It’s inspiring to watch a brand that’s set itself a goal and is in the process of making it all come alive. Renault is just such a brand at the moment, and they’ve recently shown off their new Megane Coupe and Hatch offerings, and enlightened us on their vision going forward for green cars.

Firstly Renault are making it clear, they’re not interested in hybrid technology for cars. For them it’s either electric all the way or very low emission traditional engines. Probably a good move since Toyota have the hybrid market so covered, even the X-Men are looking for work elsewhere.

They have or will soon have an electric car for almost every desire in the motoring range, from the Zoe, Twizy, Fluence Z.E. or the Kangoo, Renault’s got you electrically covered.

But if you’ve got something truly against petrol, you can still afford to burn it in their 1.6-litre dCi, arriving in SA soon to replace their 1.9-litre engine. At 96kw, a stop/start engine and 4.4-litre/100km in the Grand Scenic, it’s Renault’s mission to bring down Co2 emissions without sacrificing on power.

In the meantime though, they’re attacking the hatch market with their new Meganes which you can get in a hatch or a coupe version. Whatever you choose, you’ll be paying a standard price of R209 900 and that’s bleeding good.

Just some acclimatization: the new Hyundai i30 starts at R229 900 and the new Opel GTC starts at R235 200. (Renault did bring up VW Scirocco, Audi A3 and the BMW 118, but I feel these cars have a bit more luxury than the new Meganes, so they’re not really in the same league.)

Not bad, right. And for that price you get some new wheels, a new front bumper and a bunch of bleeding good tech. A new radio with front-loading MP3-compatible CD receiver that meshes in Bluetooth, USB and iPod connectivity, as well as remote central locking with auto-locking function, electric windows, a height-adjustable driver’s seat, air-conditioning, a multi-function trip computer, and cruise control with speed limiter function. And that’s just the standard stuff. To keep the parents happy that their kids are safe there is also ABS, EBD and EBA included.

Granted the Megane is not the most exciting car to drive since it’s only got 81kw coming out of the 1.6-litre engine. That’s good for a 0-100 time of 10.5 seconds and a top speed of 190km/h.

But you can’t look at the Megane and expect hot hatch numbers. Especially not with big brother Megane RS dominating the hatch market as the best thing with 4-wheels. You have to look at the Megane with sober eyes, an understanding heart and a clear picture of who is going to be driving it.

You don’t want teenage brekers with brandy running through their veins and ekkie-pills in their cheeks hitting speeds of 200 or more. And for this, the Megane is great.

It’s a comfortable drive with little incident. Smooth ride and just right steering.

Granted you do have a choice to make since the Coupe and the Hatch are the same price. In my opinion I’d have the hatch anyday. You’re paying the same money and you’re getting the same car, albeit with two fewer doors and a sloping roof line. Why not get the extra features? It’ll increase your chances of making new friends because you’ll have enough space to pick them up to join you for a movie and you’ll have somewhere to go when you and your girlfriend need somewhere quiet to…um…talk.

Get it: www.renault.co.za
For: R209 900