MOTORING REVIEW: First drive around Limerick in the new Renault Megane E-Tech

RENAULT'S new Megane E-Tech is the brand’s first compact fully electric car, and their first pure electric car larger than the little Zoe city car. It is built on the Renault-Nissan Alliance’s CMF-EV platform which is also used for the Nissan Ariya compact SUV.

This new Megane variant continues a long heritage of the nameplate first unveiled back in 1995 and joins the hatch and station wagon in the model’s line-up. It is also the first model to wear the new ‘Nouvel R logo’. This EV competes in the important ‘C’ family car compact segment which accounts for 40pc of the European market against the Nissan Leaf, Hyundai’s Ioniq, Citroen’s C4 electric car, and VW’s ID.3.

A first, pre-launch drive in the car greatly impressed. I believe this very good looking hatchback will attract many new customers with its overall styling.

An extended wheelbase with reduced overhangs, a thinner-than-ever battery, and alloy wheels up to 20 inches in size combine with the high waistline and coupe-like styling to deliver a pretty powerful stance.

The Flame Red exterior colour of my initial test drive showed off the car’s styling to perfection, aided by the chrome around the side windows, black pillars and roof as well as dark privacy glass. Rear door handles are located in the side windows.

It also gets a new light signature, and flush electric door handles that come out to greet you as you approach with the key card.

The interior is equally stylish and different to the previous model. Renault say it is inspired by the world of fine home furniture. Whatever, the car uses unusual or recycled materials and the dashboard is topped with textile, while the seats upholstery on some models is 100pc recycled.

The dash features two large screens. The digital instrument cluster is a large high-resolution 12.3-inch screen that combines with a 9-inch infotainment touch screen with navigation and angled towards the driver, developed in partnership with Google. The driver’s screen shows the state of the charge - I drove the car in Sport mode - and showed an 83pc charge which equalled 248kms remaining. It's all very clearly set out for ease of viewing.

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There's a special shelf for your phone on the central console along with two USB-C ports. Below are more good storage areas.

The narrower rear middle seat is suitable for a small adult or child and they also have to contend with the back end of the central console.

I found the Megane E-Tech EV very quiet on the road. Driving on some narrow and quite bumpy country roads proved a real-life test of the suspension which proved to be really excellent.

Six exterior colours are available, with the choice of a contrasting roof design in either Diamond Black or Shadow Grey.

Three trim levels are offered: Equilibre, Techno, and Launch Edition each with generous levels of standard equipment.

Customers have a choice of two battery sizes. The EV40 uses a 130hp electric motor with 250 Nm torque, 85 kW DC charging and has a claimed range of 300km on a single charge; the more powerful EV60 is fitted with a 220hp electric motor with 300 Nm of torque, with a range of 450km.

You can recharge using a domestic socket, a 7.4 kW Wallbox or at public charging stations up to 22 kW and at DC fast-chargers up to 130 kW (85kW on EV40 versions).

All models come with a five-metre Mode 3 charging cable as standard and a hands-free key-card with keyless entry.

Megane E-Tech Electric has been awarded the maximum 5-star safety rating from Euro NCAP. Factors that contributed to this top rating included the car’s exceptionally stiff body structure, seven airbags and 26 Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) including the QR code affixed to the windscreen which should an accident occur, can be scanned by rescue teams to reveal the location of the car’s battery and airbags for quick and risk-free cutting, saving up to 15 minutes on the time it takes to extract an occupant in the event of a crash.

Prices are from €37,495 for EV40; and from €41,995 for EV60 versions. Prices include SEAI grant of €5,000.