It’s new, it’s long, it’s black, and it’s big enough to carry a couple of bodies in the boot area. No, it’s not a hearse but the Renault Fluence, the incredibly roomy and, given its low price tag, surprisingly classy car that has been my runaround this last week.
The good people at Renault seem to be doing everything right at the moment. They’re offering one of the most generous scrappage deals on the market, and they’ve seen their market share rise rapidly to 9.1% in the first quarter of 2010, meaning that the chunky rhomboid that adorns Renault’s bonnets is now the second most frequently badge you’ll see on new cars on Irish roads.
Now Renault have delivered the Fluence, a huge piece of automotive engineering. If ever a car can claim to be value for money it’s this one, with prices starting at a smidgen under €16,000.
Now these may be budget-conscious times, but that doesn’t mean you want to look like you’re a cheapskate who gets their cars from Lidl. I parked mine next to an ever-chic 5-series BMW and it didn’t look at all like the poor relation. Put bluntly, the executive styling of this oversized saloon means that it looks like it should set you back a good bit more.
The Fluence is based around the chassis of the Megane estate, a car which, like all estates, creates a clear dividing line – people at the front and luggage in the big space at the back. The Fluence still has lots of luggage space, but it’s mostly under the rear seats rather than behind them. As a result you’ve got a significantly expanded cabin to stretch out in.
Although it will dwarf your average runaround, the Fluence thankfully manages to avoid looking lumpy and cumbersome. In particular, the slim front grille and sleek angular headlight clusters exude cool Gallic charm.
Kids will love all the gadgets, especially kids of the big mansize variety. This is one of those machines that you need to break the habit of a lifetime in order to enjoy – you DO actually need to read the manual.
There are knobs and toggles everywhere and it’s not instantly apparent what all of them do. For instance, it took me the best part of a week to work out how to set the air con in a way that doesn’t instantly freeze the occupants of the car… Ok, that’s not strictly true. It actually took me the best part of the week to lean over and take the manual from the glove box (a compartment which, given the roominess of the car, is the tiddliest I’ve ever seen). Once I’d found the right page it took me a couple of minutes to enjoy the wonders of climate control that can be adjusted for different parts of the cabin.
The top of the range Tomtom edition (which is the one I’ve been test driving) comes complete with cruise control, automatic lights and wipers, a rear parking sensor and Bluetooth. You do still have to turn the steering wheel, so drivers are not quite superfluous yet.
No surprises
It also comes with leather seats, 17” alloys, a six-speed manual gearbox and (no surprises here) a Tomtom mounted on top of the dashboard which also acts as a clock/radio/multimedia centre. There’s even a little graphic of your car on the Tomtom’s screen which is a nice touch – although it can be a little disconcerting watching an image of your car go hurtling across the fields when you go on a new road that is yet to be included in the Tomtom’s software.
The Tomtom is controlled by a hand-held remote, though why it needs to be on a remote, given that the screen lives permanently on the dashboard, is beyond me as it’s yet one more thing for the modern man to potentially lose.
I’ve been surprised and impressed by the Fluence. This isn’t quite a love fest, though. The price, the classiness of the exterior, the gadgetry and the roominess are great assets, but the 1.5 litre turbo diesel engine does chug a little at low speeds. Out on the motorway, expect a smooth, quiet, comfortable, effortless drive (especially if you engage the cruise control), but don’t expect to be the fastest off the block at the lights. And you have to wonder how they came up with the name Fluence, it’s memorable but for all the wrong reasons (effluence and flatulence come to mind).
Also if you do weigh the car down you will feel the difference, a point I noticed when I ferried the majority of the JOE editorial team on a lunchtime trek to the local SuperValu (we know how to live). Sure, you could probably fit five supersized Texans and fit all of their supersized luggage in the boot, but you’d find the responsiveness would probably match the Texan’s slow Southern drawl.
Getting down to the nitty gritty, the all-singing, all-leather top of the range Tomtom edition will set you back €23,950. If you can make the most of Renault’s scrappage deal you’ll pay €19,000. Go for the entry level 1.6 litre 16 valve petrol-engined Royale (which as far as I know does not come with cheese) and the list price, excluding scrappage, is €18,890.
Emission-wise, the 106bhp diesel produces only 119 g/km of CO2 – which means it fits comfortably in VRT tax band A. And it’s not thirsty either, with, on average, 4.5 litres of diesel getting you 100km down the road.
So it’s big and bold, it won’t break the bank to buy and it won’t cost you the earth to run. It may not be the most exciting car out there but, all in all, you’ll struggle to get a more imposing and kitted-up set of wheels for your hard-earned Euro.
The lowdown
Car road tested: Renault Fluence Tomtom Edition
0-100km/h in 11.4 seconds
Top speed 185km/h (where permitted)
VRT tax band A
List price: €23,950
LISTEN: You Must Be Jokin’ with Aideen McQueen – Faith healers, Coolock craic and Gigging as Gaeilge
