Renault Megane Coupe

Motoring Channel Staff - 6/October/2008

Paris, France — Renault had a big exhibit at the Paris Motor Show, including a number of concept and motor sport vehicles, but it also had this little gem - the all-new Renault Megane Coupe.

This sporty new addition to the Megane range adds a bit of spice to the range and will rival vehicles such as the Peugeot 308 (3-door) and Holden Astra Coupe.

Titled more towards the enthusiast than the retiree, the third generation Renault Megane Coupe will be offered with a range of engines including small 1.6-litre and slightly larger 2.0-litre petrol engines and more diesel engines than you can shake glow plug at.

Four of Renault's seven diesel engines available in the new Megane (in Europe) emit less than 120g of CO2 per kilometre, making the diesel range very green.

Safety has been one of the key marketing points of the Megane in the past, and the new model yet again pushes this theme, with more airbags, stability controls and safety aids than the previous model.

The interior has also come in for a redesign, and the driver's instrument display gets a trendy new look with LED multi function displays.

Renault also seems to have added more luxury the Megane Coupe, and the overall interior looks as though it's taken some cues from BMW's handbook of interior design, with a minimalised centre console and simplified stereo and HVAC controls.

Compared to the less sporty 5-door Megane, the Coupe gets silver inlays underneath the front headlights, and naturally the rear end has a slightly different design as well.

The design of the previous Renault Megane's rear end was the butt of many jokes, because the design involved a protruding rear bumper, but Renault seems to have ditched the idea which can only be a good thing.

Renault will launch the new Megane, both Coupe and 5-door hatchback models, in Europe next month (November 2008).

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