Shape shifter

WHEN it comes to design, Renault is, to quote its own marketing gurus, 'adventuresome'. Should you be wondering what that means exactly, then pop into the showroom and take a look at the new Megane.

It is startlingly different from the model it succeeds, although not so new to the eye because of the recognisable swoops and curves already seen on the audacious Avantime and valiant Val Satis luxury saloon.

But whereas the Avantime and Val Satis are seen as large and pricey models dealing with a fairly select market, the question facing Renault is whether the new-shaped Megane is ideally suited to the mass market. It is going to be one of those cars that is quite simply loved or hated, and probably in equal measure.

The man behind the new Megane is design director Patrick Le Quement, whose Gallic philosophy is simple, and to the point: "We want each model to be like the one it replaces but, of course, different too."

It is certainly different. From the front, the new Megane is a sleek-looking hatchback, but wander around for a side view and be prepared for a surprise. It has the rear of the Avantime four-seater MPV, with a vertical rear window and a bustle-style boot.

It is viewed by Renault UK as a 'landmark' car, innovative and as much a trendsetter as the Espace and Kangoo.

There were two Meganes available on the press launch, the five-door hatch and the three-door Sport hatch, but the family altogether will feature seven body styles designed to please all who are seeking a medium-sized car.

In fact, Renault is confident that it will be able to challenge successfully for the title of Europe's best selling car, overtaking Volkswagen.

The test drive started in Luxembourg and then zig-zagged across Belgium into Holland, eventually ending up in the fine old city of Maastricht. Overall there were plenty of miles to put the 2.0-litre petrol and 1.9-litre diesel-powered test cars through their respective paces.

Incidentally, these are the first models to arrive on the shared Renault-Nissan alliance platform, and will offer three petrol engines, a 1.4-litre 16V 95bhp, 1.6litre 16V VVT 115bhp and the 2.0-litre 16V VVT 136bhp, together with 1.5-litre dCi 80bhp and 1.9-litre dCi 120bhp diesels, all promising economy, efficiency and plenty of energy. They are matched to either six-speed or five-speed gearboxes, with an automatic plus manual 'flickshift' on the way.

In a nutshell, and whatever the engine, it is a nice car to drive, inspiring on the motorways and reasonably (and acceptably) comfortable on the less than smooth country roads in parts of rural Belgium.

Up front there is plenty of room, with the driving seat adjustable for height, and a steering column adjustable for both vertical and longitudinal reach. Slide into the back seat and the accommodation is also good, certainly roomy enough for a six-footer.

Although the new Megane's rear-end design has shaved about 20 litres off the boot space, Renault quickly points out that the luggage room still matches that of the Volkswagen Golf, which together with the Ford Focus and Peugeot 307, are the major competitors.

There are four trim levels on the five-door hatch, the Authentique, Expression, Dynamique and Privilege, and just two with the three-door Sport hatch, the Extreme and Dynamique. Prices start at £10,500 on the road, with the best equipped version costing £15,700.

Renault has launched the Megane with the same-style hands-free card entry system as introduced on the Laguna, providing automatic unlocking, locking and ignition without worrying about keys or fumbling in the dark for the ignition.

The card works whether in handbag or pocket, and the engine is fired by pressing a starter button.

This is the first car in the United Kingdom to have this system as standard (Mercedes-Benz provide it as a £950 option).

Other features include automatic headlamps and windscreen wipers, tyre pressure monitoring, integrated F1-style fuel filler cap, anti-lock braking, electronic stability, and traction control as well as understeer control.

The Xenon headlamps also feature a special function that varies the height and depth of beam depending on the car's speed. There is also a rather nifty touch design handbrake lever, not your everyday stick-brake but more aviation-style grip handlebar.

The headlamps feature the See Me Home function, that is staying on after the car is locked to provide, for a short while at least, reassuring security lighting.

When it comes to safety then the new model offers the largest range in its sector, with driver and front passenger front airbags, front lateral bags, side curtain airbags, three-point seatbelts all round (anti-submarining airbags are standard on the Sport hatch) and adjustable head restraints

Security includes deadlocking, Thatcham-approved engine immobiliser and RAID, Renault's own Anti-Intruder Device, as standard.

Renault is still waiting for its NCap safety rating.

There are a number of option packs available, with prices ranging from £500 for the Climate pack to £1,000 for the Luxury Pack.

Renault expects the 1.6-litre Dynamique to be its top seller. It certainly packs a lot of standard features when compared with the Ford Focus Zetec, the VW Golf S, Peugeot 307 LX and the Vauxhall Astra LS, and it also has in most cases a clear on-the-road price advantage over the opposition.

In addition to its keen pricing formula, the new Megane has arrived with the lowest insurance ratings in the class. It is the only car to offer group 3E on the entry-level petrol and diesel models, achieved by being built with components specially designed to cope with small impacts, as well as energy absorbing bodywork parts to cut down on normally high repair bills.

Finally, by the end of next year in the UK, Renault expects to have sold around 12,500 five-door hatchbacks and 3,000 Sport hatch models to the retail customer, and around the same number to the fleet market.

"It is a daring design, and although we expect to attract many new customers, we think our existing Megane owners will also be happy to move to the new design." said a Renault UK spokesman.

Updated: 12:44 Friday, November 01, 2002