05/09/2024 The imposing Rafale is Renault Ireland’s new flagship passenger car. The coupe SUV’s exterior shows hints of BMW X4, Mercedes GLC Coupe and even Rafale’s smaller sibling the Renault Arkana. Our top-grade Esprit Alpine version looks very handsome, turns heads and is packed with tech and innovation too – including four-wheel steering!
Rafale’s plug-in hybrid powertrain is quite frugal on petrol and there is lots more to love – but will it sell well in Ireland? Sadly as sure as night follows day, big Renaults never sell well. There is a strange resistance to going ‘big’ in a popular brand. Renault is not alone in experiencing this ‘sales glass ceiling’. Other mainstream car makers have tried and failed to entice people into large variants. In fact, the only way to get car buyers to look at larger cars has been by inventing and marketing them under a new brand name – Toyota did it with its Lexus brand, Nissan with Acura, Hyundai with Genesis etc. etc. That said, Ford’s Vignale premium brand flopped, so who knows! Renault already has a premium brand called Alpine, of Formula 1 fame, and truly the new Renault Rafale would be better served being an Alpine Rafale.
The new Rafale, at 4,710mm long, is a big five-seater (FYI it is shorter than a BMW 5 Series) with a lot to offer at a price point that makes it quite tempting. The exterior is really very much on trend. Renault has a top stylist in charge of the crayons and the current range of cars is very handsome right across the board. Rafale, by the way, gets its name from a famous piston-engined aeroplane from the 1930s.
Inside the Rafale is both spacious and comfortable. Rafale has a long wheelbase (2,738mm) that delivers great cabin space. The seating is accommodating, and the build quality overall is good. The car feels substantial and worthy of its quasi-premium status. The driving position is excellent with a good degree of adjustability. Rafale gets the Solarbay panoramic roof and other toys like the phone/tablet-friendly rear armrest we first saw in the new Scenic – and loads of USB C sockets. There is a host of ADAS systems and some customisable buttons too. These can be configured quite easily to reduce/mute many of the ‘bings’ and ‘bongs’ that are mandated now by the EU. The boot is vast and well-proportioned with 532-627 litres of space depending on the rear seat’s position. With the rear seats folded, there is 1,604 (up to 1,914) litres of cargo space.
Under the bonnet is a 1.2 litre, three-cylinder turbocharged petrol engine and hybrid powertrain that delivers 200hp and notably low emissions (CO2 105g/km) while sipping fuel. We got diesel-like consumption in mixed driving (averaging 4.7 L/100km). Our test car has four-wheel steering which delivers sharp turning and a relatively small turning circle (10.4m lock to lock). This makes urban manoeuvring a doddle. The Rafale shrinks around you thanks to its steering geometry.
200hp delivers adequate performance for a car this size with a 0-100km/h time of 8.9 seconds. Cruising on the open road takes little effort, but despite the car’s aggressive, sporty appearance, this version tested is not particularly swift. It’s mad when you think of a 1.2-litre petrol engine being at the heart of such a large machine – but it works!
Two grades are on offer in Ireland: Techno and Esprit Alpine. Pricing starts at €51,495 / €55,695. An AWD 300hp version will join the Rafale range shortly (PHEV also). The Renault Rafale is an impressive large car with styling to impress even the most premium-badge conscious buyer. Euro for euro, its pretty good value too! Michael Sheridan
