Renault introduces special edition Megane Cabrio

THE hot season may be on the wane but don’t tell Renault Australia, which has just released a special ‘Summer Edition’ version of its folding-hardtop Megane Cabriolet.

The Megane Summer Edition gets a claimed $3300 of extra value over the standard model in the form of charcoal leather seats (normally an $1800 option) and all-new 10-spoke, 18-inch alloy wheels.

Despite these additional features, the Summer Edition retains the same $45,990 sticker price as the standard Megane Dynamique.

Unchanged is the car’s full-length glass folding roof – which retracts in only 22 seconds – and standard features list, which includes satellite-navigation, rear parking sensors and Bluetooth with audio streaming.

Power continues to come from a 2.0-litre four-cylinder petrol engine producing 103kW/195Nm and matched exclusively to a CVT automatic transmission.



Renault Australia managing director Justin Hocevar said the special edition model was a reflection of the large percentage of Dynamique buyers who tick the box on the optional leather seats.

It is not the first time Renault has introduced a special edition to its Megane line-up, which accounted for 41 per cent of the brand’s total Australian sales in 2011 when hatchback, convertible and Sport variants are taken into account.

August last year saw the introduction of the more luxuriously appointed Renault Sport RS250 Monaco Grand Prix edition, which added a slew of extra features to the brand’s popular two-door hot hatch.

Renault sold 123 Megane Cabriolets in 2011 following the model’s introduction in October 2010 – an increase of 84 per cent over the previous year.

Despite the sales jump, it still trailled key rivals like the Volkswagen Eos (706 sales), Mini Cabrio (201 sales) and Peugeot 308 convertible (178 sales).

As a member of Renault Australia’s passenger car range, the Megane Cabriolet comes with a five-year/unlimited-kilometre warranty with five years of roadside assistance.

The French brand’s strong recent growth – sales were up 89.9 per cent in 2011 over the previous year – showed no signs of slowing in the first month of 2012, with the 204 sales achieved in January representing a 48.9 per cent increase over the same month in 2011.

A full year of sales of the diesel Megane hatchback, refreshed Koleos compact SUV and Master large van (which has its official Australian media launch later this week) should help see the brand continue its upward trend locally.

Renault MeganeCabriolet pricing (plus on-road costs):
SummerEdition (a)	$45,990
Dynamique (a)	$45,990