BOULOGNE-BILLANCOURT, France — Renault is inaugurating the spring season by unveiling a Mégane Sport Tourer at the 2009 Geneva Auto Show, along with new five- and seven-passenger Mégane Scénic MPVs and the 2009 Clio lineup.
The Mégane Sport Tourer is a new model with an extended wheelbase but with a strong sibling resemblance to the Mégane hatch. The Sport Tourer comes with a choice of five gasoline and six diesel engines, including the new high-efficiency TCe 130 engine, developed by the Renault-Nissan alliance, which is a 1.4-liter engine "that boasts the torque of a 2.0-liter engine and the power of a 1.8" with CO2 emissions "less than those of a 1.6."
The New Grand Scénic is a seven-passenger MPV, and the New Scénic seats five. A choice of three gasoline and six diesel engines is offered on the Scénics.
Both MPVs have a reversing camera with sensor and optional Carminat TomTom satellite navigation. Renault says these two New Scénic models are the first in their class to use a Thin Film Transistor (TFT) screen that displays vehicle speed, speed limiter and cruise control systems and the reversing camera's image. The trunk has an 18.4-cubic-foot storage capacity in the five-passenger and 24.8 cubic feet in the seven-passenger, a 10 percent increase over the previous seven-passenger Grand Scénic II.
The New Grand Scénic goes on sale in the U.K. in May with the five-passenger New Scénic hitting showrooms in July. The Mégane Sport Tourer's on-sale date is August.
Renault also introduced its 2009 Clio lineup in Geneva, with new Hatch and Sport Tourer versions and a trio of performance models: the GT, Renaultsport 200 Cup and the Renaultsport 200.
The Clio GT, based on the three-door hatchback Clio, gets a set of 16-inch alloy wheels, a gloss black grille, extended side sills, a rear spoiler and twin exhaust pipes. The Renaultsport 200 and Cup 200 each get modified chassis and suspension.
The Clios are on sale in the U.K. in May.
Inside Line says: A lot to see from Renault this spring. — Laura Sky Brown, Correspondent
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