Renault Megane Hatchback 1996-

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  • Economy

    Value

    3 out of 5 3.0

    Good value when bought, but depreciated heavily (£3k).

    Costs

    2 out of 5 2.0

    Servicing costs from Renault have been high - standard service is £280 and on my first service was told car needed £1500 of work (Renault London City), later completed by warranty garage for £300.

  • On the road

    Driving

    4 out of 5 4.0

    Compared to my old car (Escort) it's a dream, but compared to most spory hatches I'm not sure it's anything special. Nice engine sound in 1st/2nd high rev, though.

    Performance

    3 out of 5 3.0

    Ok, though not as fast as it sounds - have to get well into the 'seriously noisy' range to get real acceleration.

  • Living with it

    Reliability

    4 out of 5 4.0

    After waterpump problem, have had no real issues in 2 years.

    Image

    2 out of 5 2.0

    It's a reasonably pretty car, but it's not going to stand out in a crowd.

    Comfort

    2 out of 5 2.0

    Poor! Driving position designed for apes (long arms/short legs!) and impossible to see your hazards/demist button while driving. Seats ok for going straight, but provide no support when cornering.

  • Security and Service

    Security

    4 out of 5 4.0

    Had no problems. Like the immobiliser's start-but-then-die operation - might possibly confuse amateurs into giving up?

    Service

    3 out of 5 3.0

    Service has been good but expensive, with the exception of one garage that lost our wheel nut key and would not replace it, meaning we needed to pay £150 to have them all drilled and re-keyed.

  • Problems and Ownership

    Problems

    Engine

    Other

    Waterpump failure, plus other minor.

    Ownership

    Did you buy the car new?

    Used

    Would you buy the same model again?

    No

    Did you buy from the same manufacturer again?

    No