BAD news for Renault but great news for the rest of us. The Megane competes in a sector of the market that is suffering from serious over-kill, which means massive discounts.
The choice of cars in the compact class is bewildering, which is where the Megane 1.5 dCi Expression competes.
Its many worthy rivals include the Ford Focus 1.6 TDCi LX, Nissan Qashqai 1.5dCi Visia, Kia cee'd 1.6 CRDi LS, SEAT Leon 1.9 TDI Stylance, Vauxhall Astra 1.7 CDTi Club and the Volkswagen Golf 1.9 TDI Match.
That is pretty formidable opposition by any standards, especially as the Renault is not the best.
The Focus is quicker, faster and only fractionally less economical whilst the Kia cee'd is quicker, faster, cheaper and just as economical.
Similar comparisons can be made with the rest of the Renault's rivals but in the final analysis they are all as good as each other in their different ways.
Although the Focus is superior in some respects, the Megane costs £870 less and comes with four electric windows rather than just two.
The bottom line is that the reasons why one vehicle will have greater appeal to particular buyers than another have probably got little or nothing to do with their respective performances on paper.
It is more to do with the way they look, their seating arrangements, loyalty to a particular brand and a variety of other reasons.
The Megane is a conventional hatchback, albeit with a peculiarly distinctive rear end in comparison to the Qashqai that is more of a small SUV.
In five-door form the Renault is a convenient small family car with enough room inside to cater for four adults comfortably and five at a pinch.
The 1.5-litre diesel engine is the same as that used in the Nissan although in the Renault it is significantly more economical with an average figure of 60mpg.
This endows the Megane with a range of 790 miles between fill-ups, which is 50 miles more than the Qashqai and 110 miles more than the Focus.
The Renault has a top speed of just over 115mph, acceleration to 62mph in 11 seconds and a CO2 figure of 120g/km to give a lowly tax rating of 18 per cent.
It scores highly for safety, with top marks from EuroNCAP for its crash test performance and comes equipped with side and curtain air bags.
In 106bhp Expression guise at £14,470 it is equipped with air conditioning, remote door locking, CD sound system and split folding rear seats.
The recent facelift has given the Megane a new lease of life in the looks department and as a driver's car it is competent without setting any new standards.
On the plus side are its strong engine and class-leading economy but against it are the unexceptional packaging and relatively noisy ride in comparison to some of its better-suppressed rivals.
The most important thing to bear in mind is that the intense competition means hefty discounts, which in the case of the Megane are currently about £2,000.
This makes a car with a sticker price of fourteen and a half grand just twelve and a half, which may just give the Megane the edge it needs.
FAST FACTS
Renault Megane Expression dCi 106 5dr
Price: £14,470
Mechanical: 106bhp, 1,461cc, 4cyl diesel engine driving front wheels via 6spd manual gearbox
Max speed: 117mph
0-62mph: 11.1 secs
Combined mpg: 60.1
Insurance group: 5
CO2 emissions: 120g/km
BiK rating: 18%
Warranty: 3yrs/ 60,000 miles, 3yrs paint, 12yrs anti-rust