This car’s interior represented a huge improvement over its predecessor. Renault, however, did not cure its every quirk and shortcoming in one fell swoop, so there’s still a mixed story to report.
But overall, the car can be considered pleasant, usable and well equipped, although it was no standard-setter on material quality, practicality or passenger space.
The wheelbase may have grown, but the packaging is evidently flawed. The shallowness of the front footwells and proximity of the pedals force longer-legged drivers to use more of the car’s overall cabin length than they might normally do just to get comfortable, robbing those in the rear of space, with both foot and knee room remaining tight.
The boot is a good size and has a wide aperture, but its loading lip is high, there is no adjustable-height boot board and the rear seatbacks don’t fold entirely flat.
Cabin quality is good for the most part but quite poor in a few places. The leather sections of the seats are soft and tactile, for example, but some of the plastics of the climate control console show a disappointing finish.
Storage areas and convenience features could also be improved. The door bins lack useful width, the cupholders and centre cubby are both short on depth and the glovebox is the usual half-sized slight on the good nature of anyone buying right-hand drive.
The biggest difference between this cabin and the old car is ambition. Whereas the preceding Mégane’s was plasticky and plain, this one’s ambient lighting, flat-screen instruments, large, portrait-oriented multimedia screen and chrome trims make it feel more sophisticated.
On the equipment front there were six trims to choose from – Expression+, Dynamique Nav, Dynamique S Nav, Signature Nav, GT Line Nav and GT Nav. The entry-level trim adorns the Megané as standard with 16in alloy wheels, cruise control, front foglights, hill start assist and emergency brake assist as standard on the outside, while inside there is a DAB tuner, Bluetooth, USB connectivity, air conditioning, and electric windows.
Upgrade to the Dynamique Nav trims and you get auto wipers and lights, electrically adjustable and heated wing mirrors, part leather upholstery, dual-zone climate control, keyless entry, an Arkamys audio system, alongside Renault’s R-Link 2 infotainment system complete with a 7.0in touchscreen display and TomTom sat nav. While the Dynamique S Nav added a reversing camera, 17in alloy wheels, and an 8.7in portrait touchscreen display to a burgeoning package.
The Signature Nav models get 18in alloy wheels, leather upholstery and LED headlights, while the GT Line Nav Megané gets an aggressive bodykit and sports seats. The range-topping GT Nav model gets all the equipment found on the Signature Nav model plus 4-wheel steering, parking sensors and a Renaultsport tweaked 1.6-litre petrol engine.
Navigation, entertainment, climate control and vehicle control centre zones are accessible on the 8.7in touchscreen.
It’s certainly a good-sized screen and has ‘pinch to zoom’ functionality, which was intended to make it feel like a tablet or smartphone to use.
It seems outdated these days, but responsiveness to your fingertip is pretty good. The navigation mapping detail is a bit sparse, though, and the graphics of the system in general are somewhat basic.
