Auto Express – July 30, 2019

SpecialIssue 83

Infotainment

Previous versions

of Renault’sportrait

displayshowedAndroid

Auto orApple CarPlay

in asmall cropped

window, but this latest

version worksvery well

Cup-holders

Evenasmall cup or bottle will

block the gearlever, so these

cup-holdersare almost useless

Digital dash

Both carshavedigital dials,

but the Renault’sdisplay

offers morecustomisation

options and is sharper

Running costs
33.3mpg (ontest)
£64 fill-up/£145 or 37%tax

Practicality
Boot(seats up/down)
384/1,247 litres

!

Braking
70-0/60-0/30-0mph
46.7/32.8/9.6m

Performance
0-60mph/top speed
5.8 seconds/162mph

OWNERSHIP

Thesecarshavesimilar

insurancecosts;our

exampledriverwas

quoted£529fortheRenault

and£559fortheHonda.Both

manufacturersofferidentical

three-yearwarrantiesontheircars.

INTERFACEThe portrait-

orientatedtouchscreen is abit

better than the Civic’sbecause

the menus aremorelogical, but the

screen itself is justasinconsistent

in its responsesand is frustrating

to use while on the move.

SAFETYKITThe Mégane misses

AEB,blind-spotand lane-keep assists,

unlikethe Civic.They’re available

as options. Both carsscoredfive

starsintheir Euro NCAP tests.

INTERIOR &

TECHNOLOGY

MaterialqualityisbetterintheMégane

thaninitsrival,andthedesignlooks

moremodern,too.Itmatchesthe

Hondaontechaswell,withsat-nav,

AndroidAutoandAppleCarPlay.

ɃɃ4L 4 L

score

3.8

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THROUGH

THE RANGE

Which deals areonoffer?

THEREisonlyonechoiceoftrimlevel

withtheRenaultMeganeR.S.300

Trophy,soyouronlyoptioniswhether

tohaveamanualorautobox;it’sthe

formerwe’relookingathere,because

it’sabetterchoiceforkeendrivers.

Putdown£3,000onathree-year

PCPdeal(limitedto10,000milesa

year)andtheTrophywillcost£438a

month,whichmakesitalittlecheaper

thantheTypeR.However,it’snotas

wellequippedasitsrivalandyou’ll

needtoaddsomeoptionstobring

thespecificationstoparity.

Standardkitisstillimpressive,though,

becausetheMéganegets19-inch

alloys,climatecontrol,cruisecontrol,

keylessgo,LEDlights,parkingsensors

andalargeportraittouchscreenwith

nav,AppleCarPlayandAndroidAuto.

WhileyoucanbuyaMeganeR.S.

withnormalmetallicpaintforanextra

£550,ourcar’sspecialLiquidYellow

colouroptioncosts£1,300.It’spricey,

butitreallymakesthecarstandout.

Ourchoice:

Options only

ȎȎ4L 4 L

score

4.0