Renault Fluence: Carte blanche with the Renault Fluence

The French are back! More specifically…after a rather tenuous first attempt Renault is finally set to re-enter the market with a slew of new cars in the next two years.

The first to be assembled and rolled out of its joint production facility (with Nissan) is the new Fluence. The Koleos sports utility vehicle will be the next to be launched and the really locally produced cars will all come later.

I drove the new premium sedan Fluence from Chennai to ‘Le' Pondicherry to truly experience the French flavour of the new offering and here are my first impressions about the car. The question uppermost in my mind was – Will the new Fluence be able to colonise the premium sedan market?

Design

Renualt (pronounced Ren-o) car design can be a bit offbeat often. But it is also a company that has won accolades for many of its car designs. While buyers in India might find some of the company's other cars to be a bit odd, the Fluence will not be one of them. Designed and developed for emerging markets in Asia, the Fluence has a certain universal appeal to its design, sitting alongside characteristic French flair in its lines.

Like the current Toyota Corolla, the Fluence outwardly also seems like a car whose design is oriented towards being more practical rather than fancy. A tall stance, a raised body with good ground clearance, 16-inch wheels and simple straight lines mark the exterior of the new Fluence.

Large ‘peeled-back' headlamps, a thin strip of a bonnet grille and a deep scooped out depression on the bonnet slab are what greet you at the front of the Fluence. Together with the front design, flared out wheel arches and a high shoulder line give the Fluence a visually robust profile. The high shoulder line hasn't however restricted the glass area because the prominent arch of the roofline means that there are full-sized windows that lend an airy, well-lit feel to the interiors.

The rear of the Fluence is the more attractive and well-proportioned part of the car. There is the prominent Renault logo with the Fluence badging positioned at the centre of the boot lid.

Attractive wraparound taillamps adorn the side panels and extend onto the sides of the boot lid. The boot itself offers a sumptuous 530 litres of storage space. Though the Fluence's C-pillar is chunky and the shoulder line also gradually rises and merges into the boot, there is still ample rear visibility for the driver thanks to the large rear glass.

Interiors

Renault has chosen to load the interior of the Fluence with interesting additions to capture the interest of the potential buyer in the segment. The car with the most novel interior in the segment currently is the Honda Civic. Offering some special treats to the demanding Indian buyer, Renault has chosen a beige interior colour theme and an all-new digital instrument cluster, both of which will be India-specific features.

Short overhangs and the choice of a platform that allows maximising the wheelbase have meant that it gets to be at the top of the heap in this parameter with a wheelbase measuring 2,703mm.

This has also enabled Renault engineers to get a lot more space optimisation inside the passenger cabin. With segment-leading width and a claimed highest in the segment rear knee room, it is fair to say that the inside of the Fluence feels more spacious than the competitors in the segment. Flat door panels and

Compact, but comfortable seats add to the feeling of space.

The dashboard features a simple layout, which is not really Spartan, but feels like it exudes a bit of European minimalism. The petrol variant of the Fluence has been given the beige and black colour theme, while the diesel gets a black and dark gray interior. Apart from the all digital instrument cluster, there is also a centrally positioned information display which is mounted at the top of the dash.

Dual air-conditioner controls and the compact CD-radio player have been neatly integrated into the dash. There are brushed aluminium inserts on the steering, door handles and aircon vents surrounds. There is also a strip of wood trim insert on the dash in the petrol variant. The centre console houses the start stop button, the gear stick shift and storage spots. While the petrol engine variant is offered with leather seats, the diesel engine variant is offered only with fabric upholstery.

In fact, the diesel variant has quite a few other options that too have been stripped off (compared to the petrol variant) such as the electrochromic rearview mirror, rear sunblinds, rain sensitive wipers, cruise control, rear parking aid etc.

Some of the novel additions to the interior include the smart card type key combined with the start-stop button, the funky music system controls on a chunky appendage positioned conveniently behind the steering wheel and the digital instrument cluster and info display.

Performance

The Fluence is being offered with two engine options – a 1.5-litre diesel engine mated with a six-speed manual transmission and a two-litre petrol engine that has been paired with a CVT automatic transmission. It is immediately obvious as to which of the two will be the more popular choice.

The diesel will tend to have a distinct edge over the petrol despite considerable equipment missing in it compared to the petrol. It also need not be a deterrent for buyers to know that the 1,461cc diesel engine in the Fluence is the same block from the Logan dCI. Though it shares the same geometry, the engine has been completely reworked and retuned in the Fluence.

The diesel mill now produces a beefier 240 newton metres of torque at 2,000 rpm and a peak power of 106PS at 4,000 rpm. There were initial reports that talked about the diesel engine lacking adequate low-end torque, but during my test drive I didn't miss torque availability in any gear. There is a bit of perceptible delay in turbo assistance, but that is only at really low engine rpm levels.

The diesel engine is refined by the yardsticks that would be applied to a mill in this segment. Inside the cabin, NVH levels had been contained to low levels, but the only intruding, slightly annoying interference is the whine of the turbo and a bit of wind noise that seeps through at three-digit speeds. The wind noise intrusion was lower in the petrol variant.

The six-speed manual gearbox that the diesel engine is offered with is a slick shifting unit. The slotting is just right neither too prominent nor too soft. The shift stick has also been positioned right, but, though the throw is neither too short nor long, it can be a bit of a stretch, when in 1st, 3rd or 5th gear, for a few drivers.

The 1,997cc four-cylinder petrol engine generates a class-leading 137PS of peak power at 6,000 rpm, and the peak torque of 190 Nm kicks in at 3,700 rpm. There is adequate power from the engine for some spirited driving and the engine is quite refined in the NVH department too. The only dampener for buyers who are involved and looking to drive the car themselves may be the CVT II automatic gearbox that the mill mated to.

Despite being a CVT shift times are a bit slow and can be laborious at times of need like an overtaking manoeuvre. The only saving grace is the six-speed manual mode that be selected by shifting the stick to the left and choosing in +/- mode. In this mode the engine is more willing and can be coaxed to work in rhythm to the driver's needs.

The driving position in the Fluence can be chosen thanks to tilt and telescopic steering adjustments. One other plus is the availability of a dead pedal even in the diesel variant. The rated fuel efficiency of the diesel and petrol variants of the Fluence is 21.84 kmpl and 13.42 kmpl respectively.

Bottomline

Some of the points that I felt might put off potential buyers include the fact that though the Fluence has been developed for many varied global markets, there are still some traces of the left-hand drive orientation in the car. For example, the bonnet release lever is located under the dashboard on the passenger side. So, if you are stopped at a security check point and asked to pop the hood, you'll have to step out.

The turn indicator stalk is also located to the left of the steering column, though it has become quite a regular feature nowadays in many imports and locally produced cars.

Aside of all these points, Renault will have a bigger task cut out for itself in trying to reach out to the brand conscious car buyer in the premium sedan segment. The choice of the car in the Fluence is right, but Renault must now set about rectifying any misconceptions buyers might have about the quality and reach of the brand.

Considering the fact that the diesel variant is missing quite a bit of equipment, my guess is that the two variants (offered with only one trim level each) will be priced very close to each other. My guess for the price would be about Rs 12 lakh.

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