Since Laurens van den Acker became design chief of Renault, there's one thing very certain;
every new Renault is at least controversial.
Take the Megane, probably the most flamboyant car in the C-segment.
Today, it's across the most conservative car in the C-segment. This one.
The Volkswagen Golf. Because a Golf always will be just a Golf.
The recent facelift doesn't change anything about that.
In fact, there almost aren't any changes on the outside.
But that wasn't the aim, Volkswagen said. The big news is under the hood.
And there's quite some new technology under the hood of this facelifted Golf.
At least in the new 130 horsepower engine we're driving right now.
Instead of downsizing, this engine is a tad bigger than before.
The 1.4-litre TSI gets swapped for a 1.5 TSI.
It still produces 130 horsepower, but it also comes with some new features to reduce fuel consumption.
We already know the function of switching to two cylinders, the 1.4 TSI had that already.
Now it's being supported by a turbo with variable turbine geometrics, the possibility of applying the Miller cycle,
which means the inlet valve stays open for longer.
Also, very interesting, a very comprehensive sail-function.
At least on the DSG-versions. All meant for a fuel consumption which is as low as possible.
Especially that sail function is very interesting. What happens, is that when you fully release the throttle,
It declutches the gearbox which makes the car go into neutral. We've already seen technology like that though.
In this Golf, it gets supplemented by an extra lithium-ion battery,
and that makes sure the engine can be shut off completely.
So when you start rolling, the engine shuts off so you won't be using any fuel,
but it also doesn't produce any friction, so you can keep on rolling.
In theory, it should be a lot more economical.
When you put your foot down again, it has to start the engine,
the DSG has to connect the clutch again, and you're on your way again.
And it can do it quickly, it can do it smoothly, but it can't do it at the same time.
And that's unfortunate, because if you're in a hurry and you want to speed up when you're rolling,
when you put your foot down, the drivetrain feels a little shocky.
Normally, if you put your foot down, the engine starts, then connects the clutch, which takes about a second,
and after that, you set off. And that's a strange happening.
It's almost like a moving walkway at Schiphol that doesn't move. You can see it's not moving, you know you won't be going forward,
but you'll still look clumsy when you get on it.
In a way, it's very unnatural that you have to wait for anything to happen...
when you put your foot on the right pedal. Maybe it's something you'll get used to,
but I've been driving it for a week now, and I'm still not used to it.
Other than that, there aren't any real complaints about the drivetrain.
It's not like the turbo with variable turbine geometrics makes an incredible difference,
because it only gives you a very big spread of the maximum torque of 200 Nm.
But the 1.4 TSI also had a big spread, so it isn't really noticeable.
Still, it's a very smooth engine with sufficient power. The DSG-transmission... Volkswagen has so much experience,
they've made the shifting process incredibly smooth. It almost goes unnoticed.
Sometimes, you'll see the needle moving, but other than that?
It's always in the right gear. A very pleasant drivetrain with enough potential,
especially for the Netherlands.
The chassis has changed about as much as the exterior in the facelift, so it almost hasn't.
It remains a car which is quite firm in the shocks.
It doesn't feel distant or weak, but it's also clearly less dynamic than a Ford Focus for example.
So you can get it to go fast, but you'll feel that it isn't meant to do that.
It's mostly rolling comfort, a lot of insulation and easily doing lots of kilometres with it.
And that's something which applies to a lot of people, and with this new Golf, it isn't different at all.
If you get out of the Golf into the Megane you'll immediately notice it's much more outspoken than the Golf.
It starts with the interior. The Golf is incredibly decent, no complaints when it comes to ergonomics,
but it's kind of boring and uninspiring as well.
This Megane however, is a lot more interesting.
It's got a Portrait Mode-touchscreen, a lot more shapes, nice ways of lighting,
it all looks more interesting, and that's nice.
The finishing even is quite close to the Golf. The Golf is built a tad better when it comes to cracks,
buttons and used materials, but it's close.
Everything put together, this definitely is the most interesting car to be in.
Unfortunately, ergonomically speaking, it's not very good.
Especially the central touchscreen. First of all, the menu structure.
I don't know if there's a structure in it, but I haven't found it yet,
so I keep getting lost in there. That's also because of the lack of hotkeys.
So when you're controlling the radio and you want to switch to your satnav, you can't do it by the push of a button, like in the Golf.
You have to go back to your homescreen. Or if you're searching in your contacts,
the first letter appears very large. That's nice, because if you're driving it's easy to select.
When you continue spelling the name, the letters become small again.
And that's when you start pushing the wrong letters.
It's all a tad inconsistent, too unlogical, too slow...
Everything put together, it's quite a frustrating way to control that amount of functions.
And that's too bad.
When you're driving the Renault, you can feel the drive is also very outspoken.
Clearly it's a car which is aimed at getting from A to B, in the most comfortable way possible.
That means the damping is incredibly smooth, so the springs get to process almost all energy.
If you're going in a straight line on the motorway, and you encounter an imperfection, it's very pleasant.
It means you won't notice a lot. The steering is very light, and that's incredibly comfortable.
However, when you encounter sharper imperfections, like level crossings,
where it has to process multiple imperfections, the dampers find it difficult.
It's almost like the springs have already processed the energy, before the dampers have even done anything.
It then sounds like the car struggling a little.
When you're steering through a longer corner, the dampers act adequately.
The handling is fine. So it's more outspoken,
and as a whole it's more comfortable. However, it isn't as tight in its rubbers.
Enginewise, the Megane also is a tad more conventional.
Under the hood we find a 1.2-litre 4-cylinder engine with a twin scroll turbo.
It takes some time to get up to speed, so you'll get the maximum 205 Nm of torque at 2000 RPM instead of 1400.
But as long as you keep it going, the performance is fine.
Just like the Golf, you can choose between a double clutch automatic gearbox,
or a manual gearbox. We're driving with the latter.
It's quite a pleasant gearbox. It feels kind of light,
the same goes for the clutch, but when you get used to that it's alright.
The double clutch EDC-gearbox isn't as great to be honest. The gear changes are quite slow,
it has to think for quite some time before selecting the right gear...
But on the other hand, it's all a tad cheaper at Renault.
This Megane is a so called Serie Signature Exclusive, a temporary special edition.
It'll set you back €30.500, metallic paint included.
For that, you'll get all of this; leather upholstery, heated seats, heated steering wheel,
satnav, Bose sound system, cruise control, LED-lights, so it's a very complete trim.
The Golf is a Comfortline Business, but it doesn't feature a similar trim.
It does have adaptive cruise control, but it doesn't have leather upholstery,
a heated steering wheel and all kinds of other stuff, like a Bose sound system.
The Golf will set you back €35.000. So you get less for more.
And even though this is a temporary special edition, you can equip regular versions with a similar trim the Golf has,
for a few thousand euro's less.
But is it enough to win the test? No, because it isn't more practical or built better.
Also, the Golf starts to earn itself back. That's not because of the remaining value,
but because it's a lot more economical. This Megane barely does 14,5 kilometres per litre,
and the Golf almost does 16,5 per litre, 16,3 kilometres to be exact.
So ultimately, Volkswagen was right. The big news is under the hood...