Renault launched three news cars in July this year. We got to see a new version of the Scenic E-Tech, which a few weeks back was named Continental Irish Car of the Year, also a new version of their best-selling Captur and a brand new car called the Rafale, which is a mid-size crossover SUV.
The Rafale draws its inspiration from the world of aviation and it’s the first Renault car designed completely under the direction of Gilles Vidal. Mr Vidal, who is 52, spent 28 years designing cars for Citroen and Peugeot before joining Renault four years ago.
The car is named after the legendary Caudron-Renault Rafale, a two-seat French touring monoplane which set an international class speed record in 1933 reaching a speed of 445 km/h. The name was also used more recently on the Dassault Rafale fighter jet.
The award-winning Scenic is a very attractive car with a very impressive ‘nose’ and attractive lights and the refreshed Captur and Rafale also use much the same design at the front.
The Rafale, which has a sloping coupé-style look to it, is built on the Renault-Nissan CMF-CD platform and shares approximately 75% of its parts and design features with the brand’s Espace and Austral models. In the Renault lineup, the Rafale sits between the Arkana and Espace.
Renault already has an SUV coupe in its range in the shape with the Arkana, but the Rafale is even classier. It’s larger and looks a lot more upmarket overall. SUV coupes are common among premium brands like BMW, Audi and Mercedes-Benz and I think the Rafale should be well able to compete in that elite company.
It’s built on the same platform as the Austral but has a wider track to give it a sportier and more planted feel on the road. The Rafale uses the same 1.2-litre petrol-electric hybrid powertrain with a three cylinder engine, two electric motors and a multimode automatic gearbox.
There is plenty of power with 200bhp and if it’s speed you are after, you can get from zero to 100km/h in just under nine seconds. It’s very lively and responsive to drive. It’s frugal also, returning a figure of 5.7 litres per 100 kilometres. And if you drive at a steady speed along a clear road you will be impressed at how quicky the range increases.
Inside, the lay-out on the dash is much the same as the Scenic with the gear lever tucked away behind the steering wheel. Then located between the two front seats where you would normally find a gear lever in a manual car is a grab-handle that moves backward and forward and covers the cup holders if required. It’s like a splicer and my son said it reminded him of the gadget that was used when paying by credit card in the early days when credit cards were first introduced.
That lever also reminded me of the accelerator used in aeroplanes and I have seen a similar style one used by drivers on the Luas. If you are day-dreaming you might find yourself using that gadget to increase speed, but it doesn’t work!
There’s a huge boot of 532 litres, which is even bigger than the Austral. There’s also some underfloor storage. The Esprit Alpine models come with a powered tailgate.
There are three trim levels available in Ireland for the Rafale: techno, espirit Alpine and ‘esprit Alpine+. My test car came in a gorgeous Alpine Blue colour.
The Rafale is available from €51,495 for the Techno, from €55,695 for the Esprit Alpine and from €58,695 for the Esprit Alpine+. My test car which had a plethora of extras, will cost you €60,420. Road tax is €180. Renault of course is French, but this car is assembled in Palencia in the north west of Spain.
