The middle class has long been dominated by German brands led by Volkswagen, Audi, BMW or Mercedes. Every now and then, competition from Japan, Korea or France tries to make life uncomfortable for them, but they do not celebrate great successes . That is why we have recently witnessed the gradual "extinction" of previously classic sedans such as the Nissan Primera, Honda Accord or Toyota Avensis. Renault Laguna , whose third generation has been on the market for several years, was also supposed to be one of the discontinued models. However, the French finally decided differently, bet on the same cards as with Espaco, got rid of the Laguna name and today presented a completely new limousine with the old name Talisman .
If you are looking for the right words when looking at the body, you are definitely not alone. Designers are finally returning to the legacy of the avant-garde Avantime or Vel Satis models and are not afraid of experimenting with curves. This can already be seen in the front part with the large chrome grille and especially the LED daytime running lights , the strip of which was extended almost to the intake holes in the bumper. For an additional fee, Renault will also offer full-LED lights, in the brand hierarchy with the name LED Pure Vision . Unlike the Captur or Clio, the body profile does not appear to be overpaid and lets the alloy wheels with a size of up to 19 inches stand out, as well as the slightly rising window line and the wheelbase of 2.81 meters . Probably the most controversial is the rear part with lights with a three-dimensional effect, whose light signature is too reminiscent of the Dodge Dart or some models of German production. For individualists, Renault will offer eight metallic body colors (Pearlescent White, Dune Beige, Cosmos Blue, Vison Brown, Cassiopée Grey, Platine Grey, Etoilé Black and Carmin Red) and Glacier White non-metallic, combined with four alloy wheel designs in sizes 16, 17 , 18 or 19 inches.
Similar to the Espace, the Talisman hides the CMF modular platform under its hood, with which it reaches a length of 4.85 meters, a width of 1.87 meters and a height of 1.46 meters. Above all, the passengers in the back should get generous legroom and headroom, which the press release tries to prove with 282 mm in front of the knees of the rear passengers and 855 mm between the rear seat and the roof . At the front, this value is even 47 mm better! The sedan wants to collect other positive points in the area of liters for cargo – the trunk can hold 608 liters in the basic configuration, the boxes in various places of the interior another 25 liters, including space for a 1.5-liter PET bottle in the front door. French engineers paid special attention to the seats , which, depending on the selected equipment, are covered with fabric, a combination of fabric and leather, or only leather. There is electrical adjustment in a total of eight directions (another two are controlled manually), a six-way adjustable headrest or a four-way lumbar support. Front passengers will also enjoy heating (also available for rear passengers), ventilation, massage function and memory for up to six different settings. In addition, the back of the front seats is made using Cover Carving technology, the biggest advantage of which is the low weight and small space requirements (the manufacturer states that it creates 3 centimeters more space in front of the knees than in the case of conventional plastic). The instrument panel consists of a display that shows the current speed and revolutions as well as the engaged gear or the selected driving mode. In the basic equipment, the center console will be decorated with a 4.2-inch radio display, the higher specifications of the Talisman come with the R-Link 2 multimedia system , whose screen is 7 or 8.7 inches. Virtually all functions of the car can be controlled through infotainment, from the radio, air conditioning, head-up display to the position of the seats and the position of the mirrors. There will also be navigation, voice control or special applications. Along with the second generation R-Link comes the Bose audio system with surround sound .
The engine range includes a total of five engines – four-cylinder Energy TCe 150 and Energy TCe 200 exclusively with a seven-speed dual-clutch EDC automatic, respectively four-cylinder diesel engines Energy dCi 110 , Energy dCi 130 and Energy dCi 160 with two turbochargers. For the first two, the customer can choose a six-speed manual transmission or a six-speed dual-clutch EDC automatic, the most powerful diesel is exclusively connected to a six-speed dual-clutch EDC automatic. The press release does not yet mention the exact dynamic or ecological values, but compared to the Espace, the Talisman is 200 kilograms lighter and offers an excellent drag coefficient of cx = 0.27. A very interesting ride will be with the model whose chassis will also receive 4Control all-wheel steering and adaptive shock absorbers. As with the large crossover, Renault will offer Multi-Sense technology in the Talisman, which will set the engine, EDC transmission, electronic dampers, 4Control system, chassis, steering, engine sound and instrument backlighting to one of five modes – Eco, Comfort, Neutral, Sport and Person. Along with the specific setting, the color of the ambient lighting also changes. Safety is taken care of by state-of-the -art assistance systems , the range of which starts with adaptive cruise control and active emergency braking, as well as lane departure warning, safe distance monitoring, blind spot monitoring, traffic sign recognition and parking assistant.
A total of five trim levels will appear in the price list, led by the luxurious Initiale Paris line . The latter is the only one to receive the exclusive Améthyste black paint in combination with 19-inch wheels and "Initiale Paris" logos practically everywhere on the body. The cabin is completely upholstered in Nappa leather and, in addition to the classic black, it can also be brown. As standard, the seats have a massage machine, heating, adjustment in ten directions and headrests with the characteristic name Relax. For greater privacy, all the windows have been darkened, and the Initiale Paris logos will not be missing inside. The icing on the cake is the automatically folding mirrors when neutral is engaged, or the exclusive design of the entrance card. If you belong to the less wealthy, but still want to buy a new product from Renault, you can choose from Life, Zen, Business and Intens specifications. In addition to the sedan, the Talisman with a station wagon body will also premiere at the Frankfurt Motor Show in September.
Source: Renault
