A look at the Renault Megane’s short history.

Taking a look at the short history of the Renault Megane and what it offers customers as a lease car.

When it was launched in 1995 the Renault Megane’s primary purpose was to replace the Renault 19 and in that effect the Megane took over the 19′s chassis design, engines and floorpan, although all had been reworked to give the Renault Megane an individual feel. The Megane actually took its name from a concept car which was around in the 1980s but it wasn’t until seven years later that the Megane that we know today was produced.

As with the majority of cars constructed around this time, safety was a fundamental aspect of the manufacturing process. Renault were sensitive to their customers’ demands and recognised that they needed to create a new type of car which was both stylish and safe.

Safety features of the Renault Megane included the three-point seat belt in the middle of the three passenger seats at the back of the car, whilst front seat belt pre-tensioners, load limiters and the driver’s air bag were fitted as standard instead of being optional extras. It was little surprise to see the Megane do so well in the Euro NCAP safety tests, with a four star rating in 1998.

Just before the millennium, Renault were able to give the Megane a facelift which included more safety features as well as upgrading other aspects of the car. It was in the 1999 refit that Renault opted to make sure all of their Megane models were powered by 16-valve engines.

In 2002 the second generation of Megane was launched by Renault, with the car being awarded the prestigious European Car Of The Year award for 2003 and also came away from the Euro NCAP safety awards with the best mark possible, five stars. Coming as either a 1.4 litre or a 2.0 litre engine, the car was available as a two door convertible, a three door hatchback, four door model or five door hatchback.

In keeping with their broad time line, Renault released their third model in 2008, marking six year periods between the release of each of the vehicles. Coming as a petrol engine or diesel engine and with a range of transmission available to control the car, the Megane has increased reliability, marking an all-round improvement of the car on each model.