It's a model made famous for the way it shakes its bottom, but as with so many new cars in this ever-warming world, the Renault Megane is shifting its priorities from physical appeal to the size of its carbon footprint.
Everyone's at it. Coca-Cola has its sugarless Zero options, Sainsbury's its skinny eating menu and now Renault unveils a model range for the go-lighter, eco-conscious client. Tagged "Eco2", a green labelling system being planned for Renault dealerships will highlight such models as a bioethanol (that's petrol made from fermented plant matter) Megane E85, a 1.2-litre petrol Clio tuned to deliver the torque of a 1.6 on the economy of a 48mpg microcar and a range of vans that run on a 30% mix of plant-derived diesel.
Eco2 vehicles skip merrily over certain green hurdles: they are built in super-clean factories that meet the EU's drearily titled 14001 certificate, their CO2 emissions stay south of 140g/km, or are biofuel compatible, and the cars are 95% reusable at the end of their days (which, interestingly, for all you veteran Volvo drivers out there, Renault reckons as being around just 160,000 miles). They must also be made from at least 5% recycled plastics.
"Eco2 stands for the dialogue we want to establish with our customers, combining both the eco-logical with the eco-nomical - the models must be affordable and fuel-efficient and must have a better impact on the environment," explains Alice de Brauer, the director of Renault's Environmental Plan.
So the biodiesel-compatible Megane, already on sale here and priced from ¯¿½14,470 in Dynamique trim, now receives a coveted green label. How green is it?
Well, some complex equations kick in here. Because a conventionally fossil-fuelled diesel car depends wholly upon unrenewable fuel, the provision of which necessitates X amount of energy to get to your tank, you're on a loser before you even turn the key.
But because the Eco2 Megane is fuelled by up to 5% biodiesel (that mix being made by the refinery and served up at the biodiesel pump in said proportion) the same proportion of your fuel is sourced from crops that absorb CO2 from the atmosphere as they are growing. So the photosynthetic footwork the plants put in before they are harvested means that net CO2 reductions during your driving week amount to around 3.5% against a standard diesel motor.
Granted, that's no giant leap forward, though it gets much better if you're behind the wheel of one of Renault's Eco2 B30 Master and Trafic vans: being tuned to accept a 30% biodiesel mix, they lay claim to a consequent 20% CO2 cut. Renault says it "doesn't see why not" such an option won't follow in its diesel passenger car range, though for now, the best biodiesel option - as with rival makers - is a 95% fossil diesel model.
A short test run reveals no discernible difference between a 1.5dCi Megane fuelled by bio against a standard regular diesel: either is quiet, smooth and in possession of an excellent degree of torque. But specific changes to this model only underline its good housekeeping: the latest design of particulate filter helps ensure emissions are reined in at 120g/km - so qualifying for tax band B and a measly ¯¿½35 annual VED tax bill.
So this Megane sidesteps Band B's ¯¿½115 bill, but as far as fuel usage goes, any normal end-user will opt for the cheapest fuelling route. So if conventional diesel costs less than biodiesel, the biodiesel pump will collect cobwebs.
In essence (if you'll pardon the French pun), Renault's Eco2 initiative is largely a pragmatic reaction to measures that would be otherwise forced upon it by EU stipulations. But to Renault's credit, here is a brand - thanks largely to its lack of reliance on hulking great 4x4s and supercars - that is well on track for its goal of being in the cleanest top three European car makers by 2009. A biodiesel Megane looks academic on paper, but a 60mpg-plus family car with limbo-low tax penalties makes much more sense. Thankfully they're one and the same.
Tiscali verdict: 8/10 Megane shows rivals a green pair of heels.
