Renault has revealed the first images of the upcoming 2006 Renault Mégane. The exterior restyling has changed the design of the front and the rear end.

At a first glance the most evident innovation is the new front headlight design: the contour lines look straightened, the inner lamps are different and the knot between the headlight and the grille upper edges has been removed, so that they are now perceived as a single element.

The new (above) and the previous (below) front headlight

The front surface has been greatly smoothed and both the diamond-like edges that framed the Renault logo and the lower edge that visually splitted the front end in two horizontal sections were removed.

The bumper design has been modified so that now it looks aesthetically integrated with the lower air intake.

For what concerns the rear end, the main changes are in the lamp design and in the bumper fascia border.

From these first images, the new Mégane looks more modern than the original, even if it may have lost something of its unique personality, mainly because of the new smoother surface.

This facelift will affect five of the Mégane bodystyles, namely the Hatch, Sport Hatch, Sport Saloon, Sport Tourer, Coupé-Cabriolet. The Scenic and Grand Scenic, which were launched after the rest of the range, remain unchanged.

As for the technical specification, a new diesel engine will be introduced: the 150hp 2.0 dCi, one of the most efficient engines in its category, delivering 150hp at 4,000rpm with torque of 340Nm at 2,000rpm. Combined with a new manual 6-speed gearbox, it enable the Mégane to accelerate from a standing start to 100kph in 8.7 seconds and to obtain an average fuel consumption of just 5.4l/100km (combined cycle), which represents the segment's lowest CO2 emission value (144g/km).

The restyled Mégane will debut at Brussels Motor Show on 10 January 2006, and will go on sale from 1 February 2006.

Read this article in Italian on AutoViaggiando

(Source: Renault)