IT'S become the trendy way to get noticed... dazzling daytime running lights.

Renault call it ‘edge’ lighting and has put on quite a show for the new Megane taking it to another level with zany tail light treatment virtually covering the width of the tailgate.

Does Renault need to give its new family hatchback the fairground treatment? Things have not been great of late, so much so that the 

state-owned company has been digging itself out of a huge sales hole.

Megane sales have tumbled; a combination of recession, bland design and buyers turning to crossovers. It is fighting back and while Renault is not exactly back on track, design chief Laurens van den Acker has injected a ‘joie de vivre’ bringing us gems like Clio and Captur.

The recovery in UK sales has been steady – Captur is the best selling small crossover – and Renault bosses believe there is still a significant market for Megane.

Compared to Clio, van den Acker has been conservative with his changes to Megane. The outline of the old model is still there yet the bold front end treatment has lifted the car. It is more in your face and no-one coming up behind Megane will fail to notice the red light show.

This is a completely new car built on a new platform. It is longer, wider and lower (how many times have I said that about new cars this year) with a credible 384 litre boot space.

Sales pitch will focus on safety, improved quality and a big dollop of technology so let’s make that the starting point.

The cockpit in the models at the UK launch featured an 8.5in touchscreen in portrait format which is new to the class and provided focus for an otherwise subdued layout. If that sounds critical it is not meant to be. Renault has struck a nice balance between technology and the need to turn a knob, or press a switch simply for speed of action so the heating can be adjusted manually. That’s good.

As for the touchscreen functions they are easy enough to master and, of course, people have the ability to download all sorts of apps to beef up what outside features can be performed from inside a car. And if you are into bling then the background colours on the dashboard can be changed.

What matters most to families who own a hatchback is comfort and that has become an interesting topic, not just for Renault models. I have owned seven Renaults in my lifetime and noticed that the level of ride comfort has got progressively worse. That is because the emphasis has switched to improving handling.

That is not say new Megane is an uncomfortable ride because it is not, but it can get a bit jumpy if pushed on some of our good old British B roads but in all other situations things are well controlled. 

I was expecting Megane to be as good as the new Vauxhall Astra which has come closest to achieving a perfect blend of ride comfort and handling. The Renault hasn’t quite got there. But it is there on safety and depending on model you can expect to find adaptive cruise control and emergency braking, lane departure, blind spot and safe distance alerts and 360 degree parking sensors.

One area where Renault scores highly is beefing up ordinary cars so take a look at the GT with its 205bhp 1.6 litre turbocharged petrol unit developed by Renault Sport and mated to a seven-speed double clutch automatic gearbox with paddle shifters. 

It is a taste of what’s to come as the model range develops and features 

all-wheel steering where the front and rear wheels turn in the opposite direction at low speeds to help manoeuvrabilty, and in the same direction at higher speeds to give more stability. 

Other engines at launch are a 130bhp 1.2litre petrol and 1.5litre 110 and 1.6litre 130bhp diesels.

Prices for the six strong range are £16,600-£25,500.

Renault Megane Dynamique S Nav

Engine: 1.5 dCi 110bhp 

Performance: 0-62mph 11.3secs; 116mph

Economy: 76.4mpg combined

Emissions: 96g/km. Road tax zero

Insurance group: 21

Price: £20,400