Performance & drive
What it’s like to drive, and how quiet it is
If you want a Megane, Renault now gives you the simple 'choice' of just one engine. The E-Tech plug-in hybrid (PHEV) combines a 1.6-litre non-turbocharged petrol engine with two electric motors and a 9.8kWh battery pack for a combined output of 158bhp.
It delivers a decent, if not thrilling, 0-62mph time of 9.4sec. That leaves it some way behind the Skoda Octavia iV (7.8sec) and Seat Leon eHybrid (7.5sec) in a straight-line dash.
When it gets going, there are some peaks and troughs in the power delivery, which is not something you experience in the smoother Octavia iV.
The Megane's automatic gearbox shifts fairly smoothly for the most part, and road and wind noise are well suppressed compared with rivals. You can hear a flutter of wind noise from the door mirrors at motorway speed, though.
All models have a fairly soft suspension set-up. As a result, the Mégane gets a little floaty on fast, undulating roads, but will waft over speed bumps or smaller potholes. On patchy town roads, the ride can get a bit jiggly.
The Megane’s softness allows more body roll through corners than rivals such as the Ford Focus and the Leon, and it’s not a car that feels at home being hustled. The steering is light and direct, and you can alter the steering’s weight with three different modes, but whichever mode you put it in it doesn’t offer a great sense of connection with the front wheels.
