IHAD just one question when the bloke from Renault turned up with the smart Megane Coupe: why has it taken you so long?

Renault launched the first Megane Coupe way back in 1996.

It went on to become Britain’s best-selling entry-level coupe for five straight years.

And that was at a time when nearly every major manufacturer had a sleek coupe in the showroom.

So I was puzzled Renault failed to follow up the original coupe when the second generation Megane arrived.

Instead, all we got was a folding hard-top model with looks even a mother would find hard to love.

Thankfully, this latest coupe puts the mark two C+C job firmly in the shade – it looks great, especially the twin silver ‘fangs’ running down the front bumper taking in the fogs. Everyone who saw it agreed the Renault was a real head-turner.

Interestingly, the new Coupe still uses a large dollop of the old mark two Megane’s running gear, albeit in much up-graded specification.

Renault’s engineers have re-designed the rear beam axle (well overdue when most of the opposition have true multi-link setups these days), added a new, far more rigid, front subframe and the latest electric power steering.

It’s 43mm lower than the new Megane hatchback, too.

This kind of extensive surgery means it doesn’t feel like an old car masquerading as a new one.

The ride is nice and comfortable in the best French tradition, but there is more than a hint of Renaultsport about the way the coupe hangs on if you go for a bit of a thrash.

There is plenty of outright grip and very little body roll, courtesy of lowered suspension and a wide track. The steering has more feel than its predecessor and the chassis resists bumpy roads more successfully (although the plastics in the wide doors would occasionally groan alarmingly).

Drive from the 2.0-litre petrol engine is good with plenty of shove from low revs and a pleasing top end rush – although the exhaust note could be more enticing.

The gearbox is a pleasure, slicing through the ratios with the speed and precision of a Japanese unit, and the clutch action is perfect – it has just the right amount of resistance required to feel the engine’s biting point.

Inside the Coupe gets a bespoke cabin with a wacky analogue/digital instrument display which uses an LCD for the speedo and a conventional clock for the revs.

I liked it, but the segmented LCD fuel gauge isn’t as accurate as a good old-fashioned pointer.

The satellite navigation system sprouts out of the dashboard top like some alien growth. It is handy, but can’t search on full six-digit postcodes, like so many factory-fit systems.

It is a coupe, so the visibility is predictably poor, particularly the over-the-shoulder view, which is virtually nonexistent.

Rear parking sensors are a handy option.

Space in the back is tight for a couple of adults, particularly the head room, and the middle seatbelt should be the sole preserve of children.

Having said that, the Megane is no worse than most of its key rivals in this respect, and probably a bit better than the VW Scirocco, which doesn’t even have three seatbelts in the back anyway.

The Megane kicks the Scirocco’s backside when you are comparing boot space, too.

It holds a decent 337-litres but the seat base is fixed, so there is a hump in the load floor if you fold the backs down.

The Scirocco is probably the Renault’s biggest threat and I’ll be reviewing that next week. For now, though, the French car is stylish, well built and nice to drive.

If it becomes the next bestseller I wouldn’t be in the least surprised.

Specification

Engine: 2.0-litre four-cylinder
Max power: 178bhp
Top speed: 142mph
0-62mph: 7.8sec
Fuel consumption: 37.2mpg
CO2: 178g/km
Equipment: 17-inch alloys, climate control, electric door mirrors, parking sensors, MP3 playback and Bluetooth phone connection.