IT'S just a tad too easy to scribble a coupe designation after a car's name and expect buyers to think they're getting something special.

Thankfully Renault hasn't gone this route with their latest Megane Coupe which not only looks miles more athletic than the five-door saloon but rides lower, has a re-tuned chassis and tweaked steering.

It's a genuine coupe - even down to the sparing dimensions of those rear seats - yet has the merits of cheap running costs and high economy.

There's a wide range of modern engines right up to the sensationally quick Renaultsport 250 version that has claimed the king of the hot-hatch crown with its neck-snapping acceleration and limpet-like cornering.

In fact the stardust of this £23,000-plus model has rubbed off on more lowly models in the line-up like the 1.4 Dynamic 130 TomTom I have been driving.

A 1.4-litre engine doesn't sound very impressive for a sporty coupe, but the ‘130' (which equates with 128bhp) gives the game away.

Clever turbocharging of the four cylinder petrol engine has resulted in swift - if not dramatic acceleration - without impairing economy. In my hands, it averaged around 41mpg and has a usefully low CO2 figure of 153g/km.

With a price tag of £19,055, it comes with TomTom sat-nav, air con, cruise control and 16-inch alloys.

If you want to lighten up the cabin, there's a £410 option of a dark-tinted fixed glass sunroof which also makes the exterior of the car look still more dramatic, especially if the bodywork is glacier white as the test car was.

The mildly turbocharged 128bhp engine delivers ample punch but the noise it emits is more silky-saloon than rorty coupe. Against the stopwatch it polishes off the 62mph dash in a respectable 9.6 seconds and will go on to a maximum of 127mph.

A six-speed gearbox guarantees long-legged and quiet cruising. The gearchange isn't the slickest in the world thanks partly to quite a long-throw action.

Renault's development team has worked wonders taming front drive characteristics to such an extent that even the 248bhp Renaultsport has none of the steering-tug under acceleration that blights so many spirited front drive cars. The more modestly powered 130 is nicely neutral and can negotiate bends swiftly and securely with minimal roll and maximum fun.

The cabin is generously proportioned for two people with loads of shoulder room and the front seats grip you well.

Rear seat passengers have a less easy time with difficult access and limited head and legroom - but that's the price you pay in most coupes.

The Dynamic version comes with keycard and keyless ignition, features I could happily live without. In fact, they caused a minor problem when the guy delivering the car managed to hand the vehicle over to me, then go off with the keycard, leaving me with a ticking-over engine yet no way to restart it again. Not-so-clever tech!

The hatchback boot holds are reasonable 344 litres of luggage which expands to almost 1,000 litres with rear seats folded.