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Renault’s French reconnection

WARSAW — Some French tastes definitely need to be acquired, like a fondness for cheese that smells like used socks.

WARSAW — Some French tastes definitely need to be acquired, like a fondness for cheese that smells like used socks.

Cars from France do not seem to be for everyone, either, at least in Singapore. According to Land Transport Authority statistics, fewer than one in 60 cars on our roads is from a French manufacturer, and this includes vehicles from Citroen, Renault and Peugeot.

Maybe the new Megane Sedan can change that. It has a name that once graced Renault’s most successful model here, but what counts more is that it conforms to a format that local buyers consider the quintessential family car: Four doors, a large boot, and an engine that qualifies for a Category A Certificate of Entitlement.

That means the Megane’s rivals are immensely popular cars from Japan like the Mazda 3 or Toyota Corolla Altis, or Germany’s Volkswagen Jetta.

THE BIG AND THE BOOTIFUL

To steal their market share, the Megane will count on two major things.

The first is a body that is large for the class, and in a good way. The Megane has a broad, visually striking face and a voluptuous rear that manages to be wide without looking dumpy. In the flesh, it looks imposing and weighty, like a thing of substance.

Its size gives it plenty of leg- and headroom in the back, so if there are tall people in your family, the Megane would be a good choice. The Renault has a bigger boot than a Mercedes S-Class too, giving you 550 litres of capacity, versus 510 litres for the S-Class.

While you will not find a Mercedes-like cabin inside, the Megane Sedan’s interior does have its fair share of nice, expensive-feeling soft plastics. Those are mainly up front, and when you climb into the back, it is like Renault exhausted its budget for poshness, so what you get are hard, shiny plastics.

The interior layout is a mixed bag, too. A big central touchscreen keeps the button population low, so the dashboard is impressively neat, but some of the controls are scattered willy-nilly. Why place the cruise control switch near the parking brake? And why is the driving mode switch for Sport and Comfort settings a few inches away from the one for Eco?

You can probably chalk that down to French quirkiness. Yet, Renault’s habit of doing its own thing has its virtues, too.

SMOOTH OPERATOR

Car makers use off-the-shelf suspension dampers that go into a variety of models, but every different Megane Sedan has its own, individually tuned shock absorbers. That has given the Megane a beautifully serene ride quality, helping it to glide placidly over bumps.

But the biggest surprise though is how quiet the car is inside. The engine is a 1.5-litre turbodiesel that powers a number of Renault models (along with some Mercedes and Infiniti ones, thanks to a corporate alliance between Renault, Nissan and Daimler).

It is decently energetic, and provides lively in-town acceleration, but in some applications it sounds like a robot bear with a bad cough. In the Megane Sedan, however, it somehow manages to stay so hushed that it feels like a different engine altogether.

At least, that was the case in the test car we drove, which was paired with a manual gearbox. Singapore-bound cars will get a twin-clutch transmission, but that ought to have no impact on the engine’s voice.

The handling is set up more for stability than agility, but that is pretty coherent with the Megane’s other trump card, which is its tiny appetite for fuel. Somehow it squeaks by on just 3.8L/100km of diesel, and it will almost certainly be one of the cheapest cars on the market to fuel. That leaves more cash in the coffers for family matters, of course, so the Megane Sedan should give Renault a strong offering in its segment when it arrives early next year.

A petrol engine would have given it wider appeal, but the Megane will be Renault’s quietest diesel, which should let would-be customers focus on its terrific fuel economy.

Diesel power is something of an acquired taste, but in the Megane, it is far easier to accept than a platter of mouldy cheese.

Renault Megane Sedan 1.5 dCi

Engine: 1,461cc, in-line four, turbodiesel, 110hp, 250Nm

Performance: 190kmh, 0-100kmh: 12.5s, 3.8L/100km, 98g/km CO2

Price: To be confirmed

Available: First quarter of next year

PROS: Spacious interior, super frugal engine, large boot

CONS: Some iffy cabin plastics, and scattered controls

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