At last, a French car this week – I was really looking forward to driving the
Renault Megane E-Tech SUV. Visually, this electric Megane has a great
silhouette more like a hatchback with large 20-inch alloys tucked right into
the corners, the styling impressive and giving it a more premium feel
although the resultant high tail tends to limit rear visibility. With a 60kWh
battery pack feeding a single electric motor with 160kW and 320Nm of
torque driving through the front wheels it offers a driving range of 454Km.
Step in and your immediately impressed with a quality and functional
interior with great finishes. A wide 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster and
interconnected 9-inch multimedia touchscreen thankfully combine with
switchgear to make it all very user friendly, something the Chinese
newcomers could well learn from. There’s Android Auto and Apple CarPlay,
dual zone climate control, wireless phone charging, heated front seats and
a heated steering wheel. At $54,990 plus on-road costs the Megane E-Tech
is well priced, with combination cloth and leather seats that offer great
comfort but lack power adjustment while the interior is a standout in
design. Warranty underdone at five-years/100,000km, battery warranty 8-
years/160,000km. The proof however is in the driving which I’ll detail in an
hour. I’m David Berthon