Renault has given its new Renault Fluence the tagline “Travel Upgraded”. When you talk about cars designed for emerging economies, thanks to the Dacia Logan all that one can think of is an excessively plain B-segment hatch, or a B-segment sedan that looks more like a hatch with a boot glued on.
C-segment vehicles are usually “world cars” that are the same across the whole market so you might see a big price jump between a low cost car and the next size up. It’s not often that you see a manufacturer come out with a C-segment car (and a big one at that) and say this baby is designed to be easy on your pocket yet offer an upgraded level of comfort at the same time.
The cost-down modifications are apparent – A is the Megane’s original funky meter cluster while B is the Fluence’s more ‘regular’ design
The new Renault Fluence is essentially a Megane sedan, but Renault has designed it to be suitable for markets like Turkey, Russia, Romania and the Mediterranean Basin. It will also be sold in Australia, the Middle-East and Europe.
The Renault Fluence most likely shares most if not all its underpinings with the Nissan Sylphy we have here in Malaysia. It measures 4,620mm long, 1,479mm tall and 1,809mm wide. It has a wheelbase of 2,700mm. That’s actually larger than the Civic’s 4,540mm by 1,435mm by 1,755mm dimensions.
A “sports” model with a bodykit and large wheels will come later but there won’t be any powerful engine inside – a maximum 140 horses is all you’re going to get with this car for now. The engine choices top out at a 140 horsepower 2.0 litre engine mated to either a 6-speed manual or a CVT (you’ll probably find this is the same combo in the Sylphy) but the majority of customers will probably opt for the smaller 110hp 1.6 litre petrol or one of the five Renault eco2 diesel engines ranging from a dCi 85 up to a dCi 110 with diesel particulate filter.
Most people shy away from Continental makes because of spareparts worries but would you buy the Fluence in Malaysia with better peace of mind because of potential (I’m not 100% sure) parts commonality with the Sylphy?
Look after the jump for a big photo gallery of the Fluence.
After dabbling for years in the IT industry, Paul Tan initially began this site as a general blog covering various topics of personal interest. With an increasing number of readers paying rapt attention to the motoring stories, one thing led to another and the rest, as they say, is history. An avid electronic gadget aficionado as well as big-time coffee lover, he's also the executive producer of the Driven motoring TV programme.
I'll take one with the digital meter cluster thank you.
from the back+side view it seems the car has a great overhang front bonnet. but from the side view, it look balanced. no overhang.
i dont know. it must be only myself that i dont have any interest to like the front bonnet design. i mean the 'face' of the car. it doesnt look attractive at all. infact i would say its a bit 1990s. the back is fantastic with great lines and backlight designs.
french cars tend to have this front bonnet overhang, arent they? 407, the ZX, and this?
Interior looks very nice for a low cost car. If Renault sold this car here for a competitive price, I definately would consider it. However, I would agree with drMpower that they could have done a better job with the face.
The version with the sporty bodykit looks good.
such a nice car…illtake this to civic and altis
it's wont be price as competitive as it should be here… black one look promising for me though..
it looks like a Persona wif Mondeo's tail lamp..lolz
oh wow.. low costing european car with japanese parts…
thats what i want..
judging by the pics>>
exterior: good looking, nice lines
however back fender line does not match the front fender lines.
interior: nice simple dashboard, easy to reach buttons on driver's door inside panel.
gotta agree with drMpower that the front is a bit off and looks like the car has been sedated. the side and rear profiles, however, are nicely done.
i think the only way to 'hide' the sedated look, this car has to be in dark colors (grey/black). imagine if renault were to produce a coupe version….surely it'll look good!
overall, a REMOTE resemblance to 407, at a cheaper price.
good looking ..
wow…now this is "budget" car for developing countries that i want
Budget car haa…wait until it comes to our shore. It bet it's not going to be so "budget" as we might think.
Paul,
Your scribd attachments are causing my page to hang.
some of these pictures makes it look like an aston martin. aston martin wannabe?
cheap version but still nice. too bad continental cars such as renault not popular in malaysia. otherwise i'm sure ppl will get it and modify. reckon it will look nice with simple exterior modification
Tail lamp looks similar to ford mondeo posted last week
i wont mind buying one if it was priced competitively.
but since its gonna either be CBUed here and TC euro is handling it, we can expect the price to be hiked.
in other ways, renault is pretty cold brand here in malaysia, along with citroen and skoda etc. so depreciation will screw you over before anything.
front view is like peugot.back just like ford mondeo. Hmm just like jeremy clarkson used to say..'Car without Soul'
i wont mind buying one if it was priced competitively.
but since its gonna either be CBUed here and TC euro is handling it, we can expect the price to be hiked.
in other ways, renault is pretty cold brand here in malaysia, along with citroen and skoda etc. so depreciation will screw you over before anything.
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lol that is good news for people like me looking for a second hand car, honestly the used car prices here are crazy. 50000 for a 3 year old vios? damn thats like 70% retained value
for the first time i like renault car…
Renault has a knack for making odd-ball weird looking vehicles, but i must say, this is a very handsome car, its prolly 1 of renault's best effort , simple understated pure elegance,
Most people shy away from Continental makes because of spareparts worries but would you buy the Fluence in Malaysia with better peace of mind because of potential (I’m not 100% sure) parts commonality with the Sylphy?
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Yup I would. Too tired of seeing Protons and Jap cars on the road. We need variation. Just hope the price will be affordable.
They should create new Proton Wira like this coz it looks a bit like Wira
blakang cm proton
pesona ngn lampu ford mondeo
persona_Gen25610 said,
October 28, 2009 @ 11:42 am
They should create new Proton Wira like this coz it looks a bit like Wira
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u need spectacles
somehow lack the "head turning" factor….
sorry renault
*paul….somehow the scribd post makes my browser "not responding". i'm using google chrome.