Road Test: Renault Mégane GT-Line Coupé

The old, buxom bottomed Renault Mégane was as familiar on South African roads as a set of enormous traffic cones, but when the new Mégane arrived two years ago it resurrected French desirability back into consciousness. Sleek, modern and more design driven than before; it was thoroughly new wave in its styling, so much so that a lot of Japanese and Korean comers styled their cars accordingly, almost from the same style book. It’s an everyday coupe sure, and definitely less of a sporty one; but it assails the heart more than many humdrum Renault’s have done for years. It’s such a positive departure that explaining to people that it’s in fact just a new Renault, gets quite tiring after a while.

I have an almost vested, personal interest in the success of the new Mégane. I was fortunate to travel to the UK four years ago and drive one of the original Mégane Coupe’s well before any South African got his or her hands on one. I was instantly impressed with its prophetic reinvention and wanted this to translate into brisk sales for the French brand, and the requisite fussy feeling of pride, knowing I was there from the start.

I’ve subsequently driven and tested all the versions in South Africa. I raced an RS Cup version at the Knysna Hillclimb, setting a blistering time for a front driven, hot hatchback. I drove the “less 2%” Sport version that delivered the same power thrills but with a bit less rough and ready attitude. And now I’m embarking on an 800 km grand tour from P.E. to Cape Town, through some of the most tempting roads in the country, in the latest GT-Line Coupe. We’ve traveled a long way together and have some way to go.

The GT-Line Coupe with its sleek lines and wide stance, lends itself to a sense of sportiness. But where the Sport or Cup versions come with hard riding suspensions, enough cabin noise to deafen a badger, and a low nose that scrapes every time you leave a driveway, this one goes about its business in a far less impractical manner.

You get to keep the svelte styling that turns heads wherever you go, but it’s narrative is driven by a comfortably generic plotline that you’ve seen a hundred times before. Something that’s comfortable, practical, efficient around town, cheap to own and maintain and something that’s front wheel drive so you don’t need to be towed out of the undergrowth every time it rains. This, in a nut shell, is what the Mégane GT-Line offers you: few drawbacks.

Most prominent on the car are the tapered A-pillar, drawing focus to the front fender arrangement. The aggressive, sweeping headlights, large airdam, and shapely bonnet have been given a soft makeover. The rear three quarter still makes seeing out the back hatch more difficult than it should be, but overall, the squat rear, slitty windows and svelte forward running lines give the Mégane presence and purpose. Making it look like it might be quite quick, even before it’s set off.

The Mégane GT-Line in a hatchback will cost you: R249 900 and the as a Coupe: R259 900. The super sporty, focused RS Mégane products get 184 kW from their 2.0-litre turbo motor, but these have a 1.4-litre turbo, or ‘TCe’ motor spinning away under the bonnet – making 96 kW and 190 Nm. You also get the very latest TomTom live traffic satnav, which suggests new routes for you should you encounter a highway snarl up, and a few extra bells like rear park sensors to make it more user friendly on a day to day basis. It’s good value for the money.

The Mégane Coupe was always a heavy car (think 1 700kg plus) because it was based on the already heavy Mégane five-door. So performance in the GT-Line is hardly seat-of-your-pants stuff, but then again that’s kind of the point this time round because it’s not the Sport or Cup RS model. The Coupe GT-Line does ride firmly like a coupe should, but being French it always errs on the cosseting side. It’s comfortable, practical and economical despite the weight, and totally effortless to drive, but it actually has a few hidden depths too.

It’s the road holding that’s the real surprise with this car. The weight can feel lumbering around the type of corner that needs a quick change in direction, but thanks to some very light but surprisingly tasty steering that type of foible can be overlooked. Smooth, considered inputs maximise the Mégane’s great road holding and you’re still delivered a sporty drive. On my grand tour, I found myself; after several challenging mountain passes not feeling disappointed when I’d reached the other end.

The 1.4-litre turbo wasn’t found as wanting, when things opened up on the motorway; as I’d expected it might. It certainly requires a few stirs of the gears to get it on the boil but that’s no bad thing when the shift action is good… as it is in the Mégane. The turbo power delivery is so supremely linear, you’d hardly notice it was turbo powered. Some colleagues, I know, derided that but I think you can applaud Renault for this deft, no-turbo-lag piece of engine building. It’s just a shame there isn’t more displacement sitting behind that very linear power delivery.

This latest GT Line is more about its show then it is about its go, in all honesty. The turbo 1.4-litre is stellar when it comes to removing turbo lag and revving effortlessly. Overall, I enjoyed it, it kept me tuned into the driving experience all 800 km of the grand tour. This reinvented Mégane range overall, for me, instantly raises the stakes as far as desirability goes. The RS models: the Sport and Cup, remind you that you no longer need to break the bank for an electrifying hatchback and the GT Line now delivers tangible on road style with a hint of sporty performance, at a good price.

What we like…

• Sporty styling accents and 17-inch wheels.
• Linear power delivery with little hint of turbo-lag.
• Comfortable ride with capable handling.
• TomTom Live GPS system.

What we would like…

• A little bit more ‘joie de vivre’ from the little 1.4 TCe engine.

Ray Leathern has been test driving and critiquing cars for four years now. You’ll find his work atautocirca.com, the Mail & Guardian and of course, right here on SACarFan.

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