David's 2004 Renault Megane 1.5 dCi Dynamique

Never buy the same make and model of car twice! Big variations are fine, a 2 litre instead of a 1.6, a mark 3 instead of a mark 2, but anything more similar than that will end in disappointment! Why do I say that? Because small little things will be different between the first and second, that will over time leave you feeling resentful towards the latter. David's Megane estate is a perfect example of this phenomenon. Purchased as a replacement for his mk2 5dr hatchback that had 42,000 miles on the clock back in 2007. This 'Silver Hornet' venerably provided high mileage service until 2012 when the strain of up to 30,000 miles a year finally broke the poor thing beyond economically viable repair. At first view, the 2004 1.5 litre turbo diesel estate made good sense as a budget replacement that needed to be purchased in a hurry. The mileage and condition all looked good, and with a new baby boy in the family the estate option was a welcome bonus. This replacement didn't, however, live up to the expectations set by the its predecessor.

Various bills started coming in due to niggling little problems and a curtain amount of hidden neglect by previous owners. Dave felt that the estate never quite had the same ride comfort or refinement as the hatchback too. The fact that this estate never received any nick name is telling as to the lack of fondness which Dave and his family had for the Silver Hornets replacement. So what is actually wrong with this car? As someone who never drove the Silver Hornet, I don't have any reference point and therefore, can approach this car without any prejudice, well less prejudice anyhow. The general negativity from Dave, Suz (her with the Focus TDi), and even their Daughter Lottie who doesn't even drive, had left me expecting to have a thoroughly miserable motoring experience for the weekend that I had arranged to borrow the car.

Winding my way through various old villages north of Newcastle in the crisp November sun and I was pleasantly surprised by this 'dud' car. It rides very well on the poorly finished roads that make up our urban terrain these days. The size of this small family estate works well in this environment too, being big enough to carry plenty of people and their clutter, but still compact enough to thread through narrow gaps in the determined Saturday afternoon traffic. Bored of heavy traffic, I pick up the A1 and head north for a few miles to Stannington and the warm comforts of The Ridley Arms. Whilst supping a very welcome pint of local bitter, I study Google Maps in search of a route that will give me some empty roads upon which I can test the performance and handling more fully.

A few miles to the north there is the A697 which runs to Wooler and then Coldstream, a few miles to the west offers the A696 that joins the A68 before reaching Jedburgh. In between lies a web of back roads that I've never tried before, despite numerous previous opportunities, so I picked out a zig-zag route to Elsdon, that will link up with the B6341 through Rothbury, before reaching the A1 southbound somewhere near Alnmouth. The autumn sunlight turns orange as the afternoon draws on, and I weave my way along these empty lanes that are both quiet and wide enough for two-way traffic. The terrain turns hillier and the scenery more impressive, and this familiar 1.5 litre direct injection engine (the same unit that powers Jan's Nissan Juke) delivers some eager pace, all be it of a frugal economic variety, providing that you keep the revs in that 3-4000rpm sweet spot.

The gear change is nothing special, a little notchy in fact, but swapping cogs to keep you shuffling along these picturesque roads proves to be surprisingly enjoyable. Feed the car into a corner swiftly and it copes well enough, without so much roll that you or any passengers needs to hold on for grim death. It handles in a way that makes me wonder how good one of the Renault Sport models like the 225 might be. That comfort orientated suspension does start to struggle eventually on rough roads. The welcome compliance starts to give way to rather bouncy unsettled progress, betraying the lack of body control.

As night draws on, back on the A1 cruising home at a steady pace and the seats that seemed too firm earlier it the day, prove to offer good comfort for long runs. The lack of a sixth gear does make for a rather corse cruise, as is all too common with TDi's from this era. The interior is well equipment with decent levels of equipment and good ergonomics. There are a few Renault oddities to get use to with these Megane, like the U shaped handbrake lever, and the keycard style ignition with its required combo of held down pedals before the engine will start. Renault offer a few nice touches too, such as the high mounted central LCD display that show details such an the radio, time, and outside temperature, the radio control stalk that puts all the main controls at fingertip reach from the steering wheel, and a nicely styled cowl over the dashboard instruments.

Pulling up outside my flat, and I'm not too sure what my opinion of this car is. That lack of body control is a fairly big negative for me, but the comfort and practically of this compact and frugal motor win back a fair few plus points. I even quite like the looks of the estate which has a nicely tapered rear glass house without compromising rear access of load capacity, whilst not looking anywhere near a big bummed at the hatchback. Truth be told, Dave's had enough of this car, and has, by now traded it in for a brand new Dacia Duster, after only one year of ownership. Several big problems loomed too large for the upcoming MOT, so he decided to cut his losses and go for the very welcome warranty and servicing deal that came along with the decent finance and trade-in offer.

So some three months on, I'm finally ready to publish this latest update to my blog, that car has probably been passed on through the trade to a dealer who has tidied up the problems and maybe even found a buyer by now. Have they bought a complete turkey? Well maybe if that dealer cut a few corners in preparing the car for sale, but hopefully they didn't, and the new owner will get a car that will serve them well for several years. Who knows, they may even grow to love it enough to come up with a nickname!

Thanks to David for loan of his car. 

© Dan Ewing 2014