With temperatures soaring during the day and balmy in the evening, summer in the “Mother City” – wind permitting – is just about perfect. I was hoping that Renault’s new Mégane CC would add pleasantries to the still-festive season – what with the roof down and a turbocharged powerplant, the basic ingredients are pretty much there for a pleasurable experience… but was it?
Well it started off just fine. Design-wise the CC obviously lends its basic cues from its hatchback sibling, and from up front, looks pretty much just like it too. With the generally good response to the design of both the three- and five-door hatch have had in the last year, so far so good. Along the flanks and towards the rear end, however, things go awry and I must admit to not being too chuffed with the immediately obvious bulk aft of the long doors.
I suppose providing adequate housing for the two-piece roof in top-down mode dictated the design, but it’s still not terribly pretty. What annoys me most, however, is that the wheelarches make the 17-inch alloys look ridiculously puny, and then there’s the awful black plastic trim that feature on the lower half of the rear bumper… But styling is always a subjective topic, and I have no doubt that some people will think it is sexy.
The interior is familiar fare, and seeing as this model is of the Dynamique trim, pretty much all the bells and whistles are standard – save for the options of dark red leather seats and metallic exterior paint. It’s very easy to get comfortable in the cabin after getting in out of the summer sun – with a wide range of adjustability for the supportive front seats, automatic dual-zone air, and if the tempered glass (the roof is mostly glass on metal frames) lets in too many rays, there’s also a retractable mesh blind.
The extra features are easily adapted to, but I had to question the position of the cruise control switches between the seat cushions. I’m particularly fond of the user-friendly built-in Carminat Tom Tom navigation system, with its control unit just aft of the gear lever. Unfortunately, its position means having to stop to make proper use of the system to avoid taking your eyes off the road trying to do it while driving. Luckily this unit is supplemented by an Arkamys sound system, with MP3 and USB compatibility, as well as Bluetooth connectivity.
Another annoyance is opening the boot on the electronic fob, you half expect it to rise all the way because of amount of movement and electronic noise, but then have to complete the action manually. Upon closing it I feel that there’s inadequate grip too. The most frustrating feature however is that you can’t open or close the roof when crawling along in traffic – the Mégane CC must be stationary to change the position of its top.
The Mégane CC is powered exclusively by Renault’s turbocharged 1,4 TCe engine which produces 96 kW at 5 500 r/min and 190 N.m of torque. The figures are impressive enough for an engine of its size, but rival powerplants from Volkswagen and Fiat eclipse the Mégane CCs outputs.
Unfortunately, the near 1 600 kg mass the little four-cylinder has to pull around has a detrimental effect on performance. It’s not that noticeable on the daily commute, and even stretches just out of urban bounds are dispatched by good midrange pull, but just as the rev counter reaches beyond 4 500 r/min, there’s a very noticeable lack of grunt and just after the power peak. What makes the experience worse is that shifting through the Mégane CC’s six-speed gearbox isn’t a breeze either – due in part to suspect action, and a clutch so devoid of any feel that you start to question its existence in the first place…
With the top down unfortunately (which, to be honest, is what these cars are made for) there is noticeable scuttle shake and other vibrational noises that are impossible to locate but happen to just be there. Some of this goes away when the roof is closed and some rigidity is restored, but what’s the point of that? With the roof up there’s still a huge amount of light in the cabin – so it still feels like a convertible, just without the rush of wind and noise.
Sadly, it’s not much better in the handling department either. Despite the emphasis on improved dynamics, with tweaks to the MacPherson-type front suspension, and other adjustments to accommodate the added weight and dimensions, the amount of body roll and unsettling feeling of the extra mass in a corner keep confidence at a low.
As much as I tried to like the Mégane CC, at R359 000, its most obvious rival – Volkswagen’s Eos 1,4TSI, pretty much has its number in terms of performance, handling, comfort and just about matches it on price!