I took the Megane V60 Techno for a test drive this afternoon, an opportunity which I couldn't pass up, they seem quite thin on the ground at the minute and I thought it is just nice to fully explore what is on the market right now.
Ok, so having recently also drove the SE LR MG4, I can say that the Megan is quite a slick design.
The vehicle sits much lower in the flesh than in any image / video I had seen, it is very deceptive and it makes the car look much larger than it actually is.
The vehicle I drove was a Storm grey, black contrast roof, Techno version, the list price is almost £39k all in, delivery date was confirmed as "before the end of the year"
A quick run down of the likes / dislikes made me think, just how much of a premium would people pay for a more recognised manufacturer and design flair ? Below are a list of some of the things that came into my mind, that the Megan fails to do as well as the MG4:
Driver Enjoyment:
The drive of the Megan is competent and shore footed, if a little uninspiring. It may leave the driver with a sense of lack of engagement, anything other than Sport mode is really quite dull and lacks urgency and that "instant torque" you grow to expect and love with an EV is quite moderated.
I think because it is front wheel drive, they have tuned the 208 bhp delivery curve down to limit torque steer or wheel spin, but in doing so leaves you feeling a little underwhelmed.
The brake pedal is super sensitive, (I am sure you would get used to it) but jumping in from the ID.3 it felt a whole lot more quick to slam the anchors on, need a light tough with the right foot for sure.
There is a feeling of being "cocooned" deliberate use of this word, as they seem to think putting sound deadening on the battery packs is revolutionary...lol....it is a very quiet cabin, on country roads or doing (cough) motorway legal limit speeds.
Infotainment:
In the UK we get stuck with a very much smaller infotainment screen than our continental European brothers. This is in itself I thought should be no big deal and you might also think along these lines, but it is quite quickly reveals itself to be just a little too small a screen and when the reversing camera is active, the screen just isn't large enough to see with any great clarity.
Also, although it is native Android Auto based, the font is so small, it is difficult to navigate and read.
The Larger European screen I think is a must have given all the information that is crammed onto the smaller UK ONLY screen, this is I feel a real shame, as otherwise the cabin is a very nice place to be.
Layout / Stalk Central:
As may have been mentioned, griping the wheel, it feels nice (similar shape to the MG4 btw) but how many stalks, knobs and buttons can you cluster on it and around it. Even the gear selector is on the right hand side, mixing it with the wiper stalk. It is just too much clutter and I found I should have taken more care with reach and rake adjustment to not cut off the top of the driver info screen.
Vehicle Ready mode:
Although keyless entry is standard (as with many Renault's) you have to place your foot on the brake, then press the start button, to initiate and power up the vehicle, similarly, you have to press the start button again to shut it down. Again, no big issues, but kind of spoils the keyless entry and ready to go kind of vibe you get used to in other EV's (Id.3 & MG4)
Rear Space & door opening:
The rear door is a little bit of an odd shape, I am just about six foot, but the roofline is so low that I had to really duck to get inside it without hitting my head. Something I wasn't expecting as when you look at the car from the outside, the lines con your eyes to think it is large and SUV sized, when really it isn't.
V2L:
From what I can see from searching the internet, the Renault does not do V2L but may at some time in the future be V2G ready.
Other than the above, it is a really nice car. Very refined and the the design is very slick when viewing it in the flesh. The rear light cluster is much more stylised than on the MG (my least favourite angle of the MG) and the wheels look super large, which help the proportions (the MG is perhaps a little under wheeled)
Is it worth the extra £7K over an MG4 Trophy ?
Only you can decide, I however, don't feel it is and unless Renault lower their UK prices or revert to the EU Larger infotainment screen then I think I will stick with my MG4 order (assuming we get resolution of the major issues quickly and the NCAP result is favourable).