Tag Archives: Renault
3 Things You Should Know About The 2019 Renault Arkana
French car manufacturer Renault revealed an all-new coupe SUV called the Arkana at the Moscow Auto Show. This is the first coupe-inspired SUV to sit at a lower price point compared to its more premium competitors.
For now, it is just a concept, but one that is really close to production. Once released, it will first be marketed to Russia before going to other Western countries under a different name. The United States won’t get it, though, since we don’t have Renault here but we expect to see Nissan release a similar architecture to the Arkana.
1. Exterior
The latest technology and ideology from Renault designed the Arkana based on the Talisman and the Megane. There will be many bits and pieces of the front and rear end of the Arkana that would be taken from the two cars. If you look at it closely, it would resemble in many ways an updated Renault Megane Grand Coupe. There’s also redesigned C-shaped lights.
The one obvious thing that made this a coupe crossover is the coupe roofline. While many automakers try to hide the coupe nature of their coupe-inspired SUVs, Renault went the other way and made this with a high waistline, massive clearance, and 19-inch wheels.
Based on its dimensions, the Arkana is going to compete with the Nissan Rogue or the Honda CR-V.
2. Interior
Renault refused to give photos of its interior, but it’s safe to say that it would be close to the high-speccedMegane or Talisman. The dashboard will be dominated by a massive central portrait screen while the instrument cluster will be partially digital.
It brings a sense of comfort for the Arkana to have a Megane interior because it will at least bring a dash of elegance and sophistication.
3. Drivetrain
Remember that this is going to be a cheap crossover, so it will probably carry the engine from the Renault Kadjar. That being said, the Arkana will come equipped with a 1.2-liter turbocharged petrol engine and an option for a 1.6-liter diesel engine. These machines should be paired with a possible 4WD.
4 Things To Know About The 2018 Renault Megane RS
Renault is bringing a sportier and more powerful version of the Megane to 2018. Called the Renault Megane RS, it will have a wide stance, unique body lines, aggressive front end, and a motorsport-inspired, functional rear diffuser.
Exterior
The RS model is wider than the standard model with the rear haunches up by 45 mm (1.77 inches) and the front extended by 60 mm (2.36 inches). The front has an all-new fascia and the large air intakes are more menacing and aggressive than ever. The new grille also adds a sportiness to the whole look.
The rear end is very interesting, with a micro look on the fascia and a functional diffuser in the middle. There are new fog lights, too, and you can choose from 18- or 19-inch wheels. There are eight exterior colors to choose from—Glacier White, Arctic White, Mercury, Diamond Black, Titanium Grey, Flame Red, Volcanic Orange, and Liquid Yellow.
Interior
The interior is all sports car with its RS-specific goods. The red trim is thrown around the car and the RS badge on the bottom of the steering wheel is a nice sporty touch. There are red accents, too, in the hear shifter, the instrument cluster, and the infotainment system. All over, the interior is wrapped in charcoal gray with red top stitching and to round off the sporty feel of the interior, there are aluminum pedals, too.
The sports seats offer plenty of support, which included integrated headrests. The R-Link 2 comes as standard equipment and this features an 8.7-inch display that’s vertically oriented.
Performance
The Renault Megane RS is powered by a 1.8-liter four-pot engine that produces 280 horsepower at 6,000 rpm and 287 pound-feet of torque. For this kind of power, Renault has to do over the air intake, the exhaust system, and the cylinder head, which received attention from the Renault Sport Cars and Renault Sport Racing department.
The Megane RS can reach 62 mph in just 5.9 seconds. It also comes with the Multi-Sense, which offers several driving modes—Comfort, normal mode, sport mode, race mode, and Perso mode.
The Renault Megane RS is priced at $37,271, and competes directly with the Volkswagen Golf R and the Honda Civic Type R.
Renault Twingo Iconic Tops The Renault Range
We still don’t have the Renault Sport version of the Renault Twingo. For now, what Renault has given us is the “Iconic” special edition that sits atop the French automaker’s Twingo range.
The “Iconic” special addition gets more equipment over more speed, sadly, though those who want more tech will be happy to know that basically all of Renault’s equipment and technology have been thrown in the Iconic.
There’s a lot of upgrades both inside and out. It’s a fairly comprehensive upgrade, anyways, which will only cost about £14,595 for Twingo owners. On the outside, you can choose a unique “mint green” paint and some decals that will make your Twingo stand out from the rest of the pack. The interior, on the other hand, added DAB, heated seat, and satellite navigation, among others.
There are other notable upgrades, of course, such as the fabric-folding sunroof and the automatic headlights and wipers. The headlights and wipers add a touch of elegance to an otherwise very “basic-looking” car. It makes you feel like you’re inside a more high-tech car interior.
For the comfort of the driver and the passengers, Renault also upgraded the seats with crosshatched half-leather upholstery that pairs well with the heated door mists, which helps in getting rid of the pesky early-morning condensation.
When you pay for this as a package, you’ll get a £740 savings. The kit is definitely cheaper than buying a separate lower model with the package as an option.
However, despite having the kit, you’ll still get the very unusual rear-engine and rear-wheel drive setup, as well as the 0.9-liter 3-cylinder that were fitted in the other Twingos. It’s the perfect city car because it’s still good for 90bhp and can go 0 to 60mph in just 10.8 seconds. It’s safe for the environment, too, having been rated with a 100g/kg of CO2 and 65.7mpg.
3 Possible Things That Could Happen To The Alpine Crossover
The upcoming Alpine crossover will get many styling elements from the A110 model pictured above.
The new Alpine A110 is not for everyone’s taste. It’s a bit too cramped and of course, doesn’t address the crossover segment that seems to be missing in Renault’s lineup. Now, the French automaker’s performance sub-brand is working on an Alpine crossover that will battle the Porsche Macan out of its lofty porch (or so Alpine aims).
According to a source, the new Alpine crossover will most likely arrive in 2019 to up Renault’s sales and revitalize this segment that the French car manufacturer hasn’t dominated just yet. Since Renault has little experience in the production of SUVs and crossover, they will most likely turn to Mercedes and Nissan for the new Alpine SUV’s platform.
1. Powertrain From Standard Renault
Incidentally, Renault has a technical alliance both with the German and Japanese car manufacturers, so that should make it easy enough. Power will be coming from Renault’s 1.8-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine, which is capable to push out 300 horses. There could also be a hybridized variant of the Alpine SUV, but there’s no word yet on whether this is in the works already.
2. Styling From Alpine A110
The styling of the incoming Alpine SUV should be based on the Alpine A110 sports car, including the front fascia. Inside, the SUV won’t be as spartan as the coupe, of course, providing maximum comfort and luxury to the owners. It will, however, have an aggressive seat and sporty steering wheel. All over the interior, you’ll find leather, aluminum, and carbon fiber.
3. Not Available in the US
Unfortunately, if you want to own this “replacement” for the Macan, you’d have to be somewhere in Europe, the UK, or Japan because it won’t be brought to the United States. Renault has no plans of bringing the Alpine brand to the US, much to everyone’s chagrin.
5 Key Features of the Alpine A110
The new Alpine A110 was recently unveiled at the 2017 Geneva International Motor Show. The sports car is its maker’s response to the Porsche 718 Cayman.
So, should Porsche be worried about the new 718 rival from Renault‘s Alpine sports car brand in the form of the A110?
See the five key features of the Alpine A110 here to decide for yourself if it is indeed a worthy adversary to the Porsche 718:
1. Engine
The Alpine A110 is a mid-engined sports car. It houses a 1.8-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine. The output of the unit is 249 hp with 320 Nm of torque. The power is directed to the rear wheels and distributed through a seven-speed dual-clutch gearbox.
2. Performance
The Alpine A110’s engine output may be lower than the Cayman S by around 50 hp. However, thanks to the lighter body of the A110, it can outrun the Cayman S from a zero to 62 mph sprint.
Alpine claimed that its sports car can achieve that kind of run in just 4.5 seconds. Then its top speed can reach up to 155 mph.
3. Exterior
The A110 carries the styling found in the Alpine Vision Concept that came out in 2016. Based on the photos of the A110 and the Vision Concept, everything seems to be similar in the design of the two. The lighting system appears to be updated to incorporate the latest tech of Alpine plus the wheels offer a new look though.
The A110 has that retro-futuristic approach in its design. It still possesses the classy A110 “Berlinette” genes but it combines with it a 21st century detailing found in its concept version.
4. Interior
The A110 gets a mix of high-end leather, aluminum and carbon fiber trim in its interior surfaces. The materials used and layout of it its seats, dashboard, controls, steering wheel, foot pedals and other parts inside once again follow the car’s concept form last year.
5. Arrival
The car is expected to arrive late this year or in the early part of 2018. Its starting price is estimated to be at least £60,000.
Photos of the Renault Alpine in Geneva
Check out the gallery below for the official pictures of the Renault Alpine at the 87th Geneva Motor Show:
4 Things You’ll Want To Know About The 2017 Renault Alpine
The Renault Alpine won’t be coming to US shores. It will be strictly for the European market only, though how far into Europe, we still don’t know, too. If you will remember, in 2012, Alpine and Caterham partnered to develop a platform that can be used for future Renault Alpine and Caterham sports car.
While Caterham dropped the plans, Renault pushed through with it. The 2017 Renault Alpine is possibly the prototype for the sports car that’s about to come.
1. Identical To Alpine Vision And Celebration Concepts
Renault unveiled in the past couple of years two concepts—the Alpine Vision and the Celebration. The spy shots confirmed that the prototype looks very similar to these two concepts. The similarities can be seen on the lines on the hood, the headlight arrangement, and the tri-panels on the side windows.
This prototype is clearly reminiscent of the Alpine.
2. Might Be Called A120 Or AS1
There is still no confirmation, but there are rumors within the auto industry that the sports car will keep with the tradition and will call itself the A120 or the AS1. The A120 is a “throwback” to the Alpine A110 Berlinette that came out between 1961 and 1977.
3. Competition Is The Alfa Romeo 4C And Porsche 718 Cayman
What’s a sports car without competition? Renault’s Alpine sports car will have heavy competitions against the Alfa Romeo 4C and the Porsche 718 Cayman. It is likely that it will have a rear-wheel drive that is paired with a turbocharged inline-4. It should be able to produce 270 horsepower that will allow it to go 0-60mph in under five seconds.
4. Production Will Be In France
Unfortunately, not only is the production going to be in France alone, this won’t also be shipped to the US. Renault’s Dieppe plant in the north of France was recently retooled to be able to handle the assembly of the chassis and body of the Alpine sports car.
3 Things To Know About Ordering The Renault Alpine Sports Car
There is little we know about the new Alpine Sports Car from Renault, other than from the fact that it will resemble the Alpine Vision concept car we had earlier this year. Those who are big Renault fans can blindly order this sports car with a deposit of £1,700 ($2,141).
According to Alpine’s website, the company is beginning to take orders for the sports car’s “premiere edition,” of which only 1,995 will be produced.
How To Order The Alpine Sports Car
It is slightly unconventional for a very traditional company like Renault to market and to promote their sports car like how they did the Alpine. To reserve the Alpine Sports Car, you need to download the Alpine app for your phone, then select your preferred number of the 1,995 being offered. That number will be unique and will appear on a plaque in the cabin when it gets delivered to you next year.
After this, you will have to choose a color—blue, white or black. The final stage is the payment process. You can choose to pay with either a debit or a credit card. There are no trim level selections and no alloy wheel options. That’s how basic the reservation will be.
What We Know So Far In Terms Of Engine Specs
Renault has not even revealed the top speed for the mid-engined sports car. What we do know is that it can go 0-62 mph in just 4.5 seconds, and that it is expected to pack a turbocharged 1.6-liter or 1.8-liter petrol engine, similar to what we can find under the hood of the Renault Clio RS hatchback.
Rumors said the Alpine Sports Car is going to be a rear-wheel drive, and will come with a dual-clutch automatic transmission as standard. This is quite similar to the Alfa Romeo 4C. And like the 4C, the Alpine is going to offer lightweight as one of its benefits. It will be “fractionally” quicker than the Porsche 718 Cayman S, which packs the more powerful 2.5-liter turbocharged petrol engine.
How Renault Hopes To Attract Customers
How can the French company expect to attract customers with no details whatsoever? The “alluring history” of Alpine brand and its exclusivity will hopefully make customers download the app and reserve their own Alpine numbers.
Top 3 Things Revealed About the Renault Twingo GT
There was a lot of disappointment when Renault pulled the plug on the production of the Clio RS16. Many already fell in love with the tiny sedan that it can be hard to forget it.
However, the French automaker surely wants to make amends with its fans by releasing an updated version of the Renault Twingo GT. The first Twingo, with rear-wheel drive and rear engine, came out a couple of years ago.
And although this isn’t a full-strength Renault sport car, it is a slightly hotter version of the Clio RS16, as well as the Smart ForFour Brabus.
Here are the key features of the Renault Twingo, based on Autocar:
Powertrain
Under the hood of the Twingo GT, you can find an uprated version of the turbocharged 898cc three-cylinder engine that can produce 108bhp and 125lb ft of torque. To make it more “powerful,” Renault added a revised air intake and new engine mapping. This allows the Twingo GT to give 19bhp and 25 lb ft more than the current one in the market.
The new gearbox ratios improved the Twingo GT’s ability to go 0 to 62 mph in just 9.6 seconds. It has a top speed of 113mph. Renault is boasting that the car’s response time is the best in its class, having the ability to go 5-75mph in less than 9 seconds.
Handling
Handling the Twingo GT is also better compared to the current most powerful model on the roads today. Renault Sport tinkered with Twingo’s chassis settings and variable-ratio steering. It now has a focus on improved agility. The new mapping for the ESP (electronic stability program) allows drivers to handle it better.
Design
Overall, the Twingo GT’s design is similar to the TwinRun concept of 2013. It has a couple of exterior stripes, 17-inch alloy wheels, and twin-exit exhaust system. There are four available colors: Lunar Grey, Diamond Black, Crystal White and an orange that is unique to the model.
Other interesting features of the Twingo GT are: metal gearknob, aluminum pedals, and a RenaultSport-badged door sills.
Renault Introduces Clio RS16
Last month, Renault gave a sneak peek of its new Clio RS16 concept car, and we were mightily impressed by the performance engine it came with. We expected Renault to soon introduce the production version, and this week was apparently the right time for us to see the latest in Renault’s series of Clio RS hatchbacks.
The RS in the RS16 stands for Renault Sport, the French automaker’s official performance arm. It includes both the road car division Renault Sports Cars and the motorsport division Renault Sport Racing, which makes up Renault’s Formula One team.
The Clio RS16 is born out of a collaboration between these two divisions. Based on the fourth generation of the compact Clio, the new RS16 is available in two options—a standard model with 200 horsepower and the sportier Clio RS Trophy with 220 horsepower.
Both of these versions come packed with a turbocharged 1.6-liter 4-cylinder engine with front wheel drive and six-speed dual-clutch transmission.
But what’s unique to this particular segment is the choice of three chassis setups—Sport, Cup and Trophy settings. The Trophy setup is the most powerful one with the ride height getting lowered by 20 millimeters at the front and 10 millimeters at the rear. It gets finished with 18-inch wheels, which would come as standard.
According to Renault, the new Clio RS16 can go 0-62mph in 6.6 seconds. Top speed is believed to be 146 mph, though the automaker also claims that there is a 14.5-second elapsed time for the quarter mile.
All of these Clio RS16 models will get a body kit with front splitter, side sills, roof-mounted spoiler and rear diffuser. The models also have the R.S. Vision, a checkered flag pattern for the LED fog lights.
Once you go inside, you’ll find the shift paddles for transmission, launch control function, RS infotainment system, and drive modes selector—Normal, Sport and Race settings.
2016 Renault Captur Refreshed, Adds New Range-Topping Model
The Renault Captur was finally upgraded for 2016, and with it comes a new range-topping model. The Captur also gained a new powertrain to go along with its premium styling.
The 2016 Capturs in Dynamique or Nav spec are now coming out with Renault’s turbocharged 1.2-liter TCe petrol engine in manual gearbox. This new powertrain reportedly produces 118bhp, and has an output of 51.4mpg and 125g/km of CO2.
Capturs with this powertrain, which was only previously available with the dual-clutch EDC automatic gearbox, will have a starting price of £16,575.
That same engine with the EDC automatic gearbox will now have a base price of £18,075.
The Dynamique Nav and Dynamique S Nav models, meanwhile, can now be ordered with Flame Red metallic paint and a contrasting Diamond black roof for £595. If you want more interior-speaking, you can add a matching red color pack for £100.
There are four trim levels available for the new Captur range. The trim levels will go along with two diesel and petrol engines. If you want the new range-topping model—called the Iconic Nav Special Edition—to go along with these trim levels, you’ll have to shell out £14,575 to £19,175.
The new model will only come Arctic White pearlescent paint with a Diamond Black roof and door mirror covers. It will also get 17-inch wheels with the lower front and rear bumpers painted.
The interior is all about elegance, thanks to its part-leather upholstery, aluminium pedals and Renault’s R-Link Evolution infotainment system, which now comes packed with European mapping for the sat-nav as well as reverse parking camera view.
It gets Renault’s Grip Xtend pack too as standard. This adds a unique traction control system and special mud and snow tyres that will improve grip on slippery surfaces.
Reports said that orders are now being accepted for the 2016 Captur range. Rivals of the Captur include the Kia Soul, which starts at £12,800, and the Nissan Juke, which starts at £13,995.
