Renault Megane Sport Tourer estate review (2016-2022)

The Renault Megane Sport Tourer is a hatchback-based family estate designed to appeal to those with an active lifestyle, offering plenty of room for luggage and equipment. It might sound like a niche model then, but the Renault isn’t short of rivals, facing off against the SEAT Leon Estate, Vauxhall Astra Sports Tourer and Peugeot 308 SW, to name just a few. All have fashion-conscious names to tempt customers who might be left cold by the traditional ‘estate’ badge.

But that’s not the case with some of the competition, like the Skoda Octavia Estate and Ford Focus Estate, which are among the most practical and best-driving models in the class. The Megane Sport Tourer takes the strengths of the hatchback – stylish looks, a smart interior and low running costs – and adds practicality. A plug-in hybrid 'E-Tech' version was added in 2021 to tempt company-car drivers away from the Octavia iV Estate, and now the E-Tech is the only engine available since Renault has discontinued the petrol and diesel options.

In fact, it won’t be long before the Megane Sport Tourer is discontinued. The new Renault Megane, coming in 2022, is a purely electric crossover without a combustion engine in sight. The next-generation car looks to do battle with the Volkswagen ID.3 instead of the Volkswagen Golf.

It lives up to its name in the way it looks, with rakish lines at odds with the squared-off and boxy proportions of traditional estate cars. It also manages to appear nicely balanced, unlike some estates based on hatchbacks, with an elongated boot at odds with the rest of the car. On all trim levels, silver roof bars help accentuate its longer roofline.

Despite its unique looks, the Sport Tourer is virtually identical to the regular Megane under the metal. It has the same simple engine range, which was slimmed down in May 2018 to just a 1.2-litre turbo petrol with 138bhp and a diesel 1.5-litre with 113bhp, although both have now been withdrawn in favour of a plug-in hybrid version based around a 1.6-litre petrol engine and two electric motors, for a combined 158bhp.

The diesel majors on fuel economy, getting the car from 0-62mph in a relaxed 11.4 seconds while being able to return up to 62.8mpg, which is identical to the hatchback. Petrol offers a better compromise between performance and economy, and will be the best option for most drivers. You can expect up to 49.6mpg and a sub-10 second 0-62mph time. 

With a plug-in hybrid powertrain, the E-Tech version has an electric range of up to 30 miles. This gives it much better official efficiency figures of up to 217.3mpg with 30g/km of CO2 emissions, drastically reducing Benefit-in-Kind (BiK) payments for business drivers.

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Like the hatchback, the Sport Tourer range opens with the Iconic model, which is actually fairly well equipped given its entry-level status. Keyless entry, DAB radio, Bluetooth and alloy wheels are standard, as well as cruise control and a seven-inch touchscreen with Apple CarPlay/Android Auto connectivity. Iconic also includes digital instruments and sat-nav, along with automatic lights and wipers, rear parking sensors, extra safety kit and an automatic handbrake.

Moving up to RS Line (previously GT Line) really makes a difference to the Megane Sport Tourer, inside and out. The dashboard comes alive thanks to a 9.3-inch portrait-orientated touchscreen, while darker-tinted glass on the rear windows, silver door mirrors and 17-inch alloys add a touch of class to the exterior.

We already know that the Megane hatchback is a comfortable car, and the Sport Tourer doesn’t disappoint either. You can tell there’s a little more bulk to it, but the difference is marginal and makes the car no less enjoyable to drive. Even better is that the excellent ride quality is preserved, and the Sport Tourer is sure to make a comfortable car for family travel.

Overall, the Sport Tourer is just as accomplished an all-rounder as the Megane hatchback, but adds handy extra boot capacity without imposing any compromises elsewhere. You could even argue that it’s better looking in estate form. Certainly, with low running costs, the option of plug-in hybrid, a five-star Euro NCAP safety rating and stacks of technology, the Megane Sport Tourer is every bit an estate of the art.