French coupe will appeal to dedicated followers of fashion
0 Comments | Daily Post; Liverpool (UK), May 17, 2010 | by Alistair Coull
NOT since the 70s has the car market been flooded with such a variety of sexy little coupes.
The descendants of the Ford Capri and Opel Manta, cars that dominated the streets back in the days of flares, Hair, Rolling Stones and The Sweeney, 21st century thrill-seekers have access to two-door beauties like the Alfa Brera, Audi A5 and the cracking VW Scirocco.
There”s another kid in town though, and costing from pounds 16,481 it”s an interesting proposition for those wanting maximum flash for their cash.
Based on its hatchback sister, the Renault Megane Coupe comes loaded with bold exterior styling.
With its two fang-like aluminium inserts below each of the headlights it looks almost predatorial and will certainly appeal. In profile it”s almost as menacing as the diving roofline lends it an air of aggression.
Open the solid doors, slip inside and the interior is just as chic and appealing as the exterior. It”s not quite as extreme but it”s well put together and feels on a par with its German rivals in terms of build quality.
In keeping with its sporty pretensions, it comes loaded with racy details such as fake chrome inserts, leather steering wheel and a stubby gear stick which you”d expect to find in something Italian and more exotic.
Even in standard spec, equipment levels are high with cruise control, electric windows and door mirrors, dual zone climate control and a good MP3 CD sound system.
There are a few bugbears: headroom is limited especially in the rear and there”s not a lot of legroom for those in the back. And being a two-door, there’s the perennial problem of climbing into and out of the back seats. There is however, ample room for three in the back – once their in there.For the average coupe buyer that”s probably not going to be a problem as rear accommodation is not going to be a priority. That honour is reserved for on road performance. The test car”s 1.4-litre TCe engine doesn”t disappoint: turbocharged and with short gear ratios, it meets expectations for lively response times for what is an attractive, well-equipped and competitively priced machine.
Road holding was impressive – thanks to the MacPherson strut front and torsion beam rear suspension. The lowered ride height, stiffer springs and dampers provide an even sportier ride.
A key element in improving handling and all-round efficiency has been a successful weight-saving programme which brings direct benefits in performance, emissions and fuel economy. Renault has always provided a good choice of engines and they don’t disappoint with the Megane Coupe. There is a wide choice of petrol and diesel engines, the test car being powered by a 1.4-litre TCe petrol developing 130bhp, the power usually produced by a 1.8-litre engine. Top speed is 127mph with acceleration from 0-62mph in 9.6 seconds
aluminium profiles