Renault Megane Coupe-Cabriolet Road Test
Published: 13th May 2006
Renault Megane Coupe-Cabriolet
It is quite noisy with the roof down. There is a bulky but folding wind deflector that is kept in the boot which cleverly unfolds and anchors to the side walls and hooks into the rear seatbelt holes. It is possible to leave it in place as it doesn’t impinge when the roof is raised again.
Roll-over hoops are a must-have in a cabrio. Those in the Megane are extendable to a height of 130mm and have a locking mechanism for constant protection. Alternatively, leave them in their normal position and they take just 500 milliseconds to deploy should it be necessary.
Other safety features include four airbags as standard and the option of up to ten, ESP, ABS and a hefty occupant safety cell. This is why the Coupe-Cabriolet, like the hatchback, has been awarded the maximum 5 stars by Euro NCAP.
Petrol engine choices are a 1.6- or 2.0-litre, while diesel options are the dCi106 (1.5) and 109dCi units. All have the option of an automatic transmission. I should point out that the Extreme or Authentique trim is only available with the 1.6VVT 111 engine.
The 2.0T, in the test car, produces 165 bhp at 4,000rpm and 270Nm at 3,250rpm. It takes 8.7 seconds to reach 62mph from rest using the 6-speed manual transmission and the top speed is 137mph.
The Dynamique is purported to be the sporty one and it’s certainly not sluggish in any way. On Motorways, it performs well and even in sixth gear, there’s enough left in the pots for swift, safe overtaking. The target, extra-urban fuel consumption figure is 44.8 mpg; the urban is 25.7 mpg and the combined works out as 35.3 mpg.
On country lanes, however, I found the handling to be a tad vague and not very confidence inspiring. The suspension was a little too soft to be really sporty and the fat tyres had a tendency to follow the undulations of the road. I was impressed by the rigidity - with the roof down there was only minimal scuttle-shake.
Overall, I came away with the impression that while the Megane Coupe-Cabriolet is a bit of a looker, I can’t get the word ‘vague’ out of my head. Maybe that’s too strong a label and I’m being unfair. Try it for yourself.
Renault Megane Coupe-Cabriolet Road Test Conclusion | |
| Performance |  |
| Ride and Handling |  |
| Ease of Use | |
| Safety and Security |  |
| Comfort and Refinement | |
| Interior Styling | |
| Exterior Styling | |
| In Car Entertainment & Navigation | |
| Build Quality | |
| Value for Money | |
| Overall | 52% |
