I am looking at some point in the future to buy a replacement for my R reg Megane 1.6 classic saloon. I have had this car for four years, nearly five and apart from the usual noises and minor problems with the electrics - keep having to reposition the bulbs in the back light clusters - I have been happy with the car. It is comfortable and relaxing to drive and runs well along smooth roads; less so in stop-start mode. I have looked at the Hyundai i30, which I know HJ has sung its praises, and it looks very well made; and everywhere has received good reviews. However, I occasionally see the new Megane Saloon 2006 onwards and have to say there is somehting about it that looks attactive. I know that the Hyundai is probably the better car, and also looks good, with a better engine (?) and probably better built and more reliable. But, I am left wondering whether it will be as smooth and comfortable to drive. The interior of the Renault looks better as well. I have not driven either and won't do until I have the money to buy, but how would 'you' base your decision in a similar situation? Heart maybe for the Renault ,or more with the head and the Hyundai i30.
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I opted for the i30, 1.6 petrol Comfort and am pleased with it so far. I will review it here fully at 2000 miles, about two weeks hence. The ride is firm but this is probably why it can be cornered hard and tight and give an entertaining ride, but avoid large-wheeled versions. It is also good as a sedate with the family car. One mean touch, only one remote key supplied - insist on two. In general, best get the longest, unaccompanied test you can with any car you fancy.
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Yep the only way you can tell is a good long test drive, see if you can hire one for a day.
Also consider the Kia Ceed which is based on the Hyundai i30, both have great warranties and are likely to be reliable. A world apart from any unreliable Renault! The latest Megane saloon is not a nice car.
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I'd go with your heart.
Reliability at worst is a matter of
small percentages, e.g. 85% trouble-free or 90%, that is just 5 in 100
had a problem with one but not with another.
I suspect how you drive it, servicing and preventative maintenance
can be just as important as the manufacturer on many mainstream models.
Renault will be more comfortable too I think.
Nothing worse that feeling bland as you get in every morning!
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I've said many times on here that I don't subscribe to the Renault = unreliable theory, and having put nearly 10k of my money where my mouth is last year, haven't been proven wrong...yet ;-)
A few years ago, when I had such things as company cars, my well loved company Focus TDDi was replaced, amid much protest, with a Megane 1.5 dCi 106. The Focus was a superb car that had been unfailingly reliable, and was huge fun to drive. As you can imagine, I didn't want the Renault, and it had an uphill task getting me to even like it. Within a few weeks, it had won me over, and it's smoothness, comfort and low noise levels and perfect reliability over the 15,000 miles I did in it (in 5 months!) were a big factor in us choosing to buy a Scenic II as our family runabout.
This Megane was an infinitely nicer car than the mk1 Focus on a long journey with better seats, a more supple ride, far superior noise insulation, plusher interior trim and more toys to play with. It was not a patch on the Ford dynamically, and on a good road, I always wanted to be back in the Focus, but plugging up and down motorways and for general A to B driving, I ended up preferring it.
Autocar have said almost exactly the same about the new Laguna vs new Mondeo. Renault make comfy, softly sprung, long legged and easy to drive cars, and they do it superbly. Some have reliability problems, but some don't. You still see a heck of a lot of old Clios, Meganes, Lagunas and Scenics around for cars that are terminally unreliable.
Can't comment on the Hyundai, sorry.
Cheers
DP
Edited by DP on 11/04/2008 at 10:39
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Renaults are pretty good to drive I admit, but they do lack quality.
Its fine if you have one in warranty from new, but after 3 years they start falling apart. Similar to Peugeots they are complicated to repair, often simple tasks involve removing lots of components. For example the engine has to come out on many to change the clutch.
People by them because their cheap, good to drive and stylish. Trouble is if you buy an old one its going to hurt your wallet..
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Test drive the Hyundai and see what you think. If you've plenty of time why not try the Kia Ceed too. Eventually I think it's heart not head though. That's the way I've bought cars. If I try to do anything else I just wind up looking for reasons to justify what I want to buy.
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Optimist - I think you are right. I look at the Hyundai and know that probably it is the better car. But then I look at the pictures of the Renault Megane sports Saloon and just something seems to click. The inside looks more spacious and when I compare the interior of the hyundai i30 with my own old Renault Megane R reg saloon, somehow I feel more comfortable inside it. How about the Mazda 3 saloon, post facelift as against the Renault Megane saloon post 2006? Many thanks for everyones replies.
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great question
i reckon its a bit of both
like buying a house; most people look at the practicalities of things. For example, you could fall in love with an old classic car more than anything. But you realise it will need TLC and a lot of fixing to run it everyday. Thats an extreme example just to simplify my point.
Go to see many cars in your price range. Drive them and you and only you will feel right when THE car comes along.
Its always a mixture of head and heart unless you have endless amounts of cash.
Part of finding the right car is stumbling across something when you least expected it. You'll sit in it, notice the trim, the detail, simple functions that didnt exist in other cars excite you. You feel comfortable and then you turn on the car and it just gets better. Then you get in another car and its just... another car.
It will just feel right.
What feels right to you wont feel right to someone else. Regardless of how the car looks, what colour it is, how fast it is, how reliable it may be. E.g. if you sit in an alfa and it feels absolutely amazing and your not one to worry about whether it might break down or not then you get that car. Someone else may come along think it looks great but their less adventurous side tells them not to take the risk. You cannot ignore that instinct because you will just end up worrying and not enjoy it.
Trust your instinct and the car will feel right and you will enjoy it more than anything.
Edited by OldSkoOL on 12/04/2008 at 12:22
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OldskoOL. Wise words. I have just finished posting a message on Mazda 3 saloon v Renault Megane Saloon both post facelift. Reading what everyone has written has made me realize that I am drawn more to saloon than to hatchbacks. As I wrote in my posting, this makes me conservative, liking a bit of luxury and holding onto cars longer; so be it. It also tells me that at least I know where I am going.
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