a price like all new cars do. We have had 3 Renaults before this car including 2 Clio's and a megane hatchback, but this car has been the worst. We have had it just over a month and the car has been in the garage 5 times. Most of the problems have been sorted out by the dealer which included:
*stiff handbrake
*dodgey boot lock
*intermittent right indicator which sometimes flashes to quick
*a funny sound coming from the engine.
The last problem has still not been sorted out with numerous parts of the car replaced. This included:
*a new auxiliary belt
*a new tension rod
At the moment we battling with the dealer to have these problems sorted out and we are planning on rejecting the car.
31st May 2006, 07:00
You should look at Meganeownersclub.co.uk.
A number of these faults appear to be quite common...
1st Dec 2008, 12:05
I recently part-exed my 3 year old Citroen C3 1.4 HDI SX auto (at 55,000 miles) for a 2005 Renault Megane SportTourer Auto,1.5 Dci Expression, with 28,000 recorded miles.
(This particular model is very rare, it seems)
So far, it seems a well built car, with a lively diesel under the bonnet, with a spacious (compared to the C3),good quality interior, and comfortable seats.
It's almost as economical as the Citroen, but it's better on overtaking, with excellent acceleration.
So far I am well satisfied with the car, and the paintwork in particular seems excellent, a deep red.
If it is as reliable as my last 3 Citroens (a much maligned maker),I will be more than happy!
Comfort, economy, style, AND reliability, that would be a result!!
Can anyone tell me if this particular model is normally fitted with alloy wheels as standard?
9th Dec 2005, 15:27
I'm unconvinced. Have the same model as you which is now 6 months and 9,000 miles old. Although gorgeous when new, it developed its first dash squeak at 1,000 miles, an engine vibration at 2,000 miles and a gearbox whine at 4,000 miles. At 4,500 miles the clutch switch (for the starter button) failed, and the replacement failed again six weeks after that. The bonnet alignment is appalling (it looks like the car has been crashed and badly repaired), the paint on the fuel cap has faded to a totally different colour to the surrounding bodywork, the plastics around the heating controls are working loose, the passenger electric mirror no longer works properly, and the tyre pressure monitors go berzerk for no reason periodically. Strangely, the one part of the car I thought would go wrong (the "Renault Card") has behaved faultlessly.
Lovely car, but I reckon it will be ready for the scrap yard by the time it's done 50,000 miles. Cheaply built and already unreliable - it doesn't bode well.