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I like the Megane and the 1.5 DCi is a very refined diesel engine, not the most punchy though, sounds like a good deal though what spec is it?
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I ran a 1.5 dCi Sports Tourer (estate) as a company car for 6 months (I left the company and sadly had to give it back)
Brilliant engine - punchy, smooth, quiet, frugal. Returned an easy 50 mpg even when driven hard, could coax 58 out of it on a gentle motorway cruise, and apart from being slightly laggy at low revs, pulled well. Would run rings around my previous 1.8 TDDi Focus.
Very comfy car with low noise levels. Steering is numb compared to Focus and handling safe rather than entertaining. Plenty of kit on Dynamique models upwards.
Build quality on modern Renaults seems good as well, and I have it on good authority that recent dCi engines are very reliable. Certainly our fleet of 20 or so ran up to 100,000 miles without major problems.
I would be tempted for the right money.
Cheers
DP
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04 Grand Scenic 1.9 dCi Dynamique
00 Mondeo 1.8TD LX
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PS - this was also the 106PS version.
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04 Grand Scenic 1.9 dCi Dynamique
00 Mondeo 1.8TD LX
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I recently hired a Megane Sedan for two weeks in Spain. It was the 86bhp engine and I was seriously impressed with the engine refinement as well as the rest of the way the car drove. Having come from owning two VAG 1.9 PD powered cars I'd say the Megane was light years ahead in engine and ride refinement. I found the performance surprisingly good for just 86bhp, and imagine the 106 would be quite brisk. Very relaxed cruising and comfortable on some poor quality roads due no doubt to a soft suspension set up but still plenty of grip and decent handling for normal, safe motoring.
Would I put my own money in one? If I did 25,000+ miles a year, wanted a relaxing, refined cruiser then this would be high up my list. But I'd probably bottle it and spend £5k less on a high spec, leggy Mondeo 2.0 petrol and not worrry about the warranty issues or the extra few hundred pounds I'd be spending on petrol. Cracking price though and as 3 year old ones are priced up at £6k to £7k on Autotrader, the depreciation could potentially just be painful as opposed to savage!
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Not keen on the 106hp 1.5 dci engine. in my opinion its overblown, wringing too much horsepower from a small capacity engine. It lacks diesel style torque, and you have to rev its bits off to get the 106 hp. its better in 86 hp form.
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TourVanMan TM < Ex RF >
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I agree with the comments about the engine's refinement and its comparative lack of low down torque. A VW TDI will pull much better at lower revs but in terms of refinement the Renault engine is light years ahead than the coarse VAG offering.
A Focus is a better driver's car, offering sharper steering. But the Megane has much more comfortable seats, far better noise suppression and brakes. Taking everything into account I would say the Megane is a better overall car.
Occasionally you can feel the engine getting a bit rougher, presumably the EGR valve getting a bit sooted up. A quick blast up the road usually sorts it out.
There are no reliability concerns with the 1.5 engine, it was jointly developed with Nissan and a good job seems to have been done.
Unless you do a high mileage I would go for the 1.6 petrol. It offers similar performance for less money, if you can accept the 10-15 MPG decline.
Active forum at meganeownersclub.co.uk
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A Focus is a better driver's car offering sharper steering. But the Megane has much more comfortable seats far better noise suppression and brakes. Taking everything into account I would say the Megane is a better overall car.
I would agree with you. I got the Megane after 3 yrs and 99,000 miles in a mk1 Focus, which I loved to bits. The Focus was a great car, huge fun to drive, and was as dependable as the tides. 99,000 miles with only one unscheduled dealer visit for an auxiliary belt squeak is impressive by any standards, and it still felt great the day I drove it back to the office for the lease company to pick it up. My only grizzles with it were its truly appalling seats, and excessive road noise regardless of tyre choice.
The Megane was nowhere close dynamically, although this was as much to do with the excellence of the Focus as any shortcomings in the Megane. It was a tidy handler though, despite my instantly hating its steering and brakes (both drastically overassisted and completely numb. But I would have to agree that the Renault was a better car on more types of road than the Focus. Quieter and more stable on the motorway, more supple and long legged over A-roads, and lighter and seemingly more nimble around town.
The dCi engine was a sweet little thing which was all but inaudible in normal use, and really didn't mind being worked hard. It didn't need to be thrashed as such, but hated being down below 1800 RPM, unlike a VAG TDI which just puffs out its chest and surges forwards from idle speed in any gear. However, I was used to this and was driving around it within a couple of miles. Performance through the rest of the rev range was surprisingly gutsy, and the fuel economy and refinement of this engine were impressive by any standards.
I would have been interested to see how it coped with three years of hard use, and whether it could have matched the Focus's perfect reliability record. Certainly our fleet people seemed happy with how all these Renaults stood up, and no major disasters were reported.
I would spend my own money on a Megane without hesitation. Mind you, I would a Focus mk1 too.
Cheers
DP
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04 Grand Scenic 1.9 dCi Dynamique
00 Mondeo 1.8TD LX
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Unless you do a high mileage I would go for the 1.6 petrol. It offers similar performance for less money if you can accept the 10-15 MPG decline.
Not sure about the 1.5, but 1.6 petrol engine is great - not enough acceleration to be overtaking in dicey situations, but certainly enough power to cruise at 90mph.
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A Focus is a better driver's car offering sharper steering. But the Megane has much more comfortable seats far better noise suppression and brakes. Taking everything into account I would say the Megane is a better overall car.
And yet every road test has the Focus as the better car than the Megane. Yet more proof that many road tests are out of touch with the real world?
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And yet every road test has the Focus as the better car than the Megane. Yet more proof that many road tests are out of touch with the real world?
Thats very true. Yes a sharp superb handling car, firm, slightly twitchy providing loads of feedback and loving to rev hard is fabulous fun. On A roads. For an hour.
However wehn you are doing 20k miles a year, or 6 hour in a day motorway jaunts, or that 800 mile drive to vacances you want something a little less frenetic, more relaxed, comfortable, in short Far less tiring.
Car test reports always miss that part.
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TourVanMan TM < Ex RF >
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I suppose it depends on each individual's priorities. The thing with road tests is that they only test the car for maybe a few hundred miles. I get to drive many Focuses/Focii whatever and yes they are great cars. But after 30000 miles in the Megane I place a higher value on its far better comfort and refinement. The Focus shines in a few areas, as does the Megane but in everday driving you will experience the qualities of the Megane more than the Focus.
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