New Renault Megane Sport Tourer specification and pricing revealed

The new Renault Megane hatchback has been on the market for some time, and we now have all the details of its practical estate counterpart, the Megane Sport Tourer.

Originally unveiled at the Geneva Motor Show, the Renault Megane Sport Tourer is available to order from the beginning of December 2016, with UK deliveries expected to begin during the month.

Model designations reflect those of the Megane hatchback, starting at £18,550 for the Expression+, followed by Dynamique Nav, Dynamique S and plush Signature model, as well as the sporty GT Line. The latter provides the economy of the regular petrol and diesel engines while still offering much of the style of the powerful, range-topping GT.

Priced at £27,450, the GT is likely to be the preferred choice of the enthusiastic Megane Sport Tourer driver. Engineered by RenaultSport, it uses advanced technology and a powerful engine to provide a more rewarding driving experience.

New Renault Megane Tourer trim levels & equipment

The new Renault Megane Sport Tourer range begins at £18,550 with the Expression+ trim level. Standard equipment is comprehensive even on this entry-level model, with LED daytime running lamps and tinted windows set off by 16-inch alloy wheels. Inside, there’s air-conditioning, electric windows all round and a leather steering wheel, plus a stereo with DAB radio, Bluetooth connectivity and MP3 input.

Stepping up to Dynamique Nav, starting at £20,050, adds automatic headlights and windscreen wipers, together with Renault’s Visio active safety system, described below. Also fitted are power-adjustable, heated and folding door mirrors, hands-free access with a keycard, dual-zone climate control and Renault’s R-Link 2 multimedia system controlled by a seven-inch touchscreen, including satellite navigation and an upgraded Arkamys 3D stereo.

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Next model up is the Dynamique S, starting at £21,050. It’s identified by 17-inch alloy wheels and dark-tinted rear windows and adds a rear parking camera and front and rear parking sensors. From this model and up, the Megane Sport Tourer comes equipped with Renault’s portrait-oriented 8.7-inch touchscreen to control the R-Link 2 multimedia system.

The top-of-the-range Signature model starts from £22,550 and is distinguished by 18-inch diamond-cut alloys and full LED headlights , together with an electrochromatic rear-view mirror. The interior is trimmed in black leather, with Napa leather on the steering wheel.

The GT Line combines the sporty looks of the GT with the economy of the regular Megane Sport Tourer lineup. Priced from £21,550, it has the same specification list as the Dynamique Nav, but adds a more distinctive and assertive front-end treatment with pronounced air scoops, while dark-coloured 17-inch alloy wheels are matched to door mirror housings and a rear diffuser in the same finish. The sporty theme continues inside, with sports seats offering extra support and featuring blue stitching with a Renault Sport logo. They can be finished in fabric or Alcantara suede, while there’s also a special sports steering wheel and GT badging on the dashboard.

The Megane Sport Tourer GT is the performance flagship of the range. Priced at at £27,450, the GT fuses the styling of the GT Line with a 1.6-litre 202bhp turbocharged petrol engine. Developed by Renault Sport, the GT also features 4Control four-wheel steering and a launch-control system, both of which are described below.

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Design

The Renault Megane Sport Tourer estate shares mechanical underpinnings with the Renault Megane hatchback and Renault Kadjar crossover. As well as a similar range of engines and gearboxes, the Sport Tourer also has styling in line with Renault’s current, attractive corporate look, as seen already on the Megane hatchback.

The Sport Tourer retains the hatchback's sharp and sporty looks, including the distinctive front and rear lights. The Sport Tourer name is an imposing title used to describe what’s really an estate car, albeit a well-styled one, with none of the tacked-on appearance that the extended roofline of some estates can result in.

The GT Line and GT models particularly deserve the Sport Tourer billing – they certainly look the part with their larger, dark alloy wheels, honeycomb mesh grilles at the front and dark metal roof bars. Other models also have roof bars, but with an aluminium finish.

Practicality

The Renault Megane Sport Tourer is an estate car in all but name and offers 521 litres of boot space with the rear seats in place. Folding them down increases this volume to 1,504 litres. This compares to 384 litres for the hatchback, extending to 1,247 litres with the rear seats down.

The Ford Focus Estate provides less space at 476 litres (1,502 litres with the seats folded flat, but the SEAT Leon ST offers more, at 587 litres or 1,620 litres with the seats out of use. It’s also claimed that the Megane Sport Tourer offers the longest load compartment length in its class with the seats folded out of the way.

Engines, CO2 & Economy

The Megane Sport Tourer range is launched with four engine choices, of which one, the 202bhp 1.6-litre TCe 205, is reserved for the GT model and comes with a seven-speed Efficient Dual Clutch (EDC) automatic gearbox as standard. It produces 134 grams per kilometre of CO2 and can return 47.1mpg fuel economy.

A smaller 128bhp 1.2-litre petrol TCe 130 is available on all other models, with either a manual gearbox and CO2 emissions of 120g/km or a seven-speed EDC automatic producing 122g/km. Both return identical 52.3mpg fuel economy.

Two turbodiesel engines are also available. The 1.5-litre dCi 110 offers 108bhp and produces 96g/km of CO2 as a manual or 98g/km when the six-speed EDC automatic gearbox is chosen. It’s also capable of 76.4mpg. Alternatively, the 128bhp 1.6-litre dCi 130 engine produces from 104g/km of CO2 and returns 70.4mpg. It’s available with a manual gearbox only and can be chosen with the Dynamique Nav model and above.

Early 2017 will see the arrival of two additional engine options. The 1.5-litre dCi Hybrid Assist will blend a diesel engine with an electric motor, while the GT will be made available with a 163bhp dCi 165 1.6-litre twin-turbocharged petrol.

Renault Megane Sport Tourer technology

Renault Megane Sport Tourer models from Dynamique Nav upwards feature R-Link 2, which controls Renault’s Multi-Sense system to enable you to personalise how the car drives. You can set your own preferences for accelerator response, engine sound, steering weight and five colours of interior lighting, as well as assigning settings to the Comfort, Eco, Perso and Sport modes, with a fifth Neutral mode also available.

In addition to striking looks and extra power, the Renault Megane Sport Tourer GT benefits from clever engineering to maximise the driving experience it offers. With engineering by Renault Sport, it uses 4Control four-wheel-steering to provide extra maneuverability by steering the rear wheels in the opposite direction to the fronts at speeds below 50mph in Sport mode, or 37mph in other modes. Once these speeds are exceeded both pairs of wheels steer in the same direction, increasing stability when cornering.

Launch control is also on hand to serve up the quickest possible acceleration on demand, helping the Megane Sport Tourer GT to a 7.4-second 0-62mph time. Enthusiastic driving is also helped by something called ‘Multi-Change Down’ which allows the EDC automatic gearbox to change down through several gears in quick succession while braking, ensuring the car is in the best gear to accelerate out of corners.

The Megane Sport Tourer GT has a different version of the Multi-Sense system found in other models, with four settings – of which Sport can be accessed directly via the R.S. Drive button on the centre console. When engaged, Sport mode increases steering sharpness by 40% and adjusts the reactions and sensitivity of the accelerator, engine and gearbox to suit a more direct, aggressive driving style.

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Options

Renault Megane Sport Tourer buyers can choose from an assortment of option packages, saving money against purchasing options individually. The Climate Pack is available on the Expression+, upgrading the regular air-conditioning to an automatic dual-zone climate-control system and adding automatic headlights and wipers. A Look Pack can be chosen for the Expression+ and Dynamique models; it provides dark-tinted glass and 17-inch alloy wheels.

Dynamique cars can be specified with a Parking Pack that adds front and rear parking sensors and a rear parking camera, while the Dynamique S model and above instead offer the Parking Pack Premium. This includes a hands-free parking function, 360-degree parking sensors and blind-spot monitoring.

Dynamique S buyers can also choose the Safety Pack Premium (consisting of radar cruise control, safe distance warning and automatic emergency braking) and the Leather Pack (with full leather upholstery), while a seven-speaker BOSE stereo with a subwoofer is available on the Dynamique S model and above.

The Megane GT can be made more exclusive with the Alcantara Pack in a choice of Carbon Grey blue stitching, or two-tone blue and Carbon Grey.

Additional individual options available depending on trim level include a panoramic sunroof, an 8.7-inch portrait touchscreen, 18-inch alloy wheels, full LED headlights and metallic paint.

Safety

All models of Renault Megane Sport Tourer are fitted with six airbags, side-impact protection beams and ISOFIX child-seat mountings, helping the family car to earn the five-star rating it was awarded by the independent crash-test experts at Euro NCAP.

Cars in Dynamique Nav spec and above also benefit from Renault’s Visio active safety system, which consists of lane-departure warning, traffic-sign recognition and auto-dipping headlamps. Adaptive cruise control, blind-spot warning, hands-free parking and 360-degree parking sensors are also available in the optional Safety Pack and Parking Pack.

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Price, warranty & servicing

Prices for the 2017 Renault Megane Sport Tourer start at £18,550 in Expression+ trim, with the TCe 130 petrol engine and EDC automatic gearbox. The Dynamique S Nav dCi 110 diesel is expected to be a popular choice and costs £21,350 in manual form.

Every Renault is covered by a four-year warranty, the first two years of which have no upper mileage limit. There’s a 100,000-mile cap after that. A three-year paint warranty also applies, as does a 12-year anti-corrosion guarantee.

Servicing is required once every year or 18,000 miles, whichever occurs first, and Renault offers service packages starting at £299.

On-sale date

The Megane Sport Tourer can be ordered from UK Renault dealers from 1 December, with the first customer deliveries expected later that month.