FEBRUARY MOTORING: Renault Megane RS Line E-Tech

Here, we have the Renault Megane RS Line E-Tech. This variant of the Megane, and in iconic trim, will set you back £29,495. This however, is the RS Line, with a hybrid system, so of course is slightly more expensive.  A report by George Loveridge.

For reference, RS Line Renault provides a sporty feel, with the same performance of the standard cars. With added presence, yellow badges, and more aggressive looks.

This example has slate grey 17-inch 'Monthlery' diamond-cut alloy wheels, body-coloured RS Line bumpers and tinted rear glass for style and comfort. Despite this, I think that the front end of this new car isn't quite imposing enough. It doesn't even have a proper radiator badge, no chrome here. Perhaps such aggressive styling has been reserved for the full fat Megane 'Renault Sport'? Although, from the back this thing is certainly good looking! The rear lights that wrap around the rear of the car, accompanied with the subtle E-TECH badges that give it a classy and understated look.

It is quite a big car, even bigger if you go for the estate tourer version, but in return you do get an admirable 308 litres of boot space and then a 60:40 split of the rear seats allowing for over 1200 litres. Enough leg room for rear passengers and adequate adjustment in the driver’s seat for the taller driver.

Passengers benefit massively with this trim specification. Smart red stitching sits upon some very supportive cloth seats that really hug you tightly – not strictly necessary when you'll be at 62mph after 9.4 seconds, but it's all in good taste.  Regardless of outright forward momentum, the stitched RS steering wheel is nice to use and has that all important yellow badge which does provide a sense of occasion.

Occupants also enjoy the convenience the EASY LINK infotainment system and a choice of eight ambient lighting colours, controlled via the clever and easy to use MULTI-SENSE system. This is the fourth Renault I have had a proper encounter with and can confirm that the infotainment system in these cars, at present, is one of the best on the market. Looks and feels fancy, enough to make you say 'oooh that's clever', and yet not overly complicated or cluttered. In partnership with the main screen, the driver has a digital TFT cluster display allowing for a plethora of vehicle information such as temperatures and pressures, GPS and variations of the speedometer. Plenty of soft touch materials, pleasant in application but irritating to keep the dust off. As the cliché dictates, the interior is a nice place to be. These new Renaults always smell nice too.

With all the emblems and harsh accents, is this a sporty car? Well yes. Sort of.

The Hybrid magic turns this otherwise ordinary car into a respectable performer on the road. With 160bhp combined, 90 of that coming from the 1.6 litre petrol engine and the rest coming from two electric motors, the Megane doesn't hang about and is all you need on the road. The 6-speed automatic gearbox is hard to decipher as most of the time all you feel is a progressive pull. Unless the car switches from ICE (Internal Combustion Engine) to EV (Electric Vehicle), then you feel a slight inertia.

Most impressive is the mid-range grunt, quiet grunt as it is electric... In my eyes the main benefit of electricity is that you get max torque instantly, so considering that this has 148 petrol newton meters of torque, and 205 electric torques, it goes like a train. Ideal for those quick overtakes. Such overtakes and heavy right foot moments come with no added guilt; 235mpg can be accommodated, and the petrol CO2 emissions are only 28g/km. Furthermore, you can drive up-to 30 miles in silent mode, purely electric. The perfect combination?

The George Loveridge verdict:

To conclude, this RS Line Hybrid is rather good. You'd think that it'd have an identity issue with the sporty and electric bits together, but I am pleased to report that they really work. Overall, it is like a Biopic film, it is providing you with the thrills, but not to be taken too seriously, or as a faithful replica of something it wants to be.

Price as tested: £32,995
Lead in price: £29,495
Average fuel consumption: 235.4mpg
Range (electric): 32 miles
Range (fuel): 400 miles
Engine size: 1598cc
0-60: 9.8 seconds

Performance 8
Handling 8
Transmission 10
Noise 7
Economy 9
Ride and Comfort 6
Accommodation 5
Styling 8
Brakes 8
Finish 8
TOTAL = 77%

www.renault.co.uk

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