Fortunately for us, our diligent spies were able to discover a different prototype wearing much less camouflage. This time, the 2012 Megange hatchback was only covered with black duct tape.
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Nevertheless, primitive as cloth/plastic wraps may be, they do get the job done hiding the changes made to their cars like the facelifted Renault Megane hatchback and its station wagon counterpart named the Sports Tourer, that were caught testing in Southern Europe.
So, what’s the worst car one could imagine? Well, if we played around with the above statements, we’d say one designed by Japanese, engineered by Americans, built by Italians and marketed by Germans.
But UK insurance firm Warranty Direct had something a little bit different in mind. Instead of playing the origin card, the company decided to check out its database of 50,000 live policies on cars aged five years on average to part the UK’s most unreliable vehicle that would break down every other month and cost an average of £2,050 (equal to US$3,270 - €2,330) to fix each year.
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The 265-horsepower strong special edition posted a lap time of 8 minutes and 7.97 seconds in the hands of Renault test driver Laurent Hurgon, smashing the previous record for a front-wheel drive model held by the older generation Mégane RS R26.R by nine seconds. Buckle up, sit tight and enjoy the record run in the video after the break.
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The 265-horsepower version of the Megane RS completed a full lap around the Nürburgring racetrack in 8 minutes and 7.97 seconds beating the time of the previous generation Mégane Renaultsport R26.R by 9 seconds. In comparison, the now obsolete 305HP Ford Focus RS posted a lap time of 8 minutes and 26 seconds in the summer of 2009.
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The Mégane RS Trophy is a special edition version of the standard model with a limited production run of 500 cars. Renault is quick to note that the Trophy is not a successor to the hardcore R26R, which leaves the door open to a more extreme variant in the near future.
However, that’s about all Renault is willing to reveal for now so we’ll have to wait and see what kind of upgrades the car will feature and if a power boost and / or a weight reduction and chassis enhancements are part of the package.
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The French carmaker claims the Megane CC's transparent glazed area of 0.47 sq. metres is the largest in the segment that includes cars like the Pininfarina-styled Ford Focus CC and the Peugeot 308 CC.
>The shady picture doesn't tell us much about the four-seater convertible's looks but expect to see similar styling cues to the rest of the new Megane's range.
here won't be any surprises under the hood as the engine lineup will be carried over from the hatchback and coupe models including the 1.6-liter 110HP, 2.0-liter 140hp and the turbocharged TCe 180HP petrol units.
The new CC, which will join the Megane hatchback, coupe and Sport Tourer models, will compete against other C-Segment hardtop convertibles like the Ford Focus CC and Volkswagen Eos.
The new Renault Megane hatchback has scored the highest possible rating in Euro NCAP's latest crash tests gathering a perfect five stars and 37 points out of 37 - that's maximum points for protection of occupants in side and front impact tests. The only other vehicle to achieve a perfect score in adult occupant protection in Euro NCAP's 10-year long history is the Qashqai from sister company Nissan ,with which the Megane hatchback shares the same platform.In the crash safety body's other tests, the French hatchback was awarded four stars for child occupant protection while we've yet to learn how many stars the Megane managed to gather for pedestrian protection.
Sharing the (virtual) tarmac with the likes of the 2009 Nissan 370Z, Audi R8, and Porsche 911 GT2 in EA's new video game, Need for Speed (NFS) Undercover, will be the 2009 Renault Megane Coupe that was recently unveiled at the Paris Motor Show. The latest edition of NFS which launches in Europe on 21 November will give "couch-drivers" the chance to take the French marque's stylish three-door hatchback for a spin around the so-called Tri-City Bay Area during their undercover operations. We would have preferred the RWD competition Megane Coupe V6, but guess you can't have it all. Watch the teaser video after the jump. -Continued
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Following hot on the heels of the new Megane hatchback and Megane Coupe models that were introduced at the Paris Motor Show earlier this month will be Renault's third generation Scenic minivan that's due in showrooms in the first quarter of 2009. However, thanks to the EU patent office, we can give you an early sneak peak of Renault's mid-size people carrier through these official application images. Interestingly, the black and white photos reveal that Renault's design team looked more towards the Laguna Coupe for inspiration rather than to the new Megane hatchback. -Continued 
As you can see, the French company will continue its strategy of offering a two-model line-up for its new mid-size people carrier: the five-seater Scenic III and the seven-seater Grand Scenic featuring an extended wheelbase.
Both versions of the French minivan are heavily based on the underpinnings of the 2009 Megane hatchback with which they will share the same engine line-up. Diesel options will include 1.5 dCi 85HP, 90 HP, 105 HP and 110 HP engines along with more powerful 130 HP, 150HP and 160 HP variants. The petrol engine range will consist of 100 and 110HP 1.6-liter units, a 140HP 2.0-liter engine and the turbocharged 130HP 1.4TCe and 180HP 2.0TCe units.
Targeted at the Opel Zafira, Volkswagen Touran and Citroen C4 Picasso / Grand Picasso, the new Scenic is expected carry over many of the qualities of its predecessor like the spacious cabin with more cubby holes that you can ever imagine as well as a versatile interior with extremely flexible seats that can be folded or totally removed to free extra storage space.
2009 Renault Scenic III
2009 Renault Grand Scenic III
Now it’s time to drool all over the most desirable Renault Megane Coupe ever. ‘Its awesomeness’ is a competition version powered by a mid-rear mounted, Nissan / Infiniti sourced 3.5-liter V6 engine tweaked to develop 360 HP. The new Megane Coupe Trophy will take part in the 2009 season of the World Series by Renault (WSR) which is a single-seater car championship that has been running in 
If you liked the new 2009 Megane Coupe’s looks (see official images here), then you’re going to fall in love with the competition version that will participate in the 2009 season of the World Series car championship by Renault. To be precise, Renault actually retained the underpinning of the previous Megane Trophy adding a composite body that takes its inspiration from the lines of the new Megane Coupe, but the result is stunning. -Continued
Under its composite outer skin, the new Megane Trophy features the same mechanicals as the current car, including an FIA-homologated sports-prototype tubular chassis, a mid-rear mounted V6 3.5 24V engine from Nissan / Infiniti, a semi-automatic gearbox with steering wheel-mounted paddle shift that delivers power to the rear wheels, double wishbone suspension with adjustable dampers, 18-inch wheels and Michelin racing tires.
However, Renault’s engineers took the opportunity to perform several upgrades and revisions on the Trophy which now features a more powerful version of the 3.5-liter V6 developing 360HP, up from 300HP. Furthermore, refinements to the aerodynamic set-up have produced a 20% improvement in downforce and a 15% reduction in drag which, together, represent a gain of almost 40% in terms of the new car's aerodynamic performance over the previous generation model.
According to French automaker, the aerodynamic gains and the extra power output of the V6 3.5 24V engine will enable the new Megane Trophy to lap in times similar to those of a Porsche GT3.
Renault said that after the completion of its development programme, the new Trophy will go on sale at the end of the year in the form of a kit that will enable existing cars to be upgraded. The modifications required to adapt the chassis to the new bodywork will be carried out by the Alpine factory in
Following the recent introduction of the new Megane III 5-door hatchback in September, Renault unleashed the 2009 Megane Coupe III at the Paris Motor Show. Renault’s designers did a wonderful job converting the mundane Megane 5d into a sporty 3door hatch that really looks the part. To achieve this, the French automaker’s design team had to restyle the Megane from ground up as only the bonnet, wings and headlamps are shared by the coupe and hatchback versions. Furthermore, the Megane Coupe sits 12mm lower than the hatch giving it a more aggressive stance. -Continued
Renault’s engineers also tweaked the Megane Coupe's chassis for greater driving pleasure. Handling performance has been fine-tuned thanks to stiffer front and rear springs, an increased diameter anti-roll bar and of course, the 12mm lower ride-height compared with the hatch version of new Megane. As with the 5door variant, despite being bigger and roomier, the new Megane Coupe is an average 8kg or 18-lbs lighter than its predecessor.
The engine line-up will include diesel units developing from 86 to 160 HP while the petrol range will comprise the 1.6-liter 110HP, as well as the 2.0-liter 140hp and the turbocharged TCe 180HP. The 2.0 16V will be available from launch with a six-speed manual gearbox, while continuously variable transmission will be introduced with this powerplant at a later date.
Renault's latest petrol engine, the turbocharged 1.4-liter TCe 130HP will be added to the range in the spring of 2009. Depending on the version, the Megane Coupe’s engines can drive through five- or six-speed manual or automatic transmissions.
