Renault Mégane

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Renault Mégane<tr><td colspan=2>Image:Meganefront.jpg</tr>
Manufacturer:	Renault<tr><th>Production:<td>Mk I: 1995—2002 Mk II: 2002—2008</tr><tr><th>Predecessor:<td>Renault 19</tr><tr><th>Successor:<td>Still in production</tr><tr><th>Class:<td>Small family car</tr><tr><th>Engine:<td>I4 I4 Turbo I4 Diesel V6</tr><tr><th>Transmission:<td>6-gear manual/automatic</tr><tr><th>Related:<td>Mégane Renault Sport Renault Scénic</tr><tr><th>Similar:<td>Alfa Romeo 147 Citroën Xsara Citroën C4 Ford Focus Mazda3 Peugeot 307 Volkswagen Golf Opel Astra</tr><tr><th>Designer:<td>Patrick le Quément (Chief designer)</tr>

Image:Renault megane.jpg

Renault Mégane Convertible (with 1999-2002 front grille)

Image:Renault Megane Cabrio silver vl 2005.jpg

The Renault Mégane is a small family car produced by the French automaker Renault since 1995. It is offered in 3- and 5-door hatchback, sedan, coupé, convertible and station wagon bodystyles. The Renault Scénic is the first modern compact MPV, and is based on the Mégane.

1 Mégane I (1995-2002)
2 Mégane II (2002-present)
3 References
4 Trivia
5 See also
6 External links

[edit] Mégane I (1995-2002)

The Mégane I was unveiled in the autumn of 1995, as a replacement of the Renault 19. The car was essentially a reskin of its predecessor, and carried over the 19's floorpan, engines, transmissions and chassis design, albeit with much modification. Taking its name from a Renault concept car shown in 1988, the Mégane further developed the new corporate styling theme introduced by Patrick Le Quément on the Laguna, most notably the "bird-beak" front grille - a styling cue borrowed from the legendary Renault 16 of the 1960s. As with the 19 and the 11 before it, the Mégane was produced in Renault's Douai plant in northern France, and in the spanish plant of Palencia.

1997 saw the introduction of the Mégane Scénic compact MPV.

Power came from the Renault E-type ("Energy") engine in 1.4 L, 1.6 L, 1.8 L, and the F-type unit in both 1.9 L diesel and 2.0 L petrol form, although this time around there was a wider variety of 16-valve derivatives. A 1.9 L Diesel engine in both normally aspirated and turbocharged forms was also available.

A mild facelift in 1999 gave the Mégane I a modified grille, more advanced safety features and upgraded equipment, and the 16-valve engines were used across the range.

[edit] Mégane II (2002-present)

The Mégane II was launched in 2002 [1], and marked a completely fresh start. The two cars bear very little resemblance, the new vehicle having been inspired by the manufacturer's new style first seen in the Avantime. The enormous success of the Mégane across Europe proved that Renault's new bold styling was a winning formula and the subsequent failure of the Avantime to sell in great numbers can be attributed to its unusual market placement rather than its styling. The new Mégane was voted European Car of the Year in 2003, and achieved a 5-star safety rating in the EuroNCAP crash tests[2], the first small family car to do so.

Mégane II and the Laguna were both showcases for a great deal of innovative technologies Renault launched around 2001-2002; the Renault Card keyless ignition system, standard on the Mégane II, was a first in this class and has since been widely adopted. Similarly, the option of a panoramic glass sunroof is another area in which Renault led where others followed.

In Brazil, Renault launched the flex-fuel version, called "Hi-Flex", which is able to ride either with unleaded gasoline (petrol) or ethanol. Such as the Brazilian Scénic and Clio versions, the Mégane´s engine can work with any mix proportion varying from E0 up to E100, due to the electronic module addopted. The same car can use the Brazilian ethanol, which does not contain any gasoline in it, the Brazilian gasoline, which contains 20-25% of ethanol in it (so, it´s a kind of E20-E25), and also use E0, that is, unleaded gasoline without any ethanol in it, such as the Argentine fuel. The flex version has a 16V 110HP (115HP with ethanol) 1.6-liter developed and produced in Brazil, but the 2.0-liter version does not allow the ethanol use, because this engine is French-made.

RenaultSport (RS) versions of the 3-door and 5-door hatchbacks were introduced, equipped with a turbocharged petrol 2.0 L 16v engine producing 225 hp. Along with the engine, changes were made to the front and rear suspension geometry to improve handling, and the model features a deeper, wider front bumper. The Mégane Renault Sport competes in the hot hatch segment of the market.

As with the previous Mégane, the range of models is extremely wide; there is a three and five door hatchback available, named "Sport Hatch" and "Hatch" respectively, there is a 4-door saloon/sedan (Sport Saloon), a five-door estate (Sport Tourer / Grandtour), and to replace both the Mégane Coupe and Convertible, a new retractable hardtop Mégane Coupe-Convertible (shown above). In place of the old Mégane Scenic arrives a new Scénic available in short- and long-wheelbase models, the latter offering seven seats for extra versatility.

The coupé-convertible features an innovative folding glass roof mechanism built by Karmann.

Engine Options
Liters	CC	HP	Top Speed (km/h)	0-100 km/h(s)
1.4	1390cc	80	170	13.5
1.4 16v Mégane II	1390cc	98	175	13.0
1.4 16v	1390cc	98	183	12.5
1.6 16v	1598cc	110	198	10.9
1.6 16v	1598cc	115	191	10.9
1.8 16v	1795cc	120	199	8.9
2.0 16v	1998cc	136	199	9.2
2.0 Turbo Mégane II	1998cc	165	220	8.3
2.0 Turbo RenaultSport Mégane II	1998cc	225	236	6.5
1.5 DCi Mégane II	1461cc	80	170	14.3
1.5 DCi Mégane II	1461cc	86	173	12.7
1.5 DCi Mégane II	1461cc	100	178	12.8
1.5 DCi Mégane II	1461cc	106	185	11.1
1.9 D	1870cc	65	159	16.0
1.9 DCi	1870cc	90	173	12.9
1.9 DCi	1870cc	120	196	10.5
1.9 DCi	1870cc	130	202	9.0
2.0 Dci	1995 cc	150	210	8.7

The model was revised in 2006, with changes in interior trim, specification levels and most notably, a new front nose. A new front suspension system borrowed from the Mégane 2.0 225 PS was adopted improving even more the driving performance of the Renault Mégane. [3]. Also, the new NISSAN SENTRA is based on the 2006 Renault Megane.

[edit] References

[edit] Trivia

The music used for the 2003 UK advertising campaign was the Fatboy Slim remix of "I See You Baby" by Groove Armada. The single was re-issued in October 2004 and reached number 11 in the UK Singles Chart. The campaign featured close-ups of various (clothed) human backsides to draw attention to the Mégane II's distinctive rear styling. The advert caused a minor controversy in the UK, with it only allowed to be shown after 7:30pm in the evening. ^{[citation needed]} The advert for the 2006 redesign features a man demonstrating the new Mégane's features, but is continually interrupted by more shaking backsides on a giant screen behind him, which interests the audience more despite his pleadings to 'forget about the rear' and look at the other features.

The 2005 and 2006 Formula One World Champion, Fernando Alonso, drove King Juan Carlos I of Spain around the Circuit de Catalunya before the 2006 Spanish Grand Prix in a Renault Mégane.

British actor Desmond Llewelyn, famous for playing Q in the James Bond series of films, was killed while driving his blue Renault Megane, after he crashed into another car in 1999.

[edit] See also

Renault Scénic

[edit] External links

Image:Commons-logo.svg	Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Renault Megane

<- Previous	Renault car timeline, 1980s-present - [edit]
Type	1980s										1990s										2000s
	0	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	0	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	0	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9
City car														Twingo														Twingo II
Supermini						Super 5					Clio I								Clio II							Clio III
Small family car			9 / 11						19							Mégane I								Mégane II
Large family car	18						21								Laguna I						Laguna II								Laguna III
Executive car				25									Safrane									Vel Satis

Leisure activity vehicle															Kangoo
Mini MPV																									Modus
Compact MPV																	Scénic I						Scénic II
Large MPV					Espace I							Espace II						Espace III					Espace IV
																						Avantime
Coupé	Fuego
Roadster																Spider