Renault Arkana review: A decent drive that just lacks a little fire

The Renault Arkana is a well-designed, well-built and practical thing that doesn’t cost the earth

The all new Renault Arkana is simply a well-designed, well-built and practical thing which doesn’t cost the earth

RENAULT ARKANA
Rating	★★★☆☆
Price	€28,990 - €31,490 as tested
Engine	1.3-litre petrol mild hybrid
The Spec	very thorough
Verdict	well-designed, well-built and practical that doesn’t cost the earth

Any of you old enough to remember the Renault Fuego, which was produced in Europe between 1980 and 1986, may be feeling a little nostalgic reading these words.

The Fuego, which means ‘fire’ in Spanish, was what might respectfully be called a terrible car; it didn’t drive particularly well, wasn’t especially fast and was prone to build quality issues which drove owners mad.

But it was a relative rarity of its era – a coupe. The Opel Manta and the Ford Capri were its most obvious rivals and the French car was actually the bestselling coupe in Europe between 1980 and 1982. 

And then the novelty wore off.

But it was a statement car from Renault and actually pioneered a number of technologies and elements of kit which became standard across the rest of the Renault range and commonplace in the automotive world. 

It was the first four-seat car to be designed in a wind tunnel; it was the first to have remote keyless system with central locking; it pioneered a remote steering column-mounted controls for its audio system; and, it also boasted – gasp – a multifunction trip computer.

So, being a coupe, enjoying dramatic styling (for the time) and a host of innovative features, the Fuego struck a chord with the buying public, especially hirsute young men in florid shirts and flared trousers.

It didn’t last and Renault, while making coupe versions of regular production cars, has never gone really back to what was a relatively infertile field of endeavour – until now.

Times have changed obviously and consumer tastes have moved on to the point where the SUV and Crossover models have become the plat du jour. 

That being the case, many varieties of these machines have evolved – small, medium, large and coupe versions.

At the coupe end of the SUV market, the premium brands have been the front-runners, with Mercedes, Audi and BMW all coming up with contenders, along with the likes of Maserati, Porsche, Range Rover and Jaguar. 

More affordable versions have arrived too, what with Toyota’s adventurously styled CH-R leading the way and more style-led cars like the Mazda CX-30 and the Citroen C4 have followed.

And now, Renault has joined the fray with its all-new Arkana and, judging by the styling of the car, the inspiration for it comes directly from the BW X6 which is a somewhat divisive machine as far as public opinion goes. 

The X6 is indeed a Marmite car, but there are those that love it; although nearly as many hate it with a passion.

Whatever you might think about its looks, the X6 has spawned a host of imitators and the Arkana is one of them. The big difference between the two, however, is the cost. 

The X6 comes to the market at around the €90,000 mark, while the Renault starts at just under €30,000. That is a fair gap, it must be said.

So what does the coupe Renault offer? Well, quite a lot for the money, in actual fact.

The trouble with a style-led car for a manufacturer is that it is a tightrope act – trying to balance the perceived needs of the owner with the desire of that owner to stand out from the crowd without having to spend a fortune.

Thus the Arkana looks a lot like anything else in the current Renault line-up from the front perspective, but from the side and rearview, it takes on a different look altogether, what with a markedly sloped roofline and a tall rear end.

While this might not look like a terribly practical machine as a result of those looks, Renault has actually done a very neat job making it quite family-oriented.

That said, while the rear seats will comfortably fit three children, were three adults to squeeze in there, the one in the middle would feel pretty claustrophobic in very short order.

The boot space varies depending on the model because of the hybrid ancillaries, but the rear seats split 60:40 and when flat there is a very substantial amount of cargo space. 

For a coupe SUV, though, it is very much more practical than most.

On the engine front the Arkana comes with a choice of a full hybrid or a mild hybrid and it was the latter we got to drive, which is the more affordable of the two choices. 

It is powered by a 1.3 litre petrol engine which is turbocharged and further boosted by 12-volt mild hybrid assistance. The gearbox is a seven-speed automatic and the power drives the front wheels only.

Now, as many of you who’ve experienced electric or hybrid driving, you will know that it differs greatly from a normal petrol or diesel. 

Excessive use of your right foot will only make for a lot of shouting and roaring from under the hood as the gearbox seems to be tuned to seek a higher gear at the merest whiff of accelerator action and it also tends to hold that gear for much longer that you might want or expect.

Thus you have to tone down your instincts and develop a much more sensitive accelerator foot in order not only to achieve smooth motoring, but also to keep the din down. Once you get the feel for how the car likes to be driven, things get more acceptable.

The thing is that for people who lie to impose their will on a car, this is not for them. On the other hand, for people who are prepared to adapt in order to find the smoothest – and most efficient – way of getting about, this is a car which will reward them greatly.

In performance terms the Arkana will not shatter any world records, but the car has a top speed of 205 km/h and the 0-100 km/h dash is achieved is 9.8 seconds and it will also return near-diesel levels of consumption. 

You should expect to get in or around 5.6 l/100 km (50 mpg) once you’re not acting the mick.

With regard to the interior Renault has resisted the temptation to go all fancy-dan on us and some might complain that the décor and layout are bland. 

It might look a little dull, but the surfaces are very tactile and leasing and the technology is very easy to navigate.

In S-Edition spec, there’s a 9.3” infotainment screen which is very clear and non-distracting, a digital instrument binnacle, 18” alloys and part synthetic leather upholstery covering seats which are typically Renault and therefore exceptionally comfortable. 

It has a load of other tech thrown in as well and, in this specification, people will find little to quibble with.

It drives well too and while understeer is a given for this front wheeler, it is not a dominant characteristic and, all told, the Arkana rides and handles very well.

In the heel of the hunt, the Arkana is simply a well-designed, well-built and practical thing that doesn’t cost the earth.

 So, for people who want a little pizzaz in their driveway instead of the mundane alternatives.

It might display some of feelgood factor people got from the Fuego all those years ago, but it is most certainly a more decent buying prospect than its coupe forebearer ever was. 

And you don’t need the flares either.