[Auto] Renault Megane E-Tech Electric review

[Agent47]

 

 

The all-new Mégane E-Tech Electric crossover is another serious ‘budge up’ from battery technology as it starts to shove combustion engines out of the mainstream. After all, the Mégane is a trusty old member of the family hatchback class, but this new car is purely electric – albeit to be sold alongside the plug-in hybrid Mégane for a couple of years.

You won’t mistake this new model for the old one, though: its Range Rover Evoque-esque look, complete with a high waistline, a frowning brow and contrasting chevrons on its chin, is very distinct and rather sporting.
This, in fact, is because this design was originally conceived as the styling for a performance version of the new car. As design boss Laurens van den Acker told us: “Everyone liked it so much that we made it the standard styling.” That will also explain the 20in wheels that will be standard fit on higher-spec versions, then.

This is also an important car for Renault, since it’s the first model to sit on its new EV-specific modular platform, the CMF-EV.
In this guise, that means front-wheel drive and a slimline mattress of lithium ion batteries with a usable capacity of either 40kWh or 60kWh, which translates to a WLTP range of 186 or 292 miles. DC rapid charging can be done at a rate of up to 130kW on the 60kWh model, which is good for a 10-80% charge in half an hour. Expect the 40kWh model to have slower charging (the CCS rapid-charging plug might even be optional), but every Mégane E-Tech Electric will be able to take 22kW from an AC charger.
As for how it drives? Well, Renault bandied about the phrase “this is the GTI of the class” in its press conference, which Volkswagen might not be too pleased about (nor Renault Sport, we imagine). Calling it a hot hatch is overstating the truth, but on the evidence of our drive in a 60kWh pre-production car, it would be fair to say that this is the most fun you can have in an electric family car in the £30,000-£40,000 price range.

Provided you can forgive the peculiarly squarish wheel, the steering response is quick yet light, even when weighted up in Sport mode, and works well with a front end that’s keen to dive into a corner.

You’re also given a good sense of how much traction is available and precise enough throttle response that you can adjust your cornering line intuitively with your right foot. Which is good, because the biggest bugbear we have is the car’s tendency to spin its wheels up and squirm its way out of a corner if you unleash anything close to the 215bhp on tap. However, the roads were damp and we’re told that the engineers plan to sort this before the official launch, so we will reserve judgement for now.

Ride comfort is good – potentially getting on for the best in the class, in fact. There’s none of the stodgy post-bump wallowing that some EVs suffer. It can feel brittle over expansion joints, but our test car rode on those 20in wheels, and even with that factored in, the damping and bump absorption are good, especially since the Mégane’s heft is neatly tied down in cornering.

That’s largely thanks to a kerb weight of 1624kg, which is a result of new lighter battery and motor technology, weight savings in the aluminium door panels and a new heat pump and air-conditioning system that more efficiently reuses energy lost to help heat the cabin.For some context, that kerb weight is still a disappointing 300kg or so more than that of a petrol-powered Volkswagen Golf, but it’s also around 200kg lighter than a 58kWh Volkswagen ID 3, so the gains are clearly paying off.

It certainly shows in terms of the handling vim, the well-judged ride and the impressive efficiency. That the 60kWh Mégane manages a WLTP range of 292 miles – much the same as the famously efficient Kia e-Niro 64kWh, despite a 4kWh- smaller usable battery capacity – says a lot. We found the Mégane efficient in the real world, too. On a fairly fast test route that included motorway and some Sport mode- worthy country roads in middling temperatures, it still delivered an indicated 3.5 miles per kWh, or around 210 miles to a charge.
 

Link : https://www.autocar.co.uk/car-review/renault/megane-e-tech-electric