Why the GT again?
For avid Autodealer readers, the GT will be a familiar sight with our editorial team having already sampled it at launch and during a road test two years ago. However, the opportunity for me to spend a couple of months behind the wheel recently arose, and I grabbed it as quickly as I could.
You see, I own a third generation Megane in RS250 Cup guise, and having recently driven the all-new RS280 in Spain, the GT would certainly round-off my impressions surrounding the latest generation.
So far so good
I have genuinely been trying to fathom why the Megane range ticks over single-digit sales figures each month and honestly, I cannot give a conclusive answer that pertains to any inherent flaws with the product itself.
In my two weeks with the GT, I have covered just over 1 000km in mixed driving conditions that have allowed me to try out the various driving modes. My fuel consumption figure at the time of writing was 8.1-litres/100km, which is far off of the 6.0-litres/100km claim, but then again, I’m yet to drive a petrol-powered contender in this segment that does match its claimed consumption figure.
Interior and exterior
From a design perspective, especially in GT guise, I feel that this is a supremely good looking vehicle. Those sharp-edged LED headlamps, the large grille, 18-inch alloy wheels, 3D-effect taillights and a rather attractive silhouette all contribute, despite the fact that this fourth-generation model is only available as a five-door hatch.
I’ve had a few people approach me to ask what car I’m driving when I tell them that it’s a Megane, they seem rather surprised, in a good way, from what I surmised.
Inside, one could make a case for why certain rivals such as the Volkswagen Golf, Opel Astra, Mazda3 and Peugeot 308 may have an advantage. You see, some of the plastics, particularly on the lower-end of the cabin, are not of a high quality as expected, while on the infotainment front, the large 8.7-inch portrait-style multimedia system isn’t the fastest or most intuitive on the market.
That being said, these are relatively minor foibles when we consider how much better the interior design, quality and NVH levels are in this new generation versus the previous car. It’s a giant leap forward which allows the Megane to compete commendably against its key rivals.
The Megane range
In my next long-term update, I’ll tackle the features and powertrain of this GT model, but to place it into context, I’d like to have a look at the Megane range in its entirety. At the moment, this GT is the range-topping variant until it is replaced by the RS around July.
Below it is where I feel the real bread and butter offerings are though. While the base Megane is a Dynamique and is well-specified, it comes with an asthmatic 1.6-litre naturally aspirated petrol motor and isn’t very desirable.
The next step up GT-Line though is powered by a 97kW/205Nm 1.2-litre turbo-petrol engine, and aside from being offered with a six-speed manual or seven-speed EDC automatic gearbox, arguably makes more sense power-wise and by being competitively priced against the competition.
I’m not saying that the Megane should be the best-selling vehicle in its class nor that it is a class leader overall, it just baffles me that this model, along with the Nissan Qashqai-based Kadjar, sell in such low volumes within the local market.
Perhaps the brand needs to re-look at the marketing for these products as the consumer awareness surrounding the Megane and Kadjar appears to be lacking.
