At last, a French car this week – I was really looking forward to driving the Renault Megane E-Tech SUV. Visually, this electric Megane has a great silhouette more like a hatchback with large 20-inch alloys tucked right into the corners, the styling impressive and giving it a more premium feel although the resultant high tail tends to limit rear visibility. With a 60kWh battery pack feeding a single electric motor with 160kW and 320Nm of torque driving through the front wheels it offers a driving range of 454Km. Step in and your immediately impressed with a quality and functional interior with great finishes. A wide 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster and interconnected 9-inch multimedia touchscreen thankfully combine with switchgear to make it all very user friendly, something the Chinese newcomers could well learn from. There’s Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, dual zone climate control, wireless phone charging, heated front seats and a heated steering wheel. At $54,990 plus on-road costs the Megane E-Tech is well priced, with combination cloth and leather seats that offer great comfort but lack power adjustment while the interior is a standout in design. Warranty underdone at five-years/100,000km, battery warranty 8- years/160,000km. The proof however is in the driving which I’ll detail in an hour. I’m David Berthon.

IMAGE CREDIT / Renault Australia

Download this podcast here