Following the recent introduction of the new Megane III 5 door hatchback in September, Renault unleashed the 2009 Megane Coupe III at todays Paris motorshow. Renault’s designers did a great job of converting the 5 door Megane hatchback into a sporty 3 door hatch. To achieve this, the French automaker’s design team had to restyle the Megane from ground up as only the bonnet, wings and headlamps are shared by the coupe and hatchback versions. Furthermore, the Megane Coupe sits 12mm lower than the hatch giving it a more aggressive stance.
Renault’s engineers also tweaked the Megane Coupe's chassis for greater driving pleasure. Handling performance has been fine-tuned thanks to stiffer front and rear springs, an increased diameter anti-roll bar and of course, the 12mm lower ride-height compared with the hatch version of new Megane. As with the 5door variant, despite being bigger and roomier, the new Megane Coupe is an average 8kg lighter than its predecessor.
The same engine range from the 5 door hatch is available for the Coupe. The petrol range consists of the 1.6 16V 100hp and 110hp engines, as well as the 2.0 16V 140hp and the TCE 180. The 2.0 16V will be available from launch with a 6 speed manual gearbox, while continuously variable transmission will be introduced with this powerplant at a later date. Renault’s latest petrol engine, the TCE 130 will be added in Spring of 2009. The new Mégane range will also include biofuel-compatible engines (bioethanol and biodiesel).
The dCi 85 and dCi 105 engines have been joined by the dCi 90 and the particulate filter-equipped dCi 110. Every one of these engines emits less than 120g of CO2/km, while the new dCi 130 emits just 135g/km. Peak power arrives sooner too (at 3,750rpm instead of 4,000rpm), and maximum torque (300Nm) is available from 1,750rpm instead of 2,000rpm. The engine line-up will shortly be extended to include the dCi 160 coupled with a manual gearbox and the dCi 150 mated to automatic transmission.
Sales of the new Megane Coupe are set to begin in Spring 2009.
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