2008 Renault Megane Review
March 11, 2008 by Matt Brogan
One other little addition to Megane that whilst only minor is immensely practical. Rear and rear side window retractable mesh sunshades. These are just brilliant and being integrated to the car means you can still use the power windows with them in place. Keeps the sun off the kids and when not in use, simply roll away. No messing about with suction caps.
Being handed a diesel car means you seldom have to put fuel in it, but as I was keen to try the ‘Clean Hands’ capless refueling system, thought we’d pull in to a servo and give it a go.
A large rubber grommet sits inside the fuel door which cups the filler to prevent a build up of dust or water. The recessed filler is then internally fitted with a stiffly sprung stainless steel flap which you push inward with the nozzle. Simple! No messy cap to drop or have blow away.
On the safety front (and aside from the five star rating) Megane offers electronic stability control, traction control, ABS with brake force distribution and emergency brake assist, and front, side and curtain airbags all as standard. There’s even additional side intrusion protection in the form of intrusion bars and honey-combed padding in the doors.
You also get the RAID (Renault Anti-Intruder Device) system which automatically locks the doors when you drive away to prevent car-jacking.
My Megane is five years old, has 40,000 km, has gone through three electric windows in the first three years but apart from that has been fine. The windows seem to be a real problem with this car. The good points are the fantastic seats, the clever storage areas, the build quality, the huge boot, the safety gear and the motor. The negatives are the auto box, some buzzing from the dash and the bloody annoying seat belt chime. Theyd do far better with some decent marketing and motivated dealerships.