Playing in the middle class Renault no significant role in this country. The French carmaker is now hoping for a new model to be more lucky. The sedan is aptly called Talisman. The Laguna successor celebrates its public debut at the International Motor Show (IAA) in September, and will be at dealerships in January next year.
The Talisman does not only want to score with its optics - although this convinces. It comes from Renault design director Laurens van den Acker, who has already been responsible for Twizy, Captur and Kadjar. Due to the typical brand face, it can be assigned directly to the Renault family. The long wheelbase (2,81 meters) and the short overhangs make it look more elegant and serious than its predecessor Laguna.
The French carmaker packed a wealth of technical delicacies on board the 4,85 meter long limousine. In addition to LED headlights and a head-up display, for example, the company's own multi-sense system, which can be used to control the steering, gear change, damping and response of the engine, as well as the interior lighting, air conditioning and engine sound. The parking assistant can maneuver the vehicle almost independently in parking spaces. The dynamic all-wheel steering not only takes care of the steering precision, but also improves driving safety. At low speeds, the rear wheels turn minimally in the opposite direction to the front axle. This should make steering, turning and parking maneuvers easier.
An armada of radar, ultrasound and camera-based systems such as safety distance warning, emergency brake assistant with speed warning, blind spot and lane departure warning, high beam assistant and adaptive cruise control ensure safety.
Electrically adjustable front seats that can heat or cool and the four-door vehicle also has ambient lighting. The sedan receives navigation commands via the R-Link 2 multimedia system. Depending on the equipment, it has a landscape 7-inch or a portrait 8,7-inch color touchscreen that is integrated in the center console and that understands the zoom and scroll function like a tablet. The system can be controlled not only by touch, but also by voice or steering wheel remote control.
There are two petrol and three diesel engines available to drive the French hope, which cover a performance range from 81 kW / 110 PS to 147 kW / 200 PS. All units have an automatic start-stop system and also want to save additional fuel by recovering braking energy. The base diesel is the 1,5-liter dCI 110, and the 1,6-liter diesel, which is available with either a six-speed manual transmission or the six-speed dual clutch transmission, ranks above it. The diesel dCI 160 is the top performer. The two petrol engines deliver 150 and 200 hp, respectively, and are connected to the seven-speed dual clutch transmission.
With the Talisman Renault wants to make up for lost ground in the middle class and replace the Laguna and the slightly larger Latitude. The latter has not been offered since the end of 2012 due to a lack of demand. Incidentally, the name Talisman is not entirely new: at the Geneva Motor Show 2001, the French were already presenting a concept vehicle of the upper middle class with this name. However, today's production model must do without the powerful eight-cylinder drive and the side wing doors of the futuristic concept vehicle from back then.
Author: Adele Moser / SP-X