The most special about Megane II is a dramatic tail. Evolving from Avantime, the tail features a near-vertical rear window and a curvy boot lid extended out to the extent that the car looks like a 2-and-a-half-box car. Combine with the strong shoulder line and clean graphical details, the Megane looks like a piece of sculpture. While conventional hatchbacks are 2D tin-boxes, the Megane is a 3D sculpture. Some may argue that such a tail design brings no benefit to cargo volume, or even deteriorates that, but here I am fully agree with Le Quement’s view: it’s time to have a change. For a special styling, a little bit (if not too much) sacrifice in practicality is worthwhile. No wonder some designers said the Megane will influence all future family hatch designs and take the industry into "post-Megane era". 

Nevertheless, in heart and bones the Megane II is actually very conventional. Although the platform is all-new, it still rides on MacPherson struts and torsion-beam axle suspensions. It is a large car in the segment, having a long wheelbase of 2620mm (marginally longer than Ford Focus). However, the rear cabin is actually very tight, a strange thing. Tall people will find legroom limited. Like the Vel Satis, Megane didn’t materialize its potential packaging advantages. Luckily, the cabin is still a nice place to be in, thanks to the clean dashboard, high-spec equipment and Volkswagen-matching high-quality materials.  

Using semi-independent suspensions means the Megane II fails to match Ford Focus for driver appeal as well as ride quality. At low speed, the suspension feels firm and any bumps generate too much shocks and noise. This improves greatly as speed increase. However, pushing it too hard in corners sees body roll build up and understeer set in. All these come earlier than Focus and Peugeot 307, though later than Golf. The steering is another disappointment. As you can guess from its cost-saving fully-electric assistance, steering feel is artificial. Although it is actually very precise, the aggressive self-centering force is annoying. In short, the Megane is just average in driving pleasure. 

In contrast, powertrain is good by class standard. Renault’s 1.6-litre (115hp) and 2.0-litre (136hp) petrol engines are now added with continuous variable valve timing thus both are torquey enough, with 90% of maximum torque from just 2000rpm. In the diesel side, 1.5dCi (80hp) is obviously underpowered for the Megane, but 1.9dCi (from Laguna) is fast and perfectly refined. 120hp and 199lbft mating with a slick 6-speed manual gearbox (supplied by Nissan) guarantees a sub-10 seconds 0-60mph acceleration as well as strong sales. 

Megane shines in packaging rather than engineering. Its design and quality makes our benchmark Focus almost look dated, but in nearly all objective aspects it loses to the Ford - ride, handling and cabin space. Focus is still the class leader. 
 

Megane Sport

The first signs of compromise is that Megane Sport is available in not only the 3-door version but also the 5-door hatchback. Not bad news, because the 5-door is just 20kg heavier and, to most eyes, looks prettier. In contrast, the 3-door hatch has an oddly-shaped C-pillar which won't do good to rearward visibility too. Inside, the civilized hot hatch is generously equipped with leather seats, satellite navigation, cruise control, power mirrors, automatic headlamps and wipers, tire pressure monitor, Xenon lights, card entry, ESP stability control…. weight reduction is obviously not in its agenda. 

Pulling as much as 1355kg (or 1375kg for 5-door), the Megane Sport needs a strong powerplant. Turbocharging is the obvious solution. Take the 2.0 low-pressure turbo engine from Vel Satis and Laguna, fit a high-pressure twin-scroll turbocharger, stronger pistons and crankshaft, tune the ECU and exhaust, here comes a 225 horsepower engine. That's more than direct rival Ford Focus RS and Honda Civic Type R. Torque is not short of either, with 90% of the maximum 221 lbft available from 2000rpm all the way to 6000rpm.  

On the road, the Megane Sport is really quick and tractable. Its power delivery is smooth and strong, performance is higher yet easier to access than the aforementioned rivals. Yes, the Nissan-supplied 6-speed manual gearbox is a little long-winded and imprecise, but the cleverly chosen ratios compensates with non-interrupted acceleration. Push it, it can reach 60mph from rest in just 6 seconds flat and 100mph in a little over 15 seconds. That places it closer to the league of Alfa 147GTA than its own segment. 

As for chassis, apart from the usual stiffening of suspension setting, wider tires, bigger wheels and brakes etc., Renault Sport specially modified the steering geometry, relocating the mounting points of steering rack such that the steering axis is now independent of the front suspension geometry. For what? to eliminate torque steer, obviously.  

In terms of torque steer, yes, the modification is successful. We won't say it is completely free of torque steer (note that it does not employ any LSD), but unless you push it very hard in corner it won't upset you. Nevertheless, in terms of feel the steering is as flawed as it used to be. Remember, the whole Megane range is equipped with electric power steering, a thing we used to criticize so much. So far, only Volkswagen and Honda have developed some decent (but not great) electric steering systems. In the Megane Sport, you can feel the weight has been increased, but where is the feel?  

When you drive the car within 80% of its performance envelop, the Megane seems like a great driver's car. The comfort-biased suspension absorbs bumps nicely. The chassis corners accurately, with good reserve of grip and stopping power. Adding to that superb engine, this package can put smile on the driver's face. 

But squeeze the last 20% and its body control immediately collapses. It resists to corner as swiftly as Focus RS or smaller hot hatches. The roll, the lack of sharp response, the understeer discourage you to exploit the reserved energy of its engine. Moreover, the mandatory ESP always guard against any lift-off oversteer. In other words, no much fun. 

Ridiculously, this civilized hot hatch is assembled in the ex-Alpine Dieppe factory alongside Renault Sport Clio V6. When I think of the great A110, GTA and A610 that rolled off the factory from the 60's to the early 90s, I can't help sighing. 
 

Megane Trophy and Megane Cup

Obviously, British drivers demand more driving fun from their hot hatches than other European, that's why Renault specially created Megane Trophy for the UK market. Basically, the car is a Renault Sport Megane with sportier chassis setup. It retains the excellent 225hp 2-litre 16V turbo engine. The chassis modifications are introduced to answer the criticism that the Megane Sport was too civilized to handle.

The modifications include much stiffer suspension springs (25% up at the front and 77% up at the rear), retuned dampers, 18-inch lightweight alloy wheels (which saves 1.5 kg per corner), grippy Dunlop Sport Maxx 235/40 tires, Brembo cross-drilled brakes, a less intrusive ESP setting and a retuned steering rack with less power assistance and rigid metal bushing.

As a result, the handling of Megane Trophy improves a lot from the regular car - the car steers sharper, more willing to change direction and run more stable in corners. It is easier to exploit power in bend. The original car's flawed steering (too much self-centering action and too light in the helm) has been largely reduced, although steering feel remains artificial. The ride is noticeably firmer, but not to the extent that hurt long distance travel ability.

The Trophy is what the Megane Sport should have been from the beginning. It finally deserves the Renault Sport name, although it is not as hot as Opel Astra OPC. The Trophy is a limited edition. Only 500 cars were produced. However, a striped-out version (with less equipment) called Megane Cup is now offered unlimitedly alongside the standard car.
 

Megane R26

Every year Renault Sport Megane introduces a small revision to sustain sales. The latest revision is called "Megane 230 F1 Team R26", named after Renault's championship-winning formula one race car.... Don't laugh, although it has nothing in common with the F1 car, its handling is hugely improved over the last Megane Trophy / Cup. This must thanks to the addition of a limited slip differential between the front wheels.

Front-wheel-drive hot hatches are always compromised by the fact that their driving wheels have to handle both the tractive force and the steering action simultaneously. This introduces torque steer, understeer and wheelspin at the limit. Traction control or stability control may tame these negative effects by shutting down power, but such on-off-on-off action feels artificial and ultimately lower cornering speed. That was the case for all the previous fast Meganes. Now Renault is finally willing to spend a few hundred dollars extra to equip the car with LSD. The theory of LSD is simple: when the inside wheel is spinning, it redirects more torque to the outside wheel that has better grip, thus improve overall grip and cornering speed while correcting understeer.

The fast Megane used to be strong in power delivery and straight line speed. Now cornering also becomes its strength. Attack a bend and you will immediately realize its front end grips hard and turns sharply into the bend. Press harder still, the car stays planted on the tarmac without understeer. At the same speed, rivals like Golf GTI and Astra OPC would have given up already. Better still, despite of the abundance of torque from the turbocharged engine, the R26 displays virtually no torque steer. However, this is mainly due to adequate tuning of front suspension and steering geometry rather than the adoption of LSD.

Apart from the new found handling capability, the R26 retains the absorbent ride quality of its predecessor because the suspension tuning is unchanged. This mean you can enjoy its good handling on bumpy B-roads as well as on glass-smooth motorway.

Megane Coupe Cabriolet

The Megane CC - let's call it this way - looks more differentiated from the hatchback. Its combination of short wheelbase (10cm cut from the hatchback) and extra-long tail seem somewhat dis-proportioned. This make it looking less bulky than 307CC, but the downside is even tighter rear seat space. Basically, with a 6-footer sitting up front, the rear can take only children. So, don't believe the claim that it were a 4-seater.  

Benefited by the long tail, it provides a massive 490 litres of luggage space when the roof is up. When the roof is stored, it reduces to 190 litres only, smaller than 307CC. Many magazines take this as a minus point. Nevertheless, I think in those rare occasions that you bring a lot of luggage, you won't mind raising the roof to release more luggage space. So, just forget those picky criticism.  

Compare with 307CC, Megane CC has a clear advantage in the roof design: the roof is made of glass to make the ambient of cabin light and airy. Only Mercedes SL is offering similar thing (if you select the Panoramic roof option). This is especially useful in winter, when you want to enjoy the open feel of cabriolet without exposing to cold air. The roof mechanism is produced by German cabriolet specialist Karmann - the maker of Golf Cabriolet and Mercedes SLK / CLK Cabriolet. It takes 22 second to open and close. When it is opened, wind buffeting is well suppressed. When closed, wind noise only becomes intrusion at above 60mph, mostly from the A pillars. 

Like 307CC, the performance of Megane CC is blunted by its 1390kg kerb weight. Right now, top spec. engine is the 2.0-litre VVT producing 136hp. Later, the Laguna's and Vel Satis' 165hp 2.0-litre light-pressure turbo will be added to plug the hole. But don't expect it to take on the latest generation hot hatches for performance and handling. Although the CC has quite a lot stiffening to bodyshell, it is still not a good basis for a driver's car. Renault knows that, therefore it deliberately tuned the suspension to bias ride suppleness and quietness, sacrificing body control and response. The electrically assisted steering gets even less feel and precision than that in the Megane hatchback. In terms of driver appeal, 307CC has an upper hand. 

Anyway, if you can ignore the name "Coupe", you may still find the Megane CC satisfying. It has many of the Megane's strengths, such as remarkable NVH suppression, smooth ride, high-quality cabin, slick 6-speed gearbox and competent engines, especially the 120hp 1.9dCi diesel engine. However, a diesel coupe is still not my cup of tea. Ditto a fake coupe.