Renault Megane CC 1.4 TCe review

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Renault Megane 1.4 TCe 130 Dynamique TomTom Road Test

Test date 23 July 2010 Price as tested £21,385

For Smooth, quiet and punchy engine, Amazingly low wind noise, Neat glass roof

Against Obese-looking tail, Ride on poor roads, Meagre roof-down luggage space

Coupé-cabriolets: what’s the point? They are heavy, expensive to make, have odd proportions and tend to offer minimal boot space. All this for the combination of wind in the hair and a solid, vandal-proof roof.

But sunshine-starved Brits have long been in love with the idea of convertibles, and insurance firms and company fleets alike favour hard-roofed versions.

Make a CC’s roof in glass and you create airiness where a closed soft-top offers only claustrophobia. Renault pioneered the glass-roof CC with the previous Mégane, Volkswagen later imitated it with the Eos, and now there’s a new one to complete the line-up of Mégane Mk3.

There are two trim levels. Dynamique TomTom – featuring the eponymous built-in sat-nav – uses 1.4 and 2.0-litre petrol engines (the latter with a CVT) and 1.5 and 1.9-litre turbodiesels. The ritzier GT gets 2.0-litre turbocharged petrol and diesel engines.

Tested here is the cheapest Dynamique with the efficient 1.4-litre motor, turbocharged to produce 129bhp.