This week Donegal Daily’s motoring columnist Brian McDaid, test drives the new Renault Megane, and shares his memories of his uncle Johnny’s creative, and delicious looking headlights!
Love your Renault
When I was 3 years old I believed I could eat the headlights on the Renault 8. My uncle Johnny Coyle drove one of these and would arrive home to Letterkenny from Carrick-On-Shannon with his headlights covered with Lucozade bottle wrappers to help him drive through fog!
The old RENAULT 8 complete with its tasty headlights.
To me they looked like big versions of my favourite sweets, refreshers. And plus the fact, at 3 years old I was just the right height to test my theory and conduct a taste test. I suppose you could say my uncle Johnny drove the first car in Letterkenny with the optional extra of headlight washers.
Testing the All New Renault Megane
I thought better not to mention my attraction to Renault headlights when I went to test drive the new Renault Megane this week.
The all new Megane can be seen around the roads in Co. Donegal recently. We took a spin up the Mountain Top this week to Highland Motors to see what the latest edition to the Renault range had to offer the motoring public of Donegal.
The all New Renault Megane pictured on the picturesque Lough Salt Mountain pass they week. Photo Brian McDaid
Conal Kelly who is one of the sales team at Highland Motors and a fellow neighbour of mine from Wolfe Tone Place in Glencar, Conal handed over control of a very classic key fob of the all new Renault Megane and gave me a grind on the tweaks onboard.
The key just needs to be in your possession and Renault does all the rest. Even as you are approaching the new Megane the two wing door mirrors open out just like the way Mollie my dog stretches to greet me you before I take her out for a run.
Inside the Megane and this classy welcome is still in operation. The multi function unit in the middle of the dash flashes the Renault logo followed by a welcome, then fades out to an old style analog clock. The clock seems to say even if your late, you’re not that late. You could easily sit there for a while and watch the welcome continue.
We are finally out on the road and as always with a Renault you can feel a great level of comfort from the seats. Over the years I have known friends that have bought nothing but Renault. Many who will be buying these new Megane’s will be able to tell you of having the R19 the the R14 the R12 and even as far back as the R8 or R10 which is roughly the names of the Renault cars that the Megane finally took over from nearly 20 years ago.
Two car types in one
Over the years Renault produce both very comfortable cars while the sporting wing were at the forefront of producing some very powerful versions of family cars, Renault now have developed both these options with in their new Renault Megane, with the flick of a button down along the side of the gear stick you can have the best of both worlds within the same car.
The Stylish key of the All New Renault Megane. Photo Brian McDaid
On Eco mode everything is geared to driving for economy the main centre dial in front of the driver and everything around it is illuminated in green. Your performance to achieving the best possible economy is shown instantly and also at the end of your journey.
The cars will give you a readout and also can compare it with the the best the car has achieved, and also will suggest handy tips to achieving the best fuel economy. Things like checking tyre pressure, removing a roof rail when it’s not in use , small things that create drag which can add up to considerable savings if regularly checked.
Sport Mode
If you flick the switch to sport mode the Megane transforms it suspension, its engine sound, and its brake horsepower output to a more firmer setup. Now the dash that was green and everything around it now is illuminated in a sporty red.
This colour change is very gradual and even goes down the two sides of the transmission tunnel and along the piping of the doors of the car. This could be a bit of a hindrance if you were unfortunate enough to have back seat drivers on board as they would know by the colour code you have switched to sport and could be ever so helpful in telling you what you’rw doing wrong. What would we do without them?!
The clocks of the All new Renault Megane in red for Sport mode. Photo Brian McDaid
These setting do work and change the set up of the car, the Megane I drove had the 1.5 Diesel engine which by the way has become so quiet its hard to tell the difference in the sound of it and a petrol unit, I drove the car in both modes and was starting to wonder if the dash in its green clean colours hypnotise me into going with the flow , relaxing and driving easy, were in sport the red setting and the big rev counter sitting straight in front of you brought out the sport in you.
But there is a change with the flicking of the button. I was heading into a long climbing hill and the traffic had slowed in front of me. I had change down from sixth to fifth and shortly would have to change down again. I could see the back log of traffic clearing up a head so instead of making another gear change I flipped the switch from Eco to Sport to see what happened.
The car now was competing against the climb if the hill, and my stubbornness not to change it down a gear, The Megane pulled away with ease, I could even hear a slight change in the note of the engine as the Megane gathered momentum which I thought was just class.
Summing Up
The Renault Megane is with the Renault brand for 20 years now, over the years it has taken over in that it has evolved into a bigger car. I think it may have been the first Renault to have a name and not a number which has served it well.
This new Megane is probably a bigger car than the old top of the range Renault 16 of the 60’s and 70’s and that, I think is the secret to survive as a brand, Renault were different when they first appeared on the roads of Ireland in the late 60’s now with all the new brands arriving on the roads.
The Renault brand is reassuringly familiar but stylish in a very typical French way. I have always enjoy tasting, I mean testing Renaults range, Headlights and all!
Happy Motoring Folks!
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