Archive for Renault

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Renault has given the Renault/Dacia Sandero an offroader styling treatment and the result is this - the Renault Sandero Stepway. Its essentially the same vehicle as the Sandero but with a higher ground clearance and a different take on styling which gives the hatchback and off-roader look. Think of this as a budget Volkswagen CrossPolo.

Under the hood is the 112 horsepower 1.6 liter Hi-Flex engine that supports bio-ethanol as fuel, one of Renault’s popular bio-ethanol engines in Brazil.

One more rear shot after the jump.

Related Posts:
Renault Sandero: 5-door Renault Logan

Click here to read the rest of Renault Sandero Stepway: budget “crossover”

The Renault Symbol (also called the Renault Thalia or Clio Sedan in some markets) is a low-cost 3-box sedan based on the Renault Clio platform. It also uses the same suspension as the Clio II (the Clio is now in its third generation). It will be unveiled to the public at the 2008 Moscow International Auto Show on the 26th of August 2008.

It looks like something you would expect out of the Saab design studio. The Symbol will most likely share the same engine options as the Dacia Logan, which is also a budget car based on the Clio platform. This is probably the same car with better styling to position it slightly higher in the market.

More images after the jump.

Click here to read the rest of New Renault Symbol sedan based on Renault Clio

The recently unveiled 450 unit limited run Renault Megane R26.R set a lap record for front wheel drive cars at the Nurburgring track, completing a lap in 8 minutes and 17 seconds. A full list of the R26.R’s specifications are available here along with a hi-res photo gallery, but look after the jump for the video recording of the car tearing up the ‘ring.

Click here to read the rest of Renault Megane R26.R Nurburgring Lap

A limited edition 450 unit run of the Megane R26 was unveiled at the 2008 British International Motor Show called the Renault Megane R26.R. The Renault Megane F1 Team R26 was used as the base car, undergoing various modifications (such as the removal of the car’s rear seats) that resulted in a kerb weight lighter by 123kg.

On the interior you have Sabelt bucket seats and aviation-style six-point harness belts. There is also an optional four-point roll-cage for track use. The suspension has been modified with uprated spring rates and dampers (13.4mm to 14mm/100kg at the front, 15.1mm to 16.2mm/100kg at the rear). One of the bushes between the front suframe and lower arm has been stiffened.

Other parts sacrificed in the interest of weight reduction includes all airbags except the driver airbag, automatic climate control, rear wiper and wash, foglamps, headlamp washes and most of the soundproofing material. The bonnet is now made of carbon fibre (saves 7.5kg), as with the seat shells (25kg). The quarterlights and rear screen are now made of polycarbonate which saves 5.7kg.

The 312mm front brake discs are grooved instead of cross-drilled and are stopped with 4-pot Brembo calipers. Tyres are Michelin Pilot Sport 2 tyres in 235/40R18 size, with optional Toyo Proxes R888 in 225/40R18 available.

The complete drivetrain has been carried over from the R26 including the 6-speed manual and LSD. The engine is a 2.0 liter turbocharged inline-4 producing 230 horsepower and a peak torque of 310Nm, with 90% of the peak torque available from 2,000rpm to 6,000rpm. 0 to 100km/h takes 6 seconds, and a Nurburgring lap takes 8 minutes and 17 seconds, which Renault says is a record for front wheel drive cars.

The 450 cars will be divided between Great Britain, France, Switzerland, Spain and Germany. Each country gets 26 units except for Great Britain and France which get 230 and 126 units respectively.

Continue reading for more photos in a high resolution gallery.

Click here to read the rest of Renault Megane R26.R 450 unit limited edition

This new facelifted look for the Dacia Logan was first shown on its five-door variant, the Renault Sandero. The facelift attempts to give the Logan a less cheapo look, and is inspired by the hatchback variant but is not exactly the same as the headlamps, bumper and grille are all different.

Under the skin the mechanicals are the same as before, with engine choices ranging from three petrol models (75 PS 1.4, 87 PS 1.6 and 105 PS 1.6) and two diesel models (68 PS 1.5 dCi and 85 PS 1.5 dCi).

A whole photo gallery is available after the jump.

Click here to read the rest of Facelifted Dacia New Logan unveiled!

Renault has unveiled the coupe version of its third generation Renault Laguna at the 61st Festival International du Film de Cannes, or better known to us at the Cannes Film Festival. A few engines are available - the same as the sedan and estate’s range, but with a coupe body the highlight will be the relatively high powered V6 engines.

The petrol V6 engine puts out 240 horsepower and 330Nm of torque from 3.5 liters of normally aspirated displacement, while the V6 dCi engine produces 235 horsepower but so much more torque at 450Nm.

Both engines are mated to a 6-speed automatic transmission. The 2.0 liter petrol and 2.0 liter DCi turbodiesel inline-4 engines are also available.

Despite being a 2-door, the execution of the coupe body on this Laguna doesn’t seem as sleek as some 4-door cars such as the Jaguar XF. The roofline bulges out a tad too high, but who knows, the car may look better in real life. The Laguna Coupe has a wheelbase of 2690mm, a height of 1400mm, a width of 1830mm and a length of 4640mm.

More images after the jump.

Click here to read the rest of Renault Laguna Coupe: Details and Photos

The Renault-Nissan Alliance and Bajaj Auto will form a new joint-venture in India, held 50% by Bajaj Auto, 25% by Renault and 25% by Nissan. The new joint venture will develop and produce a new low cost car called the ULC, which would have a price tag of USD2,500 onwards. Not sure what ULC stands for at this moment, but I’m guessing something to the lines of Ultra Low Cost.

The Bajaj ULC will most likely be a production version of the Bajaj Lite concept car (shown above) displayed at the New Delhi Auto Show earlier this year. The Bajaj Lite concept featured a 2-cylinder engine and driven to the wheels via what Bajaj says is a new type of transmission that is a cross between a manual and an automatic.

That sounds like a manual with a computer controlled clutch like the Savvy’s AMT gearbox to me, but we’ll see what Bajaj has up its sleeves. Could a centrifugal clutch like a bike’s (Bajaj is a bike maker) be used on a car? Actually, it has been used in the past, but we’re talking about cars from the 1930s here.

Bajaj managing director Rajiv Bajaj was quoted referring to the Lite concept to say, “It will be priced competitively but not sell on the pricing. Offering the customer twice the fuel economy is more effective than offering half the price.”

Two more photos of the Bajaj Lite concept after the jump.

Click here to read the rest of Renault-Nissan and Bajaj team up for USD2,500 car

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Reader Al Maarof who sent in the photos of the Renault showcase earlier has scanned for us the estimated pricelist (with specifications) for the 4 Renault models going to be offered in Malaysia. All of them are over RM200K, with the turbocharged Renault Grand Espace going for over RM300,000 OTR inclusive of insurance.

Related Posts:
TC Eurocars previews Malaysia-bound Renault cars

TC Eurokars Sdn Bhd had a public preview of four Renault models at its Jalan Semangat showroom on the weekend of the 21st to the 23rd of March 2008. The models displayed were the Renault Megane R26 Renault Sport, the Renault Megane Coupe-Cabriolet, The Renault Clio RS and the Renault Grand Espace. Reader Al Maarof shares with us some photos snapped of the cars.

The Renault Clio RS has a different 2.0 engine than the one found in the normal 2.0 liter Clio III. While the Clio III used new 2.0 liter Renault M engine (essentially the Nissan MR20DE), the Renault Clio RS uses the F4R - an older 2.0 liter engine in the Renault stables, but one that revs high and produces 197 horsepower at 7,250rpm, and 215Nm of torque at 5,550rpm. Matced to a 6-speed manual, it hits 100km/h in 6.9 seconds.

The other hot hatch is the Renault Megane R26 with a torsion beam rear, powered by a 2.0 liter turbocharged engine making 230 horsepower at 5,500rpm and 310Nm of torque at 3,000rpm. 0 to 100km/h takes 6.5 seconds with a 6 speed manual. If you look after the jump you’ll see the car’s huge brakes at the front. TC Eurokars indicates this one will come in at about RM235,000 in the second half of 2008.

The less hot Megane you will see after the jump is the Megane Coupe-Cabriolet which features a foldable hard top. It’s 2.0 liter normally aspirated engine makes 135 horses at 5,500rpm and 191Nm of torque at 3,750rpm, paired to a 4-speed auto.

The last car is an MPV - the Renault Grand Espace. This is a replacement model of the NGV-powered third generation Espace used as KLIA taxis we see here in KL. Its turbocharged 2.0 liter engine puts out 170 horses at 5,000rpm and 270Nm of torque at 3,20rpm. It features 6 airbags and seats 7 with independent seats for all passengers.

Check out more photos after the jump.

Click here to read the rest of TC Eurocars previews Malaysia-bound Renaults

Renault’s agency Publicis produced this “Parts” advertisement for the new Renault Megane. It shows a mad rush of multiple similiar parts rushing down the corridors to be installed into the new Renault Megane Renaultsport 230 F1 Team R26. Kind of like how humans are produced actually - only the best makes it through

View the ad after the jump.

Click here to read the rest of Renault Megane “Parts” Advertisement