- Renault refreshes Megane EV with Captur nose design and extra equipment.
- New LFP battery boosts range to 310 miles and increases charge speeds.
- Google Gemini joins expanded tech spec together with upgraded ADAS.
Last year at the Munich Motor Show, Renault CEO Fabrice Cambolive said the Megane E-Tech Electric was due for a hot hatch-inspired makeover. Nine months on, that update is here, and while it doesn’t deliver a real Megane hot hatch, and it’s actually slower, it does make the E-Tech even more appealing in just about every other way.
The design changes are impossible to miss because Renault has completely reworked the front end with a new bumper, grille and lights. The Megane E-Tech now has the same family face as other Renault models like the Captur and Symbioz, and looks much less cuddly. Other visual updates include fresh wheel designs and a new Satin Blue paint finish.
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Under the skin, Renault has replaced the old 60 kWh battery with a new 67 kWh usable LFP pack. It pushes maximum WLTP range from a poor 285 miles (459 km) to a more reasonable 310 miles (499 km) and helps bring charging performance up a notch. Peak DC charging climbs to 165 kW, allowing a 15 to 80 percent recharge in around 24 minutes.
The front-wheel-drive powertrain remains familiar, with a 217 hp (220 PS / 160 kW) electric motor producing 221 lb-ft (300 Nm) of torque, just as before. The bigger battery appears to have put a tiny dent in performance though, increasing the zero to 62 mph (100 kmh) time from 7.5 to 7.6 seconds.
But engineers have also retuned the steering and revised the suspension setup to compensate for the larger battery, so there’s a chance you’ll not notice the difference out on the road.
Same Screens, New Software
Inside the Megane, it might also take a while to notice any differences. On the surface, nothing much has changed, but the software that runs the twin-screen dashboard gets a substantial update. Google Gemini joins the OpenR Link system, there are now more than 100 downloadable apps, and a new driver-recognition feature can automatically load personal settings when it recognizes who’s behind the wheel.
The range has also been simplified to Techno and Esprit Alpine trims, both carrying more standard equipment than before. That word ‘more’ kind of sums up everything about this Megane makeover. It was already a solid electric family hatch, but these updates give it a sharper look, and boost both range and equipment. Now all we need is the true Megane RS hot hatch CEO Cambolive got us all hopeful for.
