2006 Renault Megane CC Dynamique review from UK and Ireland

I've had this car just coming up to 2 months and so far (touch wood) everything is fine.

There seems to be a few build quality weaknesses around the interior that may expose problems in the future. (loose carpet, easily scratched dash plastics etc)

After having always owned Vauxhalls, I fancied a bit of change and to own a convertible!

I shopped around a bit (which at the time for a metal roofed convertible meant just this and Peugeot CC's) and decided this was the one for me.

I went to my local Renault dealer who was pushy, unhelpful and unwilling to provide a test drive, seemingly thinking I was time-wasting (didn't seem to think that at 22 I would genuinely buy the car!) So I went to online dealer motorprovider.co.uk who were absolutely superb! Got a great price £4k below list and immediate delivery on the colour and spec I wanted.

Mine is the 1.6VVT. After having a minor crash at the start of the year, it was the only model I could get reasonable insurance on. All the magazines say it's underpowered, and that was my initial concern. It's fair to say it's not particularly quick. Most notably, you have to drop a gear to go up steep motorway inclines or overtake quickly.

With just me in, it's OK. With a car full of friends, it does struggle to accelerate. I certainly wouldn't dismiss the 1.6, but I'd have been interested to try the 2.0 model.

The look of the car is great, mine is in silver and looks really good. The roof is excellent, electically operated and folding fully in 22 seconds. It seems perfectly water-tight and apart from a few rattles over pot-holed roads, feels as secure and solid as a hard top car.

The comfort is great, it's got typically over-soft Renault seats that could do with a bit more support on long journeys. But it's a comfortable place to be with plenty of gadgets to amuse you on a long journey! With the roof down and the windows up - you feel very protected from the elements and could comfortably drive for miles without feeling wind-beaten!

Space is tight in the back (with the front seats right back there is NO room for people behind!) so with 4 up - it can feel quite cramped all round. The boot space is great with the roof up and adequate with it down.

Fuel economy - mine averages around 37mpg in day to day use. If you take a motorway run very leisurely, my fuel computer has averaged 52mpg. How believable that is, I don't know - but I've certainly got no complaints there.

All in all - a great car for the summer. A good dose of practicality and if you shop around and avoid the dealers, an absolute bargain!