On the gasoline compact market, the Renault Mégane 4 remained one of the few to retain four cylinders for all its engines. It finally gives in to the sirens of downsizing and draws, at the entry level, a small three-cylinder block 1.0 TCe pushed to 115 hp. Should we still buy it?
Test car: Renault Megane 1.0 TCe 115
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From€ 25,100
no bonus |
Launched in 2015, the Renault Mégane is no longer very young but it had known how to stay in the wind, mechanically speaking. In 2018, it replaced its sluggish and unreliable 1.2 TCe with a state-of-the-art 1.3 TCe born from the collaboration with Daimler. In 2020, it launched an E-Tech 160 plug-in hybrid powertrain, first on the Estate station wagon and then on the sedan. After the offensive, it’s time to fall back: to animate the entry-level petrol Mégane, the 1.3 TCe from Mercedes Class A has been replaced by a 1.0 TCe from Clio, or almost.
If the power does not lose the slightest horsepower (115 hp), the value of torque pays for the passage from four to three cylinders: 200 Nm maximum at 2,900 rpm now, against 220 Nm from 1,500 rpm previously. An almost transparent regression during acceleration (0 to 100 km / h approved in 11 s instead of 10.7 s previously), but which should be felt more on a daily basis when restarting at low speeds. This engine makes it possible at least to soften the call price, which started at € 29,000 since the disappearance of the 1.3 TCe 115 at the end of 2020.
Renault Mégane 1.0 TCe 115 price
With this new engine, the Mégane 2021 sets its first price at € 25,100 in Zen level. The equipment already appears to be very correct with, as standard, a 7-inch central screen with EasyLink interface and Android Auto-Apple CarPlay compatible, 7-inch digital display meters, a reversing radar, an access and starting card. hands-free and two-zone air conditioning with automatic regulation. If the Intens and RS Line levels are unavailable with this small unit, Renault will keep the special Limited series invoiced at an additional € 1,150.
At € 26,250, the Mégane TCe 115 Limited adds, among other things, integrated GPS navigation, four alloy rims, electrically folding mirrors and a handful of driving aids (sign recognition, automatic switching of high beams, exit alert lane), but still no reversing camera or fog lights. The use of option packs is therefore essential, as detailed on the next page.
Driving
Limited to 90 hp and 160 Nm in the Clio (even 100 hp and 170 Nm in the LPG version), the 1.0 TCe has never stood out for its breathtaking performance. Pushed to 115 hp and 200 Nm, this variation however makes us lie: beautiful “turbo effect” from 1,500 rpm, voluntary accelerations on the first reports, very correct reminders in the flow of traffic. Only the sixth gear, a little long, requires you to downshift to really secure overtaking and insertions on expressways. Not a problem in the Mégane, whose gearbox control, which is high enough, is easy to reach for easy handling.
This stage serves at least consumption on the motorway, raised to 7.2 l / 100 km at 130 km / h despite a hilly terrain which requested the small three-cylinder in the long ramps. In this exercise, the absence of adaptive cruise control and true centering in the track (available in a “simple” Clio) betrays the age of the Mégane, which still makes a good point in terms of soundproofing. , steering or comfort with its 16-inch high-sidewall tires. We have been less seduced by the grip of the new tires Nexen of Korean origin, uneventful on dry ground but disappointing in the rain, where it is not uncommon to embrace the limits of grip.
Paradoxically, it is in town that the small-engine Mégane becomes less pleasant. In question ? A more choppy operation than that of the old four-cylinder. Between the lack of progressiveness of the clutch, the extreme sensitivity of the accelerator and the many jolts felt after a cold start, it becomes difficult to smooth the movements in an accordion circulation. And, unlike the Mégane 1.3 TCe 140 which has remained in the catalog, the 1.0 TCe 115 version does not benefit from the robotic gearbox. In congestion, the solution then consists in switching to Eco mode, which moderates the stimuli but softens the operation of the three-cylinder at low speed. This is the tip of the day!
On board
Competition
Despite its restyling in 2020, the Mégane should quickly find itself caught between the rivals of the Stellantis group. By the Citroën C4 on the one hand, superior in terms of comfort and more reasonable in terms of price thanks to its 100 hp engine (C4 PureTech 100 Feel from € 23,600). Especially by the new Peugeot 308, including the PureTech 110 Active Pack version is displayed 300 € cheaper than the Mégane Zen ! Its standard equipment is however equivalent (no hands-free access but more driving aids) and logically appears more modern: 10 inches diagonal for the digital instrumentation and the central touch screen against only 7 inches at Renault. . And for those who are put off by the Peugeot i-Cockpit (small steering wheel and overhead counters), the Opel Astra cousin is coming in a few months …
Find the test report, all equipment prices and the technical sheet of the Mégane 1.0 TCe 115 on the next page.
