2008 Renault Megane Review
March 11, 2008 by Matt Brogan
Under the bonnet Megane employs a 1.9-litre four cylinder common rail turbo diesel to get things moving which I’m pleased to say it does rather well. The 96kW developed @ 4000 revs may seem a little lean at first, but when you consider the 300Nm of torque on hand from just 2000rpm you’ll realise things aren’t half bad.
The turbo lag is negligible, in fact if you’re a little naughty with the clutch, you won’t even notice it and the torque pull after two grand is quite strong. Megane pulls rather hard for what it is though with such a narrow band of revs to play with, you’ll need to keep a little busy on the six speed gearbox.
Just to give a slight insight here on some of the tech speak surrounding diesels. The common rail system you hear so much about is nothing more than a method of fuel delivery. Think of it as being more precise. The fuel is calculated and delivered in little squirts rather than is one big spray. What this allows is for the right amount of fuel being used for each cycle which results in better fuel efficiency and fewer emissions. A neat side effect to this is less engine noise and fewer vibrations too.
Another one you may be unsure of is the particle filter. The Megane uses one of these which simply put is an additional filter fitted to the exhaust system that captures soot particles (seen as black smoke) and instead burns them off periodically, usually each 500 – 1,000kms.
Fuel consumption is claimed at a combined average of 5.8 l / 100km and as with most modern diesels, this feat is rather easily achieved. Around town I managed 7.2 which in itself is quite good but get this – on a rather straight, flat stretch of highway (Hume) when cruising for almost three hours with the cruise locked on 110km/h, the fuel consumption hovered between 2.9 and 3.5. Impressive, in fact if you do the math, my figure actually comes in under the ADR results by over half a litre.
Now I hope that in putting this review together I’ve achieved something. I wanted the article to rebel from our set formula in much the same way Megane does. I hope my words will reflect the car in that although everything is there, it’s just a little different, not where they usually are and as a result have made things a little fun, more interesting and a tad unique. If so, job done.
CarAdvice overall rating: 
How does it drive: 
How does it look:
How does it go:
- Engine: 1.9 litre dCi in-line four cylinder common rail diesel
- Power: 96kW @ 4000rpm
- Torque: 300Nm @ 2000rpm
- Transmission: Six Speed Manual
- 0-100km/h: 9.1 seconds
- 0-400m: N/A
- Top Speed: 200 km/h
- Fuel Tank Capacity: 60 litres
- Fuel Type: Diesel
- Fuel Consumption: 5.8 litres / 100 km (ADR combined average)
- Towing Capacity: 1000kg (Braked)
- Turning Circle: 10.7m
- Warranty: 3 years / 100,000km
- Weight: 1295kg (Tare)
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.