The New Renault Megane II Sedan

[Hc1883]

The new Renault Megane II sedan has just been launched in Singapore. And the pricing looks attractive for a 1.6 litre car.

 

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Full speed ahead for Renault sedan

 

Sales of new Megane seen overtaking that of hatchback version

 

By SAMUEL EE

 

 

THE new Renault Megane sedan is expected to outsell the hatchback version by three to four times, Olivier Delamarre, area operations manager of Renault Asia Pacific, said at the launch of the new car at the Pines Club yesterday. 'Definitely, the sedan will do much better than the hatchback,' he said. 'This car is dedicated to the international markets, whereas the hatchback is more for the European market.'

 

Selling point: the 1.6-litre Renault Megane sedan costs $82,888 with a five-speed manual gearbox and comes with a boot which appeals to S'pore motorists

The Megane II hatchback was launched in late July and features a radical two-box design. In contrast, the sedan's three-box shape looks more conventional and has a boot - something which motorists here seem to prefer. The 1,600 cc car is also said to be the biggest in its class and boasts a long wheelbase that greatly benefits rear leg-room.

 

Mr Delamarre would not say how many Megane hatches have been sold so far, except that deliveries are expected to be in good numbers. Exklusiv Auto Services, the authorised distributor for Renault, revealed that the hatchback's avant garde design has polarised opinions about it and surprisingly, more men than women like it.

 

So why launch something as niche as the hatchback before something more mainstream like the sedan? 'The hatchback is very important in Europe, so it was a good model to launch first,' Mr Delamarre said. 'Also, the sedan is based on the hatch, so the sedan has to follow. The hatchback is good for the brand and what it stands for, for example, the design and image. But the sedan is good for the sales figures.' The arrival of the sedan in Singapore just a month after its world premiere appears to reinforce the last point.

 

'Especially for Asia, I think that we should be successful with the Megane, with all its quality and safety features and competitive pricing,' Mr Delamarre said.

 

The Megane II hatchback is the only car in its compact segment to get five stars under the Euro NCAP crash safety tests. The Megane came out top of its class because of a body shell that protects the cabin with front, rear and side deformation zones in an accident. The 1.6-litre, 16-valve sedan costs $82,888 with a five-speed manual gearbox. It costs an extra $3,000 for a four-speed automatic transmission.

 

The Megane hatchback and sedan are among a range of seven vehicle variants based on a common platform, which was developed at a cost of about three billion euros (S$6 billion). Mr Delamarre said that the next Renault model to be introduced to the Singapore market will be the Scenic MPV and the seven-seater version.

[Hc1883]

Some pics of the interior.

[Vtim]

at 115BHP & 152NM, not too bad for a 1.6L

[Soya]

certainly looks better than the hatch.

[Caaa]

To me, the hatch looks better.

[Phalanx]

If you test drive the hatch, especially in auto, you will realise that the car ain't that great...

[Caaa]

I tin compact conti auto gearbox is not as refine as the japs.....IMHO.

Edited October 8, 2003 by Caaa

[Vtim]

If you test drive the hatch, especially in auto, you will realise that the car ain't that great...

 

of course lar! I prefer manual

[Caaa]

[Vtim]

[Seansene]

Just test driven! Report soon...

[Hc1883]

And at approx. S$83K for the 1.6 manual, it probably gives the Honda Civic a good run for the money.

[Hc1883]

Guess we're lovers of cars with "backside".

[Hc1883]

The hatch has got a more unique look to its rear compared to the sedan. Good if you want to stand out from the sea of mundane looking hatchbacks out there.

[Soya]

actually i prefer hatchbacks anyday. but the megane sedan somehow looks more proportionate than the hatch.

[Vtim]

that's true & the OMV is quite close to the Civic

[Jazziegirl]

if i'm not wrong, omv for manual is $17K and auto is $19K

[Ace_t]

side view looks abit like the focus leh...

 

any chance it might have a similar engine platform ?