Renault Megane IV

	Renault Megane IV
	Debut: 2015 Maker: Renault Predecessor: Megane III

Published on 28 Dec 2015

7 years ago I wrote this in my Renault Megane III report:

“To keep Renault alive and the French in the driving seat of Renault-Nissan group, the new generation Megane has to succeed. But can it?”

Now we know the answer is negative. Megane III continued the declining sales trend of Megane II. If anything, it declined even faster. Although Renault no longer provides sales breakdown, we know last year it sold 275,000 units of Megane and Scenic combined. This mean the Megane dipped below the alarming 200,000 units mark. In other words, it trailed all of its key rivals, let alone the best selling Volkswagen Golf which sold 1 million units in 2014.

The Megane was not alone on the list of unpopularity. Basically, all the traditional nameplates of Renault suffered from pretty much the same fate. Laguna sold so badly that it was killed and replaced by the larger Talisman. Clio, although still shifting in relatively large numbers, is no longer as popular as it used to be. Nevertheless, Renault is more successful in catching the trend of small crossovers with Captur, and its investment in Dacia is proved to be smart – incredibly, sales of Logan, Sandero and Duster combined exceeded 1 million units last year! Predictably, Carlos Ghosn would rather invest more into what can really make money, whereas unprofitable models like the Megane have to find ways to cut cost.

That is why the firm decided not to develop a dedicated C-segment platform for Megane this time around. Instead, the new Megane IV is reshuffled and grouped with the company’s larger cars, such as Talisman, Espace, Kadjar and Nissan Qashqai, sharing the Common Module Family platform CMF-C/D of Renault-Nissan group. Don’t worry about elevated cost. Renault said the enlarged scale of economy allows the car to add big car features without pushing up costs. Moreover, Renault’s large car platform is not as sophisticated as you might think. For example, it still employs cheap torsion-beam rear suspension, something even many C-segment rivals have already abandoned. Carlos Ghosn just won’t let loose on cost control.

However, sitting on a big car platform means the new Megane is quite heavy. Because the key common parts have to be strong enough for its larger siblings, there is little room to cut weight, even though it follows the industrial trend to use more high-strength steel. As a result, the new car weighs about the same as the old one thus is on the heavy side of the new class norm. No wonder Renault did not mention weight saving in the press release.

On the plus side, the new Megane has two things improved markedly: styling and build quality.

This is a very handsome car, finally something we expected Laurens van den Acker to achieve since he joined Renault 6 years ago. I like its new front grille and the way it focuses on the enlarged Renault logo. The C-shape headlights are striking, injecting a sense of excitement to the otherwise normal body shape. The slim taillights are elegant, as is the treatment of the whole hatchback rear. The rear passenger doors kick up at the trailing end to enable a sportier appearance. Finally, the bonnet and fenders are sculpted perfectly to deliver the right balance between elegance and sportiness. Yes, the right balance is what makes it so appealing.

The new exterior design uses quite a lot of chrome to deliver a quality feel. The tight panel gaps have the same visual effect. Inside, no matter the dashboard design or materials you will find the Renault tries very hard to emulate Volkswagen. Well, it’s not exactly there, because soft touch plastics don’t cover the lower surfaces and the center console as do in the Golf, but the Megane compensates with some big-car features, such as an iPad-style 8.7-inch portrait touchscreen, TFT instrument, color HUD, ambient lighting and even ventilated and massaging seats! Admittedly, the R-Link infotainment system is still flawed, blame to unfriendly user interface and slow touchscreen response. However, space is abundant. Thanks to stretching the wheelbase to 2669 mm, the new car offers 20 mm extra knee room for the rear passengers. Both front and rear rows get more shoulder room, too. This means the Megane is finally a decent people carrier. Besides, the 434-liter boot is big for the class.

As usual, the Megane is biased towards comfort rather than driving excitement (at least until the release of RS model, which is still 18 months away). Its cabin feels hushed on the move. The soft-setting suspension results in a ride quality French cars deserve. The seats are plush and comfortable. It grips and balanced quite well in corners, but the steering is devoid of feel and the chassis never feels sharp enough to thrill. It won’t threaten Ford Focus, Mazda 3, Golf or Seat Leon for driving dynamics.

Its powertrains have much the same quality. The best seller is likely to be the 130 hp 1.6dCi turbo diesel. It is punchy and refined at low speed, but despite of a 5200-rpm redline, it sounds coarse and noisy once it has passed the 4000 rpm power peak. This means in normal driving it feels perfectly sweet, but it won’t encourage you to stretch it. On the petrol side, Renault’s 1.2TCe direct injection turbo engine is also more about refinement and flexibility than a spirited top end. Later on there will be a sequential twin-turbo version of 1.6dCi with 165 hp. Hopefully it could satisfy more demanding divers.

Until the arrival of RS, the fastest Megane is the 205 hp GT. Its 1.6-liter turbo motor comes from the smaller Clio RS. Like the latter, it employs a compulsory EDC twin-clutch gearbox, but in this case it has 7 ratios. As we have found on the Clio RS, this powertrain combo is disappointing. The engine produces a terrible noise when it approaches the 6400 rpm redline. It sounds as if begging you to back off. Even the artificial noise produced from the speakers cannot mask it. The Getrag-built EDC gearbox remains sluggish and inconsistent, much less satisfying than a proper manual box. Moreover, the Megane GT weighs nearly 1400 kg, so its performance is lukewarm, even though the official figures look good (143 mph top speed and 0-60 mph in 6.7 seconds). It goes without saying this is a "warm hatch" rather than a true hot hatch, much in the same way as Peugeot 308GT.

Apart from powertrain, the GT also gets a sportier chassis tuned by the Renaultsport division, such as stiffer suspension, faster steering rack (just 2.3 turns lock to lock), bigger brakes and smart-looking twin-square exhaust pipes (pictured above). Furthermore, it gets the “4Control” 4-wheel-steering system from the late Laguna GT. It adds an electric motor and a pair of toe control links at the torsion beam rear suspension to facilitate rear-wheel steering. At low speed the rear wheels turn slightly at opposite direction to enhance agility, whereas at higher speeds it turns to the same direction as the front wheels to enhance stability. The principles are just the same as similar stuffs on Porsche, but its tuning is poorer. At tight corners it steers over-eagerly to the extent of edgy. In changing conditions the switch between oversteer and understeer could be unpredictable and counterproductive. Moreover, it kills the chance of lift-off oversteer, which is ridiculously available on lesser models, so it is actually less fun to drive. Besides, the 4Control hardware adds a ridiculous 39 kg to the car (the RWS of Ferrari F12tdf adds only 5kg). Unfortunately, it is fitted standard on the GT thus you cannot skip it. No problem, you can simply skip the car.

If we are talking about the Megane GT alone, it would be worth only 3 stars, and this is mostly because of its styling and build quality rather than its powertrain or chassis. However, the rest of the Megane range is better. For less committed drivers it is a more stylish alternative to Golf or a better value alternative to Mercedes A-class. The big-car strategy might work this time.

Verdict:

Published on 25 Aug 2018

Megane RS

A 1.8-liter engine, 4WS and no adaptive dampers mark the new Megane RS out from competition, for better or worse?

Remember how the current Clio RS threw away its mini hot hatch crown? In the name of broader customer appeal, it turned the car softer and less involving, handling the crown to Ford Fiesta ST. We fear the Megane RS could follow the same fate. You know, the last generation Megane RS was widely acclaimed for driver engagement, real-world speed, a beautiful styling and simply everything cared by keen drivers. It occupied the top spot of a very competitive class for 5 years at least, and was only challenged by Ford Focus RS and Honda Civic Type R in the final year. 3 years ago, when we saw the current generation Megane in mass production form, our fears grew further, because it did get bigger, more comfort and refinement-oriented. Nevertheless, this year’s Alpine A110 gives us hope. It shows that Renault is still able to design a car focusing on pure driving pleasure, something beating even Porsche 718 Cayman! And better news, the same experts are responsible for developing the new Megane RS. So what is the outcome?

Before answering this question, let’s go through its various facets:

Styling: like the regular Megane, it is now 5-door only, and the proportion gets boxier, more conventional, unlike its coupe-style predecessor. However, Renault keeps the damage to the minimum by using elegant design elements, such as F1-style front blade, chequered flag-style LED lights, double-diffusers and a centrally mounted trapezoidal exhaust. The alloy wheels are also unusually stylish. It won’t turn heads as much as the old car, but it is still one of the best looking cars in its class.

Cabin: not as good as exterior. Although the RS looks smarter with some red and alloy accents, its Alcantara bucket seats are not as enveloping as they look. Its driving position, placement of pedals and adjustment of the steering wheel are not perfect. Quality feel is hampered by some rough edges and a cheap infotainment system.

Engine: curiously, the engine is downsized to 1.8 liters, smaller than most rivals. It is a further development from the Alpine A110 engine. Thanks to direct injection, a twin-scroll turbo and plasma spray coating on cylinder bore, it manages to squeeze out more horsepower and torque than the old Megane RS275, with 280hp and 288 lbft on tap. It can also spin a little higher to 7000 rpm, although you won’t get much reward to do so, as the torque curve peaks at 2400-5000 rpm and the power peaks at 6000 rpm. It’s significantly more powerful than the Alpine’s, but that car weighs 300kg less! It is a little more powerful than Peugeot 308 GTi and Hyundai i30N, but the hottest versions of Civic, Golf and Leon have it beaten convincingly, which is also shown in the Renault’s 0-60mph time of 5.5 seconds. That said, a 300hp Trophy is on the pipeline, and probably more to come from Trophy R.

The decision to use a smaller engine seems to be wrong – and I worry that it will limit its development in the future...

Gearbox: an EDC 6-speed twin-clutch gearbox is available as option this time. This wet-clutch unit is certainly better than the dry-clutch unit on Clio RS, but in manual mode it is still too jerky and too slow to downshift. It will upshift automatically in all but Race mode. Moreover, the shift paddles are awkwardly placed and its feedback is poor. Therefore, the standard 6-speed manual is the obvious choice. It is revised from the old unit with a tighter gate and shorter throw shifter. While the gearshift is not as sweet as Honda’s, it is more than decent.

Chassis: the Megane IV is larger and runs a longer wheelbase. The RS is made larger still thanks to widening its front and rear track by 60mm and 45mm respectively. The old car’s trademark PerfoHub strut front suspension is carried over to tame torque steer, while rear suspension is still that torsion-beam axle. Strangely, Renault Sport rejected the class norm of adaptive dampers. Instead, it uses hydraulic bump stops to improve ride comfort. The ride height is lowered by 5mm and the suspension settings are predictably stiffer than the lesser Meganes. The standard RS is fitted with 235/40R18 tires and huge, 355mm front brake discs with Brembo calipers.

Cup chassis: as before, there is a Cup chassis option for more hardcore drivers. Its suspension gets 30% stiffer springs, 25% stiffer dampers and 10% stiffer anti-roll bars. 19-inch wheels and 245/35 tires are fitted, and a Torsen LSD is added to the front axle. Lighter aluminum-hub compound brake discs are a further option.

4Control: as in the lesser Megane GT, Renault's electrically-actuated rear-wheel steering is fitted as standard, which is unique in the hot hatch class. It turns the rear wheels in opposite direction by up to 2.7 degrees at low speed, or up to 1 degree in the same direction at higher speed. Normally this threshold happens at 37mph, but if you switch to Race mode, it will be lifted to 62mph, so you can still enjoy the added agility when you push hard.

On the road, the Megane RS gives a mixed impression. The engine is about average. Honda Civic Type R has the best engine in the class. Volkswagen group follows closely. The Renault engine is powerful enough but not in the same league of them. It is not as free-revving or as good to listening to either. Likewise, the performance is average in the class. The decision to use a smaller engine seems to be wrong – and I worry that it will limit its development in the future.

Its biggest asset and also the biggest issue is the 4-wheel steering...

However, the old Megane RS was never outstanding in these two areas either. Where it excelled was the chassis – keen to steer, perfect balance, controllable oversteer and a transparent communication that made you feel so involving and so confidence-inspiring to push it hard. The new car is by no means lukewarm, but it seems to have lost the final touch of the old car. Take the steering for example, the car turns in faithfully, but the steering feels light. Dial through the mode button will add weight to the steering, but not necessarily feel. The body control of the car is expertly judged. On standard chassis, its suspension feels firm but still soak up bumps effectively, resulting in good composure (Cup chassis is too stiff for back roads and more suitable to smooth roads or tracks). The grip is abundant, and the braking is strong. However, when you call for communication, it is mediocre.

Its biggest asset and also the biggest issue is the 4-wheel steering. Attack a corner in Race mode, you will be amazed by the responsive turn-in. The rear steers outward to tighten the line immediately. If you are not used to its new found agility, you might think it is oversteering. It makes tight corner easy, shortening turning radius and relieving your work on the steering. To some extent, it feels unnatural to hot hatch drivers. Maybe more time on the driver seat will overcome that abrupt sensation, but some might find it too neutral, too responsive to the extent of nervous, like driving a Ferrari F12tdf. Your steering input has to be more measured. Overreact or lift off too abruptly will unsettle the rear end in a fashion less progressive, less controllable than the old Megane. As a result, it is not as intuitive to drive as a Civic Type R, Golf R or Leon Cupra.

The Cup chassis has tighter body control and more grip. Its LSD lets you come back on power earlier in a tight corner thus should have been the choice for very committed drivers. However, as its suspension is too stiff, it is difficult to enjoy on back roads. Its composure does improve at speed, but you need to push it very hard to enter its sweet zone. Some hardcore drivers might like that, but they will find Civic Type R better in just about every dynamic aspect except agility.

So it is disappointing to see the new Megane RS does not repeat the magic of its predecessor or the excellent Alpine A110. It does things differently thus has its own unique strengths, but it is also less communicative, less forgiving and less confidence-inspiring to drive. Will the upcoming Trophy or Trophy-R save the game? Let’s hope so, but I doubt.

Verdict:

Published on 7 Dec 2018

Megane RS Trophy

The Trophy brings more power, but what it really needs is a more natural balance.

The current Megane RS has lost its hot hatch crown to Civic Type R. Can the latest Trophy version regain the lost title?

The most noticeable change of the car is more power. While retaining the downsized 1.8-liter turbo, it is given a faster-spinning turbocharger that uses low-friction ceramic ball bearing. This boosts its output by 20hp to a round 300hp. That’s 25hp more than the most powerful version of the old Megane RS, but trails the Civic Type R by 20hp. After all, the Renault engine is not only smaller but also less sophisticated than the VTEC-equipped Honda. In the torque side, it is lifted by 22lbft to 310lbft and beats the Honda’s 295lbft. However, this is only true to the car equipped with EDC twin-clutch gearbox, which is less good than the standard 6-speed manual. With the latter, the maximum torque is regulated at 295lbft to protect the gearbox. As a result, the Trophy has no hope to match the Type R or Golf R in straight line performance. It quotes a 0-60mph time of 5.4 seconds, just a tenth down from the standard RS. Top speed is lifted from 158 to 162mph.

On the road, the small engine has good throttle response. Turbo lag is not world-class but reasonably suppressed. It pulls hard from 2000rpm thus flexibility is good. You can sense more mid-range torque than the 280hp engine. It is less noticeable at higher revs, but you will definitely notice more noise from the exhaust, especially the pops and crackles on overrun. This is because the exhaust has been fitted with an electronic valve instead of the passive one on the standard car. It keeps shut in Comfort mode, opens at above 4000rpm in Sport mode or keeps opening all the time at Race mode. That said, I would rather trade this artificial acoustic for the wonderful symphony of a VR6, even sacrificing some performance in the process.

The EDC is not available yet, but from the experience of the RS, it should be no match for Volkswagen’s DSG for speed and smoothness. The manual gearbox is unchanged from the RS, so it is still a little notchy, but is swift and generally satisfying.

The chassis of Trophy is basically the same as the RS fitted with optional Cup package. It includes Torsen LSD, stiffer suspension setting (30% stiffer springs, 25% stiffer damping and 10% stiffer anti-roll bars) and 245/35R19 Bridgestone Potenza S001 tires. Also fitted as standard are 355mm aluminum-hub front brake discs with Brembo calipers and lightweight wheels. Together they save 11.6kg of unsprung weight. Meanwhile, the class-unique 4-wheel steering system is kept, of course. Those attending track days often may opt for even lighter wheels and track-oriented Potenza S007 tires. Otherwise, the car is just the same as the RS Cup.

In the cabin, the most significant change is the Recaro Alcantara buckets, which are mounted 20mm lower for a slightly better driving position.

On track, the Trophy is not a big departure from the Cup, predictably. It is quick, certainly, and its 4WS gives it an amazing level of agility. However, the 4WS is also its weakness, because it amplifies oversteer. It sharpens the turn-in so much that you feel its rear breaking lose and sliding, although it is actually not. You need to learn trusting its rear grip, calm down and keep pushing on, then it will straighten its nose. Ultimately, it corners quickly, but it could feel nervous and unnatural. On a wet track, it could be even scary to those not getting used to its new manner.

On B-roads, the Trophy feels better. Because you cannot push so hard on road, and you are likely to skip Race and switch on Sport mode, which lowers the rear-steer operating threshold from 62 to 37mph, the car behaves more subtly, less edgy. The suspension is firm, undeniably, but its hydraulic bump stops round off the worst bumps, while body control is always tight. What it loses to the best rivals are the controls: the steering could be more communicative, the brake pedal could be lighter and the torque steer could be better suppressed. In addition to the unnatural balance, the best Megane RS at the moment still has a long list to sort out before it can regain its lost crown.

Verdict:

Published on 8 Feb 2020

Megane RS Trophy-R

If you get £72,000, would you buy a French hot hatch or a Porsche GT4?

Having set a lap time of 7:40.1 at Nurburgring, the new Megane RS Trophy-R is currently the fastest front-wheel-drive car lapping Nurburgring. It beats the last record holder, Honda Civic Type R, by 3.7 seconds. Not a huge margin, but considering the car runs a smaller and slightly less powerful engine, and it lacks the Type R’s big wing, this is respectable. However, from another perspective, it is not so remarkable. With a price of £51,000, it is almost £20,000 more expensive than the Type R or the standard Trophy. Yet that is the starting point. To get the same specifications that set the Nurburgring lap record, you need to tick a couple of very expensive options, i.e. carbon-fiber wheels and carbon-ceramic brakes. Then you will find it ends up at £72,000, the same money as a brand-new Porsche 718 GT4 or Spyder. The Porsche is quicker, but even without considering its superior straight line speed or 10-seconds advantage in Nurburgring, I guess no one would compare a French hot hatch with the most prestigious and entertaining German mid-engined sports car. Isn’t Renaultsport a bit crazy?

If this car was converted to six-cylinder power and exotic mid-engined layout like the old Renault Sport Clio V6, it might be worth considering. However, when it employs the same 300hp 1.8 turbo engine from the lesser Trophy, even the wealthiest car enthusiasts should think twice. What makes this car so expensive? and what makes it superior to the lesser cars? The answer lies on 3 areas: weight reduction, new suspension and upgraded aero.

In the most exotic form, the Trophy-R is 130kg lighter than the Trophy. Weight savings are both extensive and aggressive. In the cabin, it replaces the front seats with Sabelt composite racing buckets (-14kg), ditches the rear seat altogether (-25kg), reduces sound deadening materials and even turns to a smaller touchscreen, although the crucial air-con and audio escape from the axe. At the body shell, the bonnet is now a mix of carbon-fiber and glass-fiber composites (-7kg). The rear diffuser is fully made of carbon-fiber (-2.3kg). The side windows get thinner, and the rear one is fixed, saving electric mechanism. The rear screen wiper is gone (-3kg). The boot floor gets thinner (and more fragile). At the chassis, the bespoke torsion-beam rear axle is not only lighter but it gets rid of 4Control rear-wheel steering mechanism, together saving a valuable 32kg. The remaining savings come from Akrapovi titanium exhaust (-6kg), a lithium battery (-4.5kg), the aforementioned carbon-fiber wheels (16kg) and ceramic brakes.

130 kg of weight is shaved, most come from the spartan interior.

Upgrades to the aerodynamics is most obvious at the new bonnet, which gets 2 louvered vents sandwiching a NACA duct in the middle. They improve engine cooling and release pressure built up in the engine compartment. Less obvious is underneath the car. There are extra underbody paneling to smooth out air flow, to cool the brakes, and to draw more air towards the rear diffusers. The latter gets larger, curvier and more effective, thanks in part to the recessed exhaust. The result is more downforce and minimal increase of drag.

Ditching the active rear-wheel steering might sound like a backward movement, but remember, many keen drivers dislike its unnatural response. Moreover, the Trophy-R compensates with Ohlins 2-way adjustable dampers at all corners. With some work in the garage, you can alter its compression, rebound and ride height (by 16mm). The front wheels get more negative camber. The rear suspensions are reinforced by fitting a strut brace, which occupies the space left by the rear seat. Finally, the Bridgestone Potenza S007 rubbers with bespoke compound offer more grip yet respectable durability.

Powertrain is the weakest link of the Trophy-R. Renault has never been renowned for engines (although it made some championship-winning F1 engines for Williams). When it asks its engineers to make a 1.8-liter as good as the 2-liter counterparts of Honda and Volkswagen, it is simply a mission impossible. Despite producing a similar level of power and torque, the 1.8-liter unit has a compromised manner. Running a larger turbo and higher boost means the mid-range is strong enough, but low-end response is soft, with more turbo lag than its rivals. Meanwhile, the undersquare combustion chambers (79.7 x 90.1 mm) contribute to an unwilling top-end. It lacks the free-revving, going stronger and stronger character of Honda. The unchanged 6-speed manual gearbox is similar. Gearshift is notchy and imprecise, a sharp contrast to the first class unit of Honda. Coupling to the Megane’s flawed ergonomics – poor positioning of gearlever and pedals, there is little joy to row the shifter and access the engine spectrum.

The fast Megane has lost its limelight, undeniably, but the French hasn’t.

On straight, the car also trails Civic Type R and Golf R a little, although its performance claim of 163 mph top speed and 5.1 seconds for 0-60 seem competitive. We should expect 4 seconds flat for a £50,000 hot hatch, as shown by AMG A45 and Audi RS3.

Fortunately, what the Trophy-R loses in straight line performance, it gets back in corners. There is no denying the strong influence of 130 kg of weight savings, but the Ohlins dampers are equally effective. Given adequate adjustment, the Trophy-R can eat any hot hatches for breakfast on a racing track. It displays sharp turn-in, very strong front-end grip and the car is very tied down to the road. It corners flatter than anything else, and the cornering limit is incredibly high for its class. The steering is accurate and, most important, it relays all the information from the track surface, from the state of grip and cornering force to your fingers, thanks to the stiff suspension setup. Torque steer is not fully eliminated, but Renaultsport’s PerfoHub suspension keeps it in check so that it never spoils the experience. Most impressive is the precision the car displays, allowing you to place it accurately to each apex. If not the powertrain, this could be the front-engined 911 GT3 RS.

However, the flipside of immense grip and outstanding stability is the lost of adjustability. Its cornering limit is so high that throttle steer is difficult to access, even on a track. As a result, it is not as much fun to drive as the old RS 275 Trophy (R or not), or to lesser extent the current Civic Type R. A highly precise tool to attack corners, but not necessarily the most entertaining.

For road use, you need to adjust the suspension to middle settings to avoid rocking your eyeballs off. So adjusted, the Trophy-R could be livable, if still not as livable as Type R. The ride is more hardcore than most other hot hatches, but it deals with bumps and potholes reasonably well. The thinly insulated cabin is a bit noisier than hot hatch norm, but not overly noisy. The titanium exhaust pops and crackles on overrun, but it is a welcomed noise. The Sabelt racing buckets are not quite as comfortable as the Recaro buckets on Honda. The loss of rear seat is perhaps the car’s biggest drawback. It makes you wonder why not buy an Alpine A110 instead. That little mid-engined sports car is the purest and most entertaining driving machine in the world today (even Gordon Murray could not help amazing), and it comes from the same Dieppe factory! The fast Megane has lost its limelight, undeniably, but the French hasn’t.

Verdict: