Renault at the Paris motor show 2008

By Ben Oliver

02 October 2008 12:24

Renault put in the strong showing you'd expect from France's biggest car maker on its home turf, with six new cars or concepts led by two versions of the new Megane. There's also the production versions of the Laguna Coupe and the shortened, three-door Kangoo Be Bop, and two new concepts in the Ondelios grand tourer and the Z.E. electric car.

Tell me more about the new Megane, and the Ondelios and Z.E. concepts

There's no doubting the significance of the new Megane for Renault and for French industry generally; it accounts for a third of Renault-brand sales and 8 million have been sold since the launch of the first one in '95.

Renault showed the three-door coupe for the first time and the five-door hatch, which we'd already seen. It's playing it safe with the styling, which may prove a mistake; the equally timid Laguna has been a sales disappointment.

Four of the Megane's seven diesel engines will emit less than 120g/km and there's an impressive new 1.4 petrol turbo with 130bhp and 142lb ft of torque. Better quality is Renault's big message with this car, and the availability of options like an automatic parking brake and keyless entry and ignition, usually associated with bigger cars. The five-door comes to the UK in November 2008 and the coupe follows in January 2009.

But this being Renault, there are also two mad concepts. The Ondelios examines a possible future Renault range-topper; it's a big, spacious SUV but uses lightweight materials and a diesel hybrid powertrain to cut consumption and emissions. Is Renault lining itself up for another Avantime?

We hope so, even if its shareholders don't. The Z.E concept is based on the Be Bop and uses the exchangeable lithium-ion battery system that will power the electric cars Renault and Nissan will have on sale in Japan and the US by 2010 and Israel, Denmark and probably other European countries by 2011.

But it won't look like the mad X.E. The production electric car will be based on the saloon version of the new Megane, likely to be badged Fluence.

What else is new on the Renault stand

The production version of the Laguna coupe made its show debut with two new V6 engines, a 235bhp diesel and a 240bhp 3.5 V6. It comes to the UK in January with the 4 Control four-wheel steer chassis from the Laguna GT. The 3.8m-long Be Bop is a three-door version of the Kangoo with a retractable rear roof section and screen, arriving in the UK in spring 2009.

CAR's verdict: Renault at the Paris Motor Show 2008

Six new cars, including two genuine debuts and two mad concepts make this a strong show for Renault; pity its new Megane isn't as bold as the last was

CAR's Renault show score: 4/5

Renault Ondelios concept: first photos and video

By Nick Eaton

10 September 2008 15:30

This is the new Renault Ondelios concept, a top-of-the-range environmentally friendly crossover vehicle that will be unveiled at the Paris motor show in October 2008. The Ondelios isn't Renault's first upmarket concept though, and we've seen posh production cars from the company before – remember the Vel Satis, the Avantime and the Safrane? None of them succeeded, but Renault persists...

Designed as a long-range cruiser, the Ondelios features a hybrid diesel powertrain, a seven-speed dual-clutch gearbox and dramatic gullwing doors. You can see them in action in our Renault-supplied footage in the video player on this page.

Just what is the Renault Ondelios all about?

The Ondelios has been designed to provide a serene travelling experience, says Renault. The body has been designed to look like a singular smooth shape, so the glass appears to merge seamlessly with the body panels.

Renault also claims the Ondelios's shape enhances the car’s other raison-d’etre: streamlined efficiency (and hence eco-friendliness). Those huge 23-inch aluminium alloys are designed to prevent turbulence and the car has been engineered to be a slippery as possible, boasting a drag coefficient of 0.29Cd. That’ll be why it looks like a fish then.

And this hybrid powertrain?

Power comes from a 202bhp 2.0-litre diesel engine, mated to two 20kW electric motors front and rear. The two electric motors provide extra boost when the car is accelerating, while the rear motor also drives the rear wheels, making the Ondelios four-wheel drive.

Mated to a seven-speed double-clutch transmission, the Ondelios is claimed to reach 62mph in 7.8 seconds, but only puff out 120g/km. Well, that's what the computer simulations claim.

This car is built for the long-haul - what's special inside?

The emphasis is on comfort, with a ‘lounge-like’ cabin (Renault's words) featuring fully reclining seats and a glass roof to flood the interior with light. There are three rows of seats, but seating for only six, who will get in and out via the huge gullwing doors. There's also a fold-down step to ease entry.

The design is a far cry from anything that Renault might build in the immediate future, but there are hints of current and future Renaults in there. Those stacked air intakes either side of the basking shark grille mimic the new Megane's, while their surrounds are also the indicators. The rear of the Ondelios also mimics the Megane Coupe Concept.

Renault Megane (2008): first official photos and video

By Ben Pulman

09 September 2008 17:30

After last week’s leaked photos these are the first official pictures of the new Renault Megane. Along with striking looks, Renault is also offering a raft of clean diesel engines and promising the Megane will feature improved fit and finish, along with better reliability and durability.

The new five-door Megane is the first of six new models that will be on sale by 2010 – the line-up includes a three-door variant, an estate, a CC and the Scenic, with production split between France and Spain. The new Megane goes on sale this November and UK prices will start around £12,500, following an official unveiling at next month's Paris motor show.

What parts of the new Renault Megane haven’t I seen yet?

The interior for a start, which Renault says features a floating dashboard. There’s also a combination of analogue and digital instruments, a colour-coded cruise control and speed limiter system, DVD sat-nav, auto-locking, plus hands-free entry and ignition.

There’s also a remote lighting function which makes your Megane shine like a Christmas tree when you can’t find it in car parks, plus a parking brake that automatically applies when the engines is switched off, and release when the acceerator is pressed.

What about these clean diesel engines?

At launch the new Renault Megane will have four diesel (dCi) engines that produce less than 120g/km CO2, with outputs ranging from 84 to 108bhp. A new 128bhp diesel with 221lb ft will produce 135g/km, while a higher-power versions will launch later.

If you want petrol power then Renault will offer naturally aspirated and turbocharged engines (dubbed TCe for Turbo Control efficiency). The range will start with a 1.6 and rise to a 2.0-litre, while only a TCe with 178bhp will be available from launch. A new 1.4-litre TCe will go on sale in spring 2009, with 128bhp and 187lb ft. Renault is also promising a number of the petrol and diesel engines will be biofuel compatible.

Anything else?

Renault says 95 percent of the new Megane is recyclable, while 12 percent of the plastics in the new car are already sourced from recycling.

Another not-new part for the Megane is the platform – Renault has carried over the substructure of the existing car to the new model. But at least the looks are new and have a strong resemblance to the stunning Megane Coupe Concept shown at the 2008 Geneva motor show. Renault's medium car design director Fabio Filippini calls the looks 'the fruit of a bid to produce an immediately eye-catching design which is not only dynamic and sporty, but which also exudes robustness, quality and solidity.'

Renault Megane: leaked official photos

By Tim Pollard

03 September 2008 20:47

Renault had hoped to make a big splash with photos of its new Megane hatchback next week, but even La Regie can't control the worldwide web. Another important new car launch, another leak. So here you are: Renault's new Megane, available in slightly lower-res than our usual photos.

The full story will emerge next week with official details, but we do know there will be more differentiated three- and five-door versions this time round, plus a suite of other spin-offs in the fullness of time (including CC folding hard-top cabrio, estate and saloon).

Where's the ass-shaking bustleback?

It seems the new Megane is another victim of the homogenising touch of the newly design-cautious Renault-Nissan partnership. We know Renault's design boss Patrick le Quement has been briefed to iron out the more Marmite, love-it-or-hate-it idiosyncracies of Renault's recent back catalogue. Which seems a bit of a shame, on the first evidence of these first photographs, which depict a more conservative Eurohatch.

We'll come back to the new Renault Megane next week when we have the full official photographs and details to paint a full picture. But until then, why not compare this to the Megane Coupe Concept CAR saw at the Geneva motor show 2008...

Renault at the London motor show 2008

By James Foxall and CAR reader reporter Carcare

22 July 2008 13:46

With the Paris motor show coming up in October 2008, it’s a surprise Renault had anything of interest to offer show-goers at this week's London exhibition. But Renault UK had other ideas...

What’s new on Renault’s London motor show stand?

The French firm’s R26.R – a lightweight, stripped-out Megane, made its world debut. The firm also had its Megane Coupe Concept, a model that gives us an idea of what the forthcoming sporty version of the Megane will look like when it’s launched in Paris in autumn 2008. For people carrier lovers, the new Kangoo is making its UK debut too.

CAR’s Renault highlight

If a Porsche 911 GT3 RS is stretching the wallet too far, the R26.R offers its spirit for a fraction of the price. On sale in October 2008 for £22,990, it’s got a stripped-out interior, a carbonfibre bonnet and plastic rear and tailgate windows, shaving 123kg from the weight. Just think about that. A carbonfibre bonnet. On a Renault hatchback... this thing is pretty serious. Indeed, Renault claims the R26.R is the fastest front-wheel drive hatchback around the Nurburgring. A claim that some on the neighbouring Ford stand were less than pleased with.

What were they thinking?

The Koleos still looks exactly what it is: a Korean-designed soft roader. It’s capable and comfy on-road but putting one wheel on a sorry-looking plastic rock isn’t going to convince anyone of its off-road abilities.

In a nutshell

It might only be one for performance car fans, but the R26.R was a genuine world debut – and a genuine surprise on show day. Nice one Renault.

And now read CAR reader reporter Carcare's review of the Renault stand. Be sure to 'Add your comment' afterwards and rate their efforts

French Supremacy

Well it was an easy win to have the best French Manufacturers stand. That said no car launches, Paris again will get those, but some interesting concept cars, lots of current cars and an interesting hands on stand

Forget that, I sat in the Megane Coupe Concept car

This was what I hoped press day might bring (though the girl in the ING racing suit was a close second)
A Mr Benois, a designer whose position in Renault was never made clear but who’d obviously had a big hand in this cars design and construction. Plus he had the authority to let me sit in the car as it whirred around on the stand. Once the cool butterfly doors were opened I was allowed to, after emptying my pockets so as not to leave any marks, sit in the Recarros that were about the price of a lead in Twingo. At nearly £3 million it’s the most expensive car I’ve sat in. No key instead it opens via your phone.

But is it relevant?

Actually yes. Sadly the doors won’t make it due to cost but also because Renault does not want to lose its 5 star NCAP monopoly. However the video door mirrors and fixed seating concepts might because they do add a safety dimension and actually cost less to manufacture than traditional seat runners and wing mirrors. As for phone entry well Mr Benois says 'quoi.

Win a pair of tickets to the British Grand Prix

By Ben Pulman

20 June 2008 08:40

What are you doing on Sunday 6 July 2008? How about watching the British Grand Prix from the Renault Grandstand overlooking Priory and Luffield corners? If you fancy a day in the sun, listening to the scream of 20 F1 V8s, then enter our competition and you could win a pair of tickets to the British GP.

Click here to enter our competition.

Tickets for race day are already sold out, but CAR Online has teamed up with the ING Renault F1 Team to offer one lucky reader two grandstand seats to the British round of the F1 World Championship. Enter our competition and you could experience one of the best days on the British motoring calendar.

Click here to enter our competition.

This competition closes on Sunday 29 June 2008. This competition, and all of CAR Magazine and CAR Online’s future competitions, will be run through Great Competitions, a sister website to carmagazine.co.uk. Sign up now so you can enter all our future competitions. Good luck!

Renault Laguna Coupe: first pictures

By Ben Pulman

24 May 2008 21:00

How do you add a dash of pizzazz to the underwhelming looks of the Laguna saloon? Renault’s answer - in the shape of the new Laguna Coupe - seems like a good one: lop off two doors, drop in a 3.5-litre V6 from the Nissan 350Z and garnish with your own four-wheel steer system. Make the car shorter and wider than the saloon and then get your imposing Lebanese CEO to drive it around the Cannes Film Festival.

Also make sure it goes for a lap or two of the Monaco GP track, and keep the Laguna name proud across the rump so the general public relates the stunning coupe to your humdrum saloon. Orders fly in, brand awareness goes through the roof and all is well at La Regie. That's the idea, anyway.

Yes, yes, that all sounds good in theory but does the Renault Laguna Coupe work in practice?

Ah, here’s the problem. Renault showed off a Laguna Coupe concept at the 2007 Frankfurt motor show. By CAR’s own admission, and the reaction of you, the reader, this was the best-looking Renault in recent memory. Now take a look at the production car pictures (top row) and tell us what you think compared to the Coupe concept (bottom row).

We're reserving judgment until we see the Coupe in the metal, in natural light and in a colour other than this car's rather drab hue. At at first glance though, it appears that the production car has ignored the concept's potential.

Details from Renault are still scant but it's clear that gone are the shapely rear haunches, flush exhausts, the LED headlights, smoked 20-inch wheels and the silver slivers that were door handles.

In their place are regular headlamps, 17 or 18-inch wheels that look overwhelmed by the bodywork, and big chunky door handles and wing mirrors.

It's not all bad though. The rear still has a touch of Aston Martin to it, the LED taillights remain and the Coupe still has a very curvaceous design. The doors are frameless and while the interior might be standard Laguna it features higher quality materials.

Ok, so things are starting to look up. What else do I need to know about the Renault Laguna Coupe?

The Nissan 350Z donates its big 3.5-litre V6, though here it’s detuned to deliver 237bhp and 243lb ft. There’s also a new 3.0-litre V6 diesel with 232bhp and 332lb ft. Both V6s drive the front wheels through auto ‘boxes and will do 0-62mph in under seven seconds.

Renault’s Active Drive four-wheel steer system will also be available on the Coupe, though the company has yet to confirm which models it will be standard on. If you’re thinking of getting a Laguna Coupe, make sure you pick Active Drive if you can. We were hugely impressed when we drove a Laguna Tourer so equipped, and the technology is good enough that BMW bought the first Active Drive Laguna to roll off the production line, we hear.

Prices have yet to be announced but expect the Laguna Coupe to start at just under £20,000 for the four-cylinder cars. Sales will start in the UK in early 2009, while the car will debut at the Paris motor show this autumn.

Renault's future performance models

By Richard Yarrow

24 April 2008 10:20

There has never been a hot version of the Laguna from Renaultsport – the performance arm of the French car maker – and our advice is don’t hold your breath for one any time soon.

With the MkIII Laguna launched last year, the timing would be perfect for the debut of a flagship model on the home turf of the Paris motor show in October 2008. But Patrick Pelata, Renault’s director of product planning, told CAR Online the quality of other super-saloons coupled with environmental concerns meant it wasn’t likely.

Instead, Renault will show the production version of the Laguna Coupe Concept (above right) this summer, and that will be at Paris along with the new Megane hatchback. Eventually there will be a four-wheel steer version of the Coupe, but a Renaultsport version is unlikely, says Pelata.

Pelata: ‘Not the right direction…’

The product chief says: ‘To do it [a Renaultsport Laguna] with the competition there is in this segment you need a big engine. You need 400bhp and that’s not Renault. We would be losing our soul to get there and that’s not Renault territory. It’s the worst moment to do it because the market is going green. I’m not sure more power is the right direction for us to be going.’

Renaultsport has been busy recently, with the Clio 197 hot hatch, the lightweight Clio Cup and a sporty Twingo all relatively new to showrooms. Pelata said there would be more from the performance division very soon, including models that would act as a halo for the whole company.

Added spice on the way

Pelata added: ‘I can't tell you much but we have several cars in the pipeline that we hope will add some spice to the Renault brand.’

He confirmed such models would be based on three key criteria. ‘They should not be expensive or exclusive, they should be a lot of fun and not cars that swallow a lot of gas.’

Hot Renaults by 2010

These vehicles aren’t unlikely to be seen before 2010 or 2011, and Pelata also ruled out a supercar from the company.

‘Renault will never do a Nissan GT-R,’ he warned. ‘We are not the brand and these are not our customers for that.’

Should Renault do a Renaultsport Laguna? Click ‘Add your comment’ and have your say

Renault Megane Coupe Concept

By James Foxall

04 March 2008 12:10

What's new on Renault’s motor show stand?

The French maker’s star was its sleek new Megane Coupe Concept. A typical concept with novel split gullwing doors (dubbed dragonfly doors by the designers), seats that look like they’re straight from Ikea and cameras instead of door mirrors, its profile and design cues preview a forthcoming production model.

The production version of the Koleos SUV also made its debut in Geneva. Based around the mechanicals of the Nissan X-Trail it should be a competent drive. It looks well put together but that’s largely overshadowed by a shape that would raise eyebrows if it graced a Korean 4x4.

The 133bhp Twingo Renaultsport will doubtless have fun handling and its looks are an improvement on the base spec Twingo. But it still won’t give Fiat and MINI sleepless nights. The Laguna GT was Renault’s fourth new offering. It’s been graced with Renault’s grandly named ‘Action Drive’ four-wheel drive system, presumably in an effort to address criticism that the regular model doesn’t offer keen drivers enough.

CAR highlight

The front end of the Megane Coupe Concept proves the bland geekiness of the Koleos, Laguna and Twingo isn’t the last word in Renault design… thankfully.

What were they thinking?

Renault describes the Koleos as a crossover with a difference. It’s certainly that but being different isn’t always a good thing.

In a nutshell

If you went by Koleos alone you might think Renault had fallen into a design black hole. The Megane Coupe Concept proves otherwise. It’s sharp suited and
innovative without the love it/hate it features of the current Megane range.
4/5

Renault Megane Coupe Concept

By James Foxall

04 March 2008 12:10

What's new on Renault’s motor show stand?

The French maker’s star was its sleek new Megane Coupe Concept. A typical concept with novel split gullwing doors (dubbed dragonfly doors by the designers), seats that look like they’re straight from Ikea and cameras instead of door mirrors, its profile and design cues preview a forthcoming production model.

The production version of the Koleos SUV also made its debut in Geneva. Based around the mechanicals of the Nissan X-Trail it should be a competent drive. It looks well put together but that’s largely overshadowed by a shape that would raise eyebrows if it graced a Korean 4x4.

The 133bhp Twingo Renaultsport will doubtless have fun handling and its looks are an improvement on the base spec Twingo. But it still won’t give Fiat and MINI sleepless nights. The Laguna GT was Renault’s fourth new offering. It’s been graced with Renault’s grandly named ‘Action Drive’ four-wheel drive system, presumably in an effort to address criticism that the regular model doesn’t offer keen drivers enough.

CAR highlight

The front end of the Megane Coupe Concept proves the bland geekiness of the Koleos, Laguna and Twingo isn’t the last word in Renault design… thankfully.

What were they thinking?

Renault describes the Koleos as a crossover with a difference. It’s certainly that but being different isn’t always a good thing.

In a nutshell

If you went by Koleos alone you might think Renault had fallen into a design black hole. The Megane Coupe Concept proves otherwise. It’s sharp suited and
innovative without the love it/hate it features of the current Megane range.
4/5

Renault Laguna GT

By Chris Chilton

22 February 2008 13:02

There are no Renaultsport badges anywhere on the new Renault Laguna GT but the crack chassis team have been hard at work under the skin. The same people who brought us the brilliant Clio Cup are behind the four-wheel steer system on this Laguna’s Active Drive chassis.

Four-wheel steer in a Renault Laguna? Even the Nissan GT-R has ditched that technology.

Twenty years ago Japanese car makers seemed fascinated by the potential benefits of steering cars using both axles (and not just by nailing the throttle in your Starion) but the idea seemed to have disappeared until now. Renault reckons that four-wheel steer improves both agility and stability. It even set up a race through a slalom against a Boxster when it first showed us the technology, and the Renault beat the Porsche to the finish line. Active Drive will only appear on the Laguna GT and top versions of the new coupe model although it could work its way onto future Meganes and even the Espace.

So this Laguna GT is a Vectra VXR beater?

Not exactly. It’s a performance-focused model certainly, but is more a rival for sporty trim levels like Audi’s S-Line than cars like the VXR. That’s reflected in the price: the GT should cost just £21k when it goes on sale in April 2008. That price remains the same whether you go for the 178bhp 2.0 dCi diesel or the turbocharged 2.0 four pot and its 202bhp. Both engines come only with a six-speed manual gearbox and Renault expects the diesel to account for up to 90 percent of GT sales.

So what’s in the package?

There are 18-inch wheels, new headlights and more aggressive bumpers and sills but while its recognisably different, it’s not overtly sporty. Discrete GT logos appear on the B-pillar outside and inside on the Alcantara-covered sports seats and there are the usual aluminium splashes on pedals and gearshift surround. It all sounds pleasant but hardly thrilling. We suspect though that the real appeal will be obvious when you’re behind the wheel and feeling the benefit of that four-wheel steer chassis. We’ll let you know when we drive the GT in early April.