Since we’re roughly two weeks away from seeing Renault’s all-new Megane, this is as good a time as any to try and figure out exactly what we should expect from French firm’s compact car.

Let’s start with numbers first, because Renault desperately needs the Megane to get back in the ring with the Focus, the 308 and the Astra in terms of sales.

On the other hand, Renault generally keeps up appearance by building slightly cheaper cars than the competition. The Megane has never cost as much as a Golf, or even as much as a Peugeot 307/308 for that matter.

In terms of appearance, judging from spy shots and unofficial renderings, we can clearly see plenty of Talisman features on that front fascia. I’m not sure if that’s such a brilliant idea since the Talisman isn’t exactly instantly recognizable as a Renault.

Then again, the Megane desperately needed a new fresh image, something perhaps both elegant and sporty – though we’ll have to want and see the car in person before we pass final judgement.

Just so we don’t get sidetracked, let’s try to establish what it is we need from the all-new Renault Megane, and maybe throw in a little bit of speculation too.

We need it to look good so that it can compete with the Ford Focus and the Peugeot 308. It can’t have any more weird angles, it has to look strong, dynamic and modern. Basically it needs to share pretty much nothing with the current model.

Also, we need it to have a fresh interior, with quality plastics and soft surfaces, a much improved driving position, a sportier-looking shifter and all the modern safety tech we can think of.

As far as I’m concerned, they can keep the seats from the current (facelifted) GT Line model because they’re really comfortable – so much so that you actually notice it if you start driving a Golf or a Focus after getting out of the Megane.

Even though its hard to tell, I hope they’re going to use taillights similar to those small pointy ones on the Clio – which are awesome.

In terms of engines, both the turbocharged petrol & diesel units need to be really economical, while the high-end ones should provide the Megane with plenty of muscle.

Let’s recap:

– No awkward exterior design angles
– Strong shoulder line and aggressive front end
– Soft & high quality plastics inside
– Comfortable seats
– Modern tech
– Solid drivetrain
– Cheaper than most main rivals

There you have it. Could we expect Renault to get all of these things right? It’s more of a coin toss than a sure thing right now. I’m actually pretty confident that the new Megane will have a much better interior than the old one, and that it will be comfortable.

What I’m worried about most is that it will have a one or two awkward angles and that it still won’t be able to compete (visually) with the Golf, Focus, 308, Leon and other C-Segment hatchbacks that have really fluid lines in their design.

And yes, I didn’t mention the Astra on purpose because I think it looks a bit boring.

Renderings courtesy of Theophilus Chin & Virtuel-Car

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