Plug-in hybrid for the facelifted Renault Mégane
This facelift is dedicated to the contours: Sure, Renault's compact Mégane still looks pretty much the same after the first facelift as we have known it since its debut in 2016. And yet generation four is becoming more pointed at all ends. Sport variants are sharper. Bread-and-butter versions are more down-to-earth. And fuel-saving efforts seem more serious.
For the second half of its life, the VW Golf competitor will receive the plug-in hybrid variant E-Tech and, in the long term, a smaller entry-level unit with a displacement of 1.0 liters. In addition, the new R.S.-Line sports equipment line is more closely aligned with the wild Mégane variants for sports drivers. These, in turn, will produce 300 hp in each variant in the future. We clarify here what the innovations for the model update are in detail.
The most important facts about the Renault Mégane facelift in brief:
- New plug-in hybrid version with 9.8 kWh battery
- New Traffic Jam Assist for Renault's Golf opponents
- 300 hp in all Mégane R.S. compact sports cars
- GT-Line becomes the R.S. Line – and wilder in details
Partial autonomy for the Renault Mégane
Renault equips the compact, which is from 4.36 meters long, with LED headlights in all equipment lines. In road traffic, the lifted variants of the hatchback and station wagon version Mégane Grandtour can only be recognized by details. For example, when the driver turns – and the turn signal light wipes from the inside to the outside. Or shortly after unlocking, when the revised Mégane backlights the door handles.
For the interior of the Mégane, Renault offers a digital speedometer with a 10.2-inch screen for the first time, which provides information about the operation of its assistants, among other things. A new feature is Traffic Jam Assist: Adaptive cruise control and lane centering work together to relieve the driver in traffic jams. In addition, the Mégane has (among other things) blind spot warning and emergency brake assist.
The second screen belongs to the infotainment system and measures either 7 or 9.3 inches. Renault integrates the larger variant upright into the dashboard. New is the "MySense" selection item for Renault's driving program menu. In pure combustion engines, the driver influences the operation of the steering and powertrain via comfort, sport or eco mode.
Mégane E-Tech: First details on the PHEV drive
The Mégane with plug-in hybrid powertrain offers the driver more setting options: In "Pure mode", only the electric motor drives the Mégane E-Tech. According to the manufacturer, this works with a fully charged 9.8 kWh battery over a distance of 50 kilometers and up to a speed of 135 km/h. In the inner-city area, the Mégane with an electric connection should even drive 65 kilometers emission-free before the combustion engine starts. It is a 1.6-liter naturally aspirated gasoline engine.
Renault has not yet published performance data for the powertrain components. Only the system output of 160 hp and the CO2 emissions (according to WLTP) are known: Of course, in practice the aforementioned 40 g CO2/km (equivalent to less than 2 liters of Super per 100 kilometers) will only be achievable under optimal conditions. So with a charged battery and low average speed. By selecting the "E-Save" program, the driver can save the electricity. Then the Mégane E-Tech maintains the charge level on the country road, for example, and still has energy for the city. In Sport mode, both engines send their maximum power to the front wheels if desired.
Pure combustion engines in the Renault Mégane facelift
After the facelift, the Mégane remains a pure front-wheel drive. The versatile 1.3-liter four-cylinder gasoline engine remains in the range. As before the facelift, the turbocharged engine delivers 115, 140 or 160 hp. In addition, Renault is adding a 100 hp version of the engine to the portfolio. However, the new entry-level engine has not been confirmed for the German market, nor has the announced smallest petrol engine – a 1.0-litre petrol engine with 120 hp is to be the most economical petrol engine without electric support.
As expected, the diesel engine will remain in the range in this country. In any case, Renault is sticking to the familiar 1.5-liter four-cylinder turbodiesel with 115 hp for the Mégane IV facelift. Renault couples regular combustion engines (with and without spark plugs) to a six-speed manual transmission or a seven-speed dual-clutch transmission (EDC) as before.
Model facelift for the compact sports car Mégane R.S.
In the case of the sporty top models Mégane R.S. and Mégane R.S. Trophy, Renault is providing less variety with the model update - and increased fairness: Both models are powered by the well-known 1.8-liter four-cylinder turbocharged gasoline engine, as it also powers the sports car sister Alpine A110. In the first life of the Mégane IV, the only way to the most powerful variant with 300 hp was via the Mégane R.S. Trophy racetrack tool – i.e. the sharpened version of the compact sports car. The pre-facelift Mégane R.S. comes with 20 hp less. And is catching up with the model update.
Admittedly, the balance of power is still a little unevenly distributed: The Mégane top engine sends a torque of 420 Newton meters into a connected dual-clutch transmission, 20 Newton meters more than with a six-speed manual transmission in the engine compartment. According to initial information, the Trophy alone comes with the Cup chassis with harder dampers and mechanical Torsen lock. In the future, the regular Mégane R.S. will be condemned to a little more mildness and an open differential via the sports chassis.
New in-between world: The sporty R.S. Line
There is still room between track tools and everyday models with the Mégane. So far, the GT Line trim level fills it. With a sharpened look in the exterior and interior, however, reason prevails in the engine compartment. In other words, what the R.S. line offers from the facelift. Visually, however, you park closer to the compact sports cars. With the R.S. emblem outside and inside, sports seats, visible carbon inserts and wider sills. In the hatchback, a second tailpipe finds its way to the rear, but not in the Mégane Grandtour station wagon.
The plug-in Mégane is only available as a station wagon at market launch. The PHEV will only find its way into the hatchback version later. Renault has not yet announced prices for lifted Mégane and Mégane Grandtour. The pre-facelift costs from 20,290 euros. And it still looks relatively fresh – just less sharply drawn at the corners of the portfolio.
Renault Mégane Facelift (2020): First technical data
| Model | Renault Mégane |
|---|---|
| Engines | Turbo petrol engine with 1.3 to 1.8 litres, 1.5-litre four-cylinder turbodiesel |
| Plug-in hybrid drive | 1.6-litre four-cylinder petrol engine and electric unit with 9.8 kWh battery |
| Transmission | Six-speed manual transmission and seven-speed dual-clutch transmission |
| Body variants | Compact model with hatchback, compact station wagon |
| Length | 4,359 mm to 4,628 mm |
| Width | 1,814 mm to 1,875 mm |
| Height | 1,428 mm to 1,449 mm |
| Wheelbase | 2,669 mm to 2,712 mm |
| Market launch | Summer 2020 |
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