In the past two months, Renault has launched a budget supermini for the Indian market, added special editions to the line-up of the Megane Coupe-Cabriolet and the Koleos SUV, and revamped the Scenic/Grand Scenic mid-size MPVs and Laguna Coupe.
Therefore, leaving the Megane as it is would be rather strange, that’s why La Regie unveiled today the “Megane Collection 2012” or simply put, the facelifted version of its C-segment model.
LED daytime running lights are the new black for automotive designers and the 2012 Megane sports a new set on the its revised front bumper that gets gloss black and chrome details. There's also a new selection of wheels and two fresh color options named “Majorelle Blue” and “Pearlescent White”.
The cabin features new trim along with an optional two-tone leather-Alcantara combination in three finishes and the (formerly limited) Bose edition is now an equipment level.
Meanwhile the GT and GT-Line versions receive “boomerang” LED lights, red upholstery stitching, a sports steering wheel, a dashboard trim strip and Renault-Sport-badged doorsill guards.
So far, all the changes are very subtle. However, it’s under the skin that the Megane has really changed with the addition of Renault’s first ever gasoline engine series to feature both turbocharging and direct injection technologies.
The 1.2-liter TCe 115 Energy replaces the previous model’s 1.6-liter naturally aspirated unit. It provides both more power (+5HP) and torque (+40Nm), for a total of 115HP and 190Nm (140 lb-ft) respectively. At the same time it sports a 25 percent lower average fuel consumption, at just 5.3 lt/100 km (44.4 mpg US), which gives it a range in excess of 1,000 km (620 miles), while its CO2 emissions are 119 g/km.
The 2012 Megane will also be available with the new Energy dCi 100 diesel, an updated version of the existing 1.5-liter unit that incorporates technology from the 1.6-liter dCi 130. The new engine has a fuel consumption of less than 3.8 lt/100 km (61.9 mpg US) and emits only 95 g/km of CO2 despite maximum torque been increased by 20Nm (14.7 lb-ft).
The range-topping Renault Sport model in the Trophy limited edition trim gains an additional 15HP and 20Nm (14.7 lb-ft) when the driver selects the Sport mode in the Dynamic Management system, thus having at his disposal a maximum output of 265HP and 360Nm (265.5 lb-ft) of torque.
It has also gained what Renault describes as an “F1-style” front blade with two rows of six LEDs and black headlight surrounds for a sportier look. The newly-designed 18-inch alloys are available in satin or matt black finish and the interior has red stitching on the steering wheel, gear lever knob and dashboard.
Renault said the Mégane Collection 2012 would go on sale from March in Europe, then in the course of the year in other markets around the globe including Turkey, Israel, Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, South Africa, Russia and Argentina.
