![]() ![]() The sedan’s load lip is not too high, which eases the loading of bulky items, and the aperture is reasonably wide and tall. But the 987L volume with them flat is 260L short of the hatchback, which has the ability to load up to roof height in its favour. The presence of air-con vents in the back was welcome and they proved effective when cooling this black-on-black car during 2017’s scorching early start to summer.įurther back, cargo capacity is 503 litres with the easy-to-operate 60:40 split-fold rear seats up, 69L more than the hatch. On the subject of child restraints, all three rear seats have top tether points conveniently located on the parcel shelf, with the two outer positions also having Isofix anchorages that are easy to use due to being housed within a plastic guides.Īpart from stooping more than we would have to with a higher-riding SUV, the rear door apertures were big enough to make loading and securing youngsters in the Megane pretty easy. With one of these bulky devices in place, a six-foot front passenger does not find their knees interfacing with the glovebox lid in the sedan, which they most definitely would in the hatch. ![]() Unfortunately headroom is no better, with the seemingly high-set rear bench also causing rear occupants to peer down through the side windows.īut the extra cabin length did help liberate front-seat space when a rear-facing infant capsule was installed. The Megane sedan is 269mm longer than the hatch, with 43mm of this being a longer wheelbase that contributes to an extra 37mm of rear legroom.Ĭompared with the cramped hatch, this would in theory make the sedan much more usable for people who regularly transport adults or tall teens. Not fitted to our car was the $1990 sunroof, self-dimming interior mirror and illuminated vanity mirror option pack, but it did have $600 worth of Diamond Black metallic paint. A Mazda3 Touring 2.0L ($27,290 plus on-roads) is roughly on-par for both equipment and engine outputs, but benefits from part-leather upholstery and standard autonomous emergency braking. The only European-badged sedan competitor to the Megane is the ageing Volkswagen Jetta 118TSI Trendline ($26,490 plus on-road costs) that offers more performance for the money but fails to come close on equipment. This option debuted on the Megane range when the sedan and wagon joined the line-up in July 2017 and while it is an affordable upgrade, we would like to see AEB fitted as standard across the range. Our car was fitted with the $700 ADAS driver assistance technology package comprising autonomous emergency braking (AEB) that works between 30km/h and 140km/h, lane departure warning and automatic high beam. ![]() Megane sedans also have hands-free boot opening activated by waving a foot under the rear bumper. Similarly, the Zen sedan’s equipment list mirrors that of the hatch, including as standard a 7.0-inch touchscreen providing access to the satellite navigation system, reversing camera and heaps of audio connectivity options to be experienced through an eight-speaker Arkamys stereo.Īlso on-board are dual-zone climate control with air quality monitor, keyless entry and start, dusk-sensing headlights, rain-sensing wipers, front and rear parking sensors, cruise control, a leather-wrapped multi-function steering wheel, voice control, a leather-trimmed gear selector knob, an electric park brake, electrically adjustable heated door mirrors, front and rear foglights, LED daytime running lights, LED tail-lights and 16-inch alloy wheels with tyre pressure monitoring. These prices are in line with the equivalent Zen hatch. The Megane sedan range skips the hatchback’s entry-level Life variant and opens with mid-spec Zen as tested here, which has a manufacturer’s list price of $28,490 plus on-road costs and is subject to a permanent driveaway pricing offer just $1500 higher at $29,990. This is good news for Australian buyers wanting something a bit different, but without venturing outside the traditional three-box format.Įven better news is that after a week behind the wheel, we reckon this Renault is worth a look because it dispatches the dull daily duties of sedan life with more than a dash of joie de vivre. In the absence of European competition bar the Volkswagen Jetta that is now two generations behind the related Golf, Renault seems to have positioned this variant of the booted Megane against some big-name contenders from Asia. ![]() THE most mainstream-friendly Renault Megane yet has spawned a sensible sedan option, tested here in Zen guise, the lower of two specification levels. ![]()
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