Road test: Renault Megane Coupe-Cabriolet
To drive, the Megane CC is perfectly decent, if unexciting. It handles well, with light but accurate-enough steering and decent levels of grip. However, it’s just too heavy and when the metal roof is folded away, the car feels a bit too weighty at the rear, especially if you take bends or corners at a decent lick. If you’re expecting the driving dynamics of a sports car, you’ll be disappointed: it will never stir the soul in the manner of a Mazda MX-5, for example. The ride is very good though, soaking up all the bumps, humps and potholes to leave the car’s occupants unruffled. It’s definitely a comfort-oriented car and most owners will buy it for that reason, rather than because it’s a sporty little number. Renault has also made a good fist of stiffening up the chassis to ensure that there’s not too much scuttle shake, the tell-tale sign of the shaking rear-view mirror being largely absent.
The Megane CC seems well screwed together and the perceived build quality is pretty high. The cabin is especially good, with decent-quality plastics and leather used in combination to create the kind of environment buyers of boulevard cruisers such as the Megane CC will appreciate. However, Renault’s performance in customer satisfaction surveys in recent years does pose a number of awkward questions about the reliability of its cars. The most recent JD Power customer satisfaction survey placed the company 22nd in the list of 27 manufacturers, and the Megane 87th in the list of the top 104 cars. The French carmaker is attempting to address these issues with a new programme of measures, but it’s currently too early to tell if it’s working. If there are problems, the intricate folding metal roof is one area that could be tricky to fix (there is anecdotal evidence of failures in the last iteration) and the previous version suffered from ignition coil failures. However, that said, this is an all-new version and the current quality initiative should address at least some of the old issues.
Read the full Renault Megane Coupe-Cabriolet road test
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