2017 Renault Megane Intens sedan quick review

TELL ME ABOUT THIS CAR

Renault has expanded its Megane range with sedan and wagon variants to join its likeable hatch. This is the first time all three Megane body shapes have been sold in Australia at the same time, and the occasion also welcome an all-new variant in the form of the Megane Intens, which is only available in sedan form.

The Intens is one of two sedan variants and sits above the entry level Zen, with extra equipment including the advanced driver assist pack, 8.7-inch portrait touch screen, leather interior, easy park assist and hands-free opening boot lid.

6

Like all non-GT Megane variants it is powered by a 1.2-litre turbo petrol engine coupled with a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission.

The Megane Intens retails for $31,990 with a guaranteed driveaway price of $36,590.

STRENGTHS

• Like the new Megane wagon, the sedan is 269mm longer than the hatch with an 11mm longer wheelbase, resulting in 37mm more rear legroom (216mm). You’d have to be pretty tall to touch the front seats.
• Extra space allows for the rear seat backrest angle to be relaxed for more comfort compared to the hatch.
• Attractive dark charcoal leather upholstery has a premium feel as do soft touch materials on other surfaces, including the Nappa leather steering wheel.

6

• The Intens comes standard with Renault’s portrait orientation 8.7-inch multimedia tablet featuring the R-Link 2 infotainment system, which includes satellite navigation.
• Megane Intens comes with an advanced driver assistance pack featuring adaptive cruise control, automatic emergency braking up to 150km/h, lane departure warning, and blind-spot warning. This is a $700 option in the Zen variant.
• The sedan shape works well with the Megane’s attractive design language including C-shaped LED daytime running lights at the front and a W-shaped LED tail-lamp graphic that runs across the lip of the boot lid.

6

• The boot can be opened automatically by waving your foot under the back of the car, which is handy if your arms are full.
• The boot holds a substantial 503 litres and while it lacks a little in height, it is very deep. With the 60/40-split rear backrest folded down it holds 987 litres.
• The 97kW 1.2-litre turbo engine isn’t the most powerful in its class but its 205Nm gives it enough oomph to keep up with traffic.

6

• It has five driving modes – Neutral, Sport, Comfort, Perso and Eco – which modify engine response, steering weight and gearing accordingly.
• Fuel economy is a respectable 6.0L/100km.

WEAKNESSES

• The infotainment still doesn’t have Apple CarPlay or Android Auto smartphone mirroring.
• The glovebox is small as are the front cupholders, which are more suited to holding short macchiatos rather than large lattes.
• The gear stick is a little too far forward for using in manual mode.

6

ANY RIVALS I SHOULD CONSIDER

Other similarly priced and equipped sedans include the Ford Focus Titanium, Holden Astra LTZ, Honda Civic VTi-LX, Mazda 3 SP25 Astina, Peugeot 308 Allure, Subaru Impreza 2.0S and Volkswagen Golf 110TSI Comfortline.