New Megane Coupé-Cabriolet for ultimate driving pleasure
 Renault
South Africa proudly presents the new Mégane Coupé-Cabriolet
which will soon hit our local shores.
To improve an already beautiful concept is never easy and on
the surface, the designers of the New Mégane Coupé-Cabriolet
made only limited changes to emphasise the popular profile of
the 2004 Mégane.
Up front, the lines of trapezoidal xenon headlamps now taper
into the bumpers with the flowing lines of a stronger V-shaped
grille. The air-intake is larger, but positioned lower between
wider-spaced fog lamps to continue the harmony of the new
front-end design. Featuring stylish new wheel trims endows the
New Mégane cc with a slightly more aggressive stance that
reminds of the Wind and Fluence concept cars displayed at recent
car shows to gauge public reaction to Renaults intended design
direction.
Inside, rain and light sensors, optimised climate control,
"Flat Blade” windscreen wipers and active carbon filter now form
part of the standard equipment – thus enhancing driving comfort.
One area where Renault’s designers could – and did – give
their creativity free reign was in the choice of fresh colours
for the new Mégane Coupé-Cabriolet, which now include optional
integral paint matched with bright, refined interior trims.
The Mégane Coupé-Cabriolet’s class-leading interior offers
four comfortable seats with good knee-room and contours designed
around the passengers. The front seats fold and slide in one
single movement to provide easy access to the rear to fit four
adults in comfort.
A large windscreen and glass roof saturate the interior with
light, providing unrestricted views of the passing milieu.
Fine-grained leather, satin chrome finishes and soft plastics
create a luxurious interior, while the aircraft throttle-style
hand brake and the instrument dials surround the driver with
subtle reminders of the Mégane Coupé-Cabriolet’s sporty nature.
Unlike most coupes with folding roofs, the Mégane Coupé-Cabriolet
boasts the boot space of a large saloon. With the roof up, the
boot packs 490 litres, making this Coupé practical for both
weekend-trips and the daily school-run.
On fine days, a touch of a button folds the glass roof into
the top half of the boot to transform the Coupé into a
cabriolet. With the roof down, boot space is reduced to a 190
litres, comparable to that of a small hatch. The boot space is
augmented by a 17-litre cooled-glove box, a centre storage
compartment and lidded storage pockets in both doors to keep
loose items out of sight and sun.
The New Mégane Coupé-Cabriolet was the first vehicle with a
folding hard top to earn the maximum five star rating in the
Euro NCAP front and side impact tests, and two of a possible
four stars in pedestrian impact tests.
The new Mégane Coupé-Cabriolet encapsulates Renault’s third
generation System for Restraint and Protection (SRP III). The
system combines adaptive four two-stage airbags with adaptive
safety belts, dual load limiters and twin pre-tensioners for the
front seats.
The electronic stability programme is equipped with the ASR
and CSV to correct understeer in a fraction of a second. The
latest generation Bosch ABS system uses EBD and EBA to maximize
the efficiency of the large disk brakes (280 mm front and 240 mm
rear).
Renault’s dual pyrotechnic tensioners tighten the seat belts
in conjunction with any airbag deployment, while the dual
torsion load limiters limit the belts’ maximum restraining
pressure to 400daN to prevent injury to the thorax. Renault’s
first load limiters in 1995 reduced seat-belt forces on the
torso from 1000 to 600 daN during impact.
The two-stage front air bags combine with a lateral air bag
and anti-submarining air bags to protect the most-often injured
limbs in the case of impact. A programmed deformation bodywork
structure and fixed roll bars transfer shock away from passenger
and protect their heads in case of a roll-over. |
