Our Fleet Test Drive: Renault Megane Sport Tourer - 7th Report
Date:
31 March 2010
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Author: Guy Bird
Megane dash
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Category: | Estate | P11D price: | £19,350 (est.) | Key rival: | Ford Focus Estate | |
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I'm not an obsessive cruise control user - living in the city and setting it to 20mph can be dangerous - but on longer journeys a simple system can be a real boon.
Some devices can be impenetrable, but luckily the Megane's system is a breeze to use. Flicking a switch on the base of the centre armrest up or down activates cruise control, while simply pressing the 'plus' or 'minus' buttons on the steering wheel adjusts speed. Renault's version also offers helpful visual confirmation through lighting sections around the easy-to-read digital speedo. The green light bar at the equivalent of 'nine to 11 o'clock' confirms the system is on and a similarly-coloured bar from '11 to 12 o'clock' lights up when the cruising control has been reached. Exceed the cruising speed, though, and the bar between '12 to three o'clock' lights up red and flashes. Equally, if the car is unable to maintain the cruising speed in the gear selected - when going up a steep incline in 6th say - the '12 to 3' section will light red again. When it's time to switch to 'standby' a press of the 'O' button on the steering wheel or a dab of the brakes does the trick. Simple and effective, I like it a lot.
Renault Megane Sport Tourer 1.5dCi TomTom 5dr 6spd manual | Mileage | 3087 | Claimed combined consumption | 62.8mpg | Our average consumption | 41.7mpg | P11D price | £20,060 | Model price range | £14,935-£22,285 | CO2 (tax) | 120g/km/13% | BIK 20/40% per month | £43/£87 | Service interval | up to 18,000mls/2yrs | Insurance | group 6 | Warranty | 3yrs/60,000mls | Boot space (min/max) | 486/1567 litres | Engine size/power | 1461cc/106PS | Top speed/0-62mph | 118mph/11.2secs | Why we’re running it | To see if downsizing estates can really work | Positive | Satnav, interior detail, economy, ride | Negative | Odd locking, left-hand drive bias, engine |
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