With electric vehicles now commonplace, I had hoped range wouldn't still be dominating the conversation, but it's an important point to get out of the way early here. Renault claims a 280-mile range for its 60kWh Mégane E-Tech, which would be marvellous, but in six months I never managed to get close to that figure - and in the winter it fell to as low as 137 miles from a full charge. A big part of that is Renault's decision not to include a heat pump for the UK market on the entry-level Equilibre and my mid-spec Techno model. If you have a long commute, it's probably worth considering the top Iconic trim, whose heat pump helps boost range by about 10% in cold conditions.
However, a winter of discontent turned into a summer of love as things quickly improved with the mercury rising. That magic 280 is still out of reach, but more than 200 miles on a charge is easily achievable - particularly if you do lots of dual-carriageway cruising - though the length of time I spent in wintry conditions really hit the overall average.
Denne historien er fra July 19, 2023-utgaven av Autocar UK.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent ? Logg på
Denne historien er fra July 19, 2023-utgaven av Autocar UK.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
Poster car that went from rusty to trusty
One evening, two years ago, George Pappas was being driven down his local high street by a mate and mulling over whether to replace his Mk4 Golf diesel, a recent purchase that was boring him to death, when his girlfriend, also in the car, spotted an old BMW 3 Series at the side of the road with a 'for sale' sign in the window.
THE SEVEN-SEATER THAT VOLVO DARE NOT KILL OFF
The current-gen XC90 has been on sale since 2015 for good reason
GENESIS ELECTRIFIED G80
Where the story begins, in the Hyundai premium marque’s luxury saloon
LEXUSLBX
Can you shrink premium quality to fit an SUV this small? We now know
Rolls boss ready to 'define the next chapter'
Nine months into the job, Rolls-Royce CEO and car guy Chris Brownridge tells STEVE CROPLEY what he's learned and where the firm's heading
Once more, with feeling
AC Cars' recreation of the classic MkII Cobra is at first glance a faithful facsimile of a 1960s performance benchmark. SIMON HUCKNALL drives it
MERCEDES-BENZ CLE
Does a PHEV set-up work in a coupé that exudes such old-school vibes?
ANALOGUE SUPERSPORT
Lotus Elise specialist uprates 1990s icon with an eye on track days
ALPINE A290
The hot hatch is alive and well, and living in France. On both road and track, there's much to savour`
UK HANGS ON TO OLD CARS
Average car age climbs as high prices dampen demand for new models
