Megane E-Tech shows that Renault knows how to make a luxury car – 09/22/2023 – Eduardo Sodré

In November 2021, Luca de Meo, global president of Renault, came to Brazil to announce that the brand would change its focus. Popular cars would lose space in the country, and larger and more expensive models would dominate the portfolio.

The change, finally, begins with the new generation of Megane.

It is, in fact, a re-release. The first model in the line arrived here 25 years ago, when it could be equipped with 1.6 or 2.0 engines, both gasoline. This is quite a difference to the present time: the current one, which bears the surname E-Tech, is purely electric.

In that distant 1998, the hatch’s most expensive option had a suggested price of R$31,600 – corrected by the IPCA (Broad National Consumer Price Index), equivalent to R$145,000. It’s practically half of what is charged for the new Megane: R$280,000.

The value is competitive in the premium electric vehicle segment, but Renault’s challenge will be to remind the Brazilian consumer of what the brand represented until the early 2000s, before investing everything in popular products like Logan, Sandero and their derivatives.

Arguments for reconquest include recessed door handles on the front doors. When the driver approaches the Megane E-Tech, the handles are electronically projected outwards.

Upon entering the cabin, occupants find recycled fabric coverings on the front panel and part of the seats. There is carpet in the storage compartments and leather on the steering wheel, a typical combination for cars that are at the most expensive end of the price lists.

The chrome is well distributed inside and out, as befits a car of French origin. Another interesting point is the position of the air vents facing the driver: they are incorporated into the instrument panel, as if they were cutouts in the LCD screen.

The neat project was possible due to the adoption of a platform dedicated to electric cars. Called CMF-EV, it has better space distribution – electric cars do not need an elongated hood, as the engines are smaller. This way, it is possible to create large cabins.

Power is equivalent to 220 hp and, according to Renault, the new Megane reaches 100 km/h in 7.4 seconds. In urban use, the autonomy is 495 kilometers, says the automaker. The calculation is based on the SAE J1634 standard, used by Inmetro.

The qualities, however, are not exclusive to the French brand. The new electric midsize hatch has equally well-equipped direct competitors, such as the BYD Yuan Plus (R$270,000) and the Chevrolet Bolt EUV (R$280,000).

The competition will soon become even more fierce, with the arrival of the Volvo EX30. Imported from China, the model officially debuts in 2024 with guaranteed success: pre-sales, which began a week ago, accumulated more than 1,000 orders in five days. The price starts at R$220 thousand.

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