The car: MEGANE COUPE 1999 1.6 16V Sports Alize phase 2
I have had the car for 4-5 years now and guess I can judge how well the Megane Coupe has faired for me. Many reviews here don't seem to distinguise whether it is the phase 1 or phase 2 models. Phase 1 models are usually 8V whereas the phase 2 models are 16V and have a slightly different front and back styling. The picture shown above is of a phase 2 car and is the hatchback version NOT the coupe!
Here I review my car which is the phase 2 Coupe model. In the review I'll talk about ownership and possible problems...including those which I have had :-)
THE LOOKS ========= I have owned the car for about 5 years now and still find driving it a joy, the individuallity, the styling and those double optic headlamps really do something for me! I have not seen a car, since the 5 years that I have own the coupe, that has better styling than the coupe....except the recently launched RX-8 :), suffice it to say that 5 years on the coupe still has an edge to it's styling....although I can't say the same for the recently launched megane 2....oww it's ugly! Build quality inside is ok, although for a coupe model I would have expected the interior to be somewhat more, sporty? Instead the dash etc is exactly the same as the
5 door model except for the white sporty dials.
THE HANDLING ============ I believe that the car has been underrated in many of the car magazines. Many compare the coupe to the likes of the Vauxhall Tigra and the Ford Puma. It is no wonder that the coupe fairs less favourably! Just look at the space in the other two....it's even less than the Coupe! It must not be forgotten that the Coupe should technically be compared to a bigger class of car, like the Golf and the Astra. The Tigra and the Puma both have a chassis which is smaller than that of the Megane Coupe. The Tigra is based on the Vauxhall Corsa and the Puma is based on the Fiesta, it’s no wonder that with these smaller chassis that you can hurl the Tigra and the Puma around corners much better than the Coupe! Having driven all 3 of the above cars I can clearly say that the coupe is the best all rounder for enjoyment, comfort and cruising ability. The Tigra is indeed much moiré responsive but also quite jittery and the Puma is indeed a smooth ride…but still the coupe hold a certain awe in it’s character that, I find, is not matched by it’s rivals. The coupe is indeed a smooth ride, but throw it quickly into a few sharp bends at it handles them with ease…..although go too far and a sense of understeer is well communicated through the steering wheel. With ABS as standard and big 285mm vented disk brakes at the front the car stops well. For those wanting even better handling by lowering the vehicle, bear in mind that the rears are Torsion bars and so need more effort to lower. Around town the car is very easy to drive the power steering feels good and gives good feedback, the clutch is heavier compared to the likes of the Tigra, but is nothing out of the ordinary for a medium class car. The gearbox however is a let down in terms of the cars sporty character…the stock gearchange is long and vague and just does not inspire a sporty drive. The car is also very quiet around town with very little engine or tyre noise.
THE POWER ========== Out on the open road the 110Bhp engine real feels fast power is very accessible through the rev range and has surprisingly a lot of pull from 70mph and up….if you have to suddenly overtake! The engine does create slightly more noise at motorway speeds, but I guess it is to be expected in a Coupe. With a 0-60 in around 9.5s and a top speed of 123mph, the car is very driveable.
COST OF OWNERSHIP ================== The Coupe is a group 9/10 car and as such I have been paying around £450 a year, I am 26 with 5years ncb, no accidents, live in the North east and park the car on the drive. It is surprising what a little shopping can do, I was quoted a most ridiculous price of £1200 from one insurance company….my advice SHOP AROUND! Surprisingly the coupe is also very frugal with a combined mpg of around 42mpg it can be fairly economical to run. In real life I have had about 40mpg on the trip computer.
THE EXTRAS =========== As standard the car comes with a surprising amount of toys, pretty much everything is electric, the sunroof (tilt and slide), heated electric wing mirrors, windows, including rear elec windows. Together with a trip computer, which shows gas mileage, distance travelled, average speed, mpg etc. you do get your moneys worth. The sports Alize model also came with air conditioning…and boy was I glad I paid a bit extra for that come the summer months! The aircon also acts as an excellent de-mister in the colder months!
THE PROBLEMS ============= All does not end like a dream however. The major gripe I have is with dealers, find a good dealer and you will be looking at years of good service….an incompetent dealer will ruin the whole experience with endless trips backwards and forwards. Here are a list of problems I have had
1) Wheel bearings – 3 went at about 50K miles it seems that these do tend to go early with the coupes. I got my front bearings changed for £70 and rear ones changed for £50, for dealers expect to pay around 2.5 times as much.
2) TDC sensor fault at 45K miles– there was a recall for this, it was replaced for £20
3) Rear number plate lighting fault 52K – this was caused by bad routing of the cable on the left hand side hinge, this caused the plastic on the hinge to rub through the earth wire and cause strange problems with the number plate. DEALER SOLUTION was to replace the wiring loom at the rear…cost £240…..MY SOLUTION connect up the wire again by crimping it together…cost 15p….DON’T always replace what can be easily fixed!
4) Air recirculation flap 23K miles– somehow this dislodged itself from the motor and has not been able to retain it’s position since. There was a change in design in the year 2000. DEALER FIX : change out the airbox….a LOT of work! Cost £450. MY SOLUTION: I just held the flap in the constantly open position with some wire, I never use recirc mode anyway cost 5p.
5) Head Gasket 65K miles – This was odd this one. I took the car into service and then 3 weeks later I have a blown head gasket, I later find that the oil had been overfilled at service…I still don’t know whether this caused the problem or not….but as I had taken out aftermarket warranty cover this was covered so I didn’t take it further. This re-iterates my point about finding a good dealer OR a local specialist. DEALER COST: £750 MY COST:£100 due to changing timing belt at same time.
MY FURTHER ADVICE =================== As you can see from the above things do go wrong……it is a car after all! It I had taken the dealer solution to all problems I would have been severely out of pocket, it pays to get a second opinion on repairs. Dealers these days tend to replace and not repair, find a local garage and they could probably very easily repair the damage for a fraction of the cost.
Other things to look out for on the coupe are: 1) Ball joint and CV gaitors: these tend to go prematurely on the coupe 2) Ignition coils: it has also been shown that some of the new engine exhibit problems with the ignition coils causing the car to judder and run on 3 cylinders - a recall was issued for this also.
Hope you enjoyed the review!
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Jun 17th, 2004
(Jun 18th, 2004)
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