Renault’s recently upgraded SUV coupe, comes with proven powertrains and new trim levels. We tested the range-topping version, with the reborn Alpine badging.
The Renault Arkana was essentially a sort of people’s first SUV coupe on the market. Back in the days when we only had more expensive models, mostly from luxury brands, Renault came up with a formula that clearly worked. Today, almost every brand offers small SUV coupes.
The Renault Arkana is based on the CMF-B platform, which Renault also uses for the Clio and Capture. And just compared to the Capture, the Arkana is a full 341 millimetres longer, while the wheelbase is stretched by up to 81 millimetres, with the second row crew in particular benefiting.
As for the aforementioned modernisation in the introduction, compared to the Clio (also modernised last year), the Arkana still relies on the old light signature, with illuminated ‘lobes’ that bite into the front bumper.
Taking a closer look, we can notice the carmaker’s new logos, new grille and also new grille in the bumper. Renault has also reduced the chrome trim and lines, for which it gets a big thumbs up. Other changes are perhaps only related to the changes to the price list, which offers three new grades. We were given the top one, the Esprit Alpine, to test, replacing the previously top-of-the-range R.S. Line trim. Renault is thus putting more emphasis on its new Alpine sports division.
So the logo in the bonnet is black, the bumper has sportier shapes and a grey F1 bar, a reference to Renault’s racing cars. In the fenders we find black, 19″ Elixir wheels with Alpine lettering, and they are adorned with the Esprit Alpine logo on the transition to the front doors. At the rear, there are new clear headlight covers, again a new logo and a grey painted diffuser, from which protrude two black painted “fake” exhaust tailpipes. Quite a nice parade…
Perhaps even less has changed in the cabin, but improvements have been made to the equipment just tested. The slightly larger and thicker steering wheel fits well in the hands and is upholstered in faux perforated leather with stitching in the colours of the French tricolour. The same stitching also appears on the door panels.
The sporty seats, with their distinctive lateral guidance, are comfortable even on longer journeys, hold the body firmly in corners and are again adorned with the French tricolour, the Alpine logo and blue stitching, which also appears on the seat belts. Because of the technical underpinnings in the smaller models, only the single-zone climate control freezes. However, the large circular ventilation controls with quite simple logic are to be commended.
In the dashboard we find the instrument panel with the 10″ colour display familiar from other Renault models, complemented by the vertically oriented EasyLink infotainment screen with a 9.3″ display. In addition, thanks to the Bose speaker package, the Arkana will also offer a very pleasant music listening experience.
But a common flaw of SUV coupes tends to be the limited practicality of the rear seats, but that doesn’t bother the Arkana too much, thanks to the aforementioned larger wheelbase. Even with the optional sunroof, there’s still plenty of room both overhead and in front of the adult occupants’ knees. The boot offers up to 580 litres, but is reduced to 480 litres with the hybrid. The rear seats are split 60:40 and there’s no shortage of double bottom seats.
The Esprit Alpine’s equipment creates an expectation of a sporty ride, but you won’t get much of that from the E-Tech full hybrid 145 motorization. The proven hybrid powertrain consists of a 1.6-litre atmospheric four-cylinder combined with an electric motor and starter-generator. Like the Clio, it offers a top system output of 105 kW (143 hp) and up to 205 Nm of torque thanks to the electric motor.
With an operating weight of over 1.5 tonnes, we’re talking about some not too dazzling dynamics, with the hybrid Arkana accelerating from 0 to 100km in 10.8 seconds and a top speed of 172km/h. So, these are the worst parameters of the motorisations on offer, but that’s not the point with this hybrid.
System performance is perfectly adequate in this, primarily urban and suburban SUV. Unlike other hybrid systems with various CVT and eCVT transmissions, here we have a self-driving transmission with several gears. The so-called multimode transmission even has two gears for the traction electric unit and four for the gasoline engine. The mechanical synchronisation of the individual gears is replaced here by the electric motor.
Compared to other hybrids, you’ll also only sporadically see a noisy engine at high revs here. The four-speed automatic, which tries to make the most of the atmospheric engine working in the Atkinson cycle, eliminates this annoyance quite successfully. It always tries to provide just enough power to meet the need for propulsion and battery recharging.
The all-hybrid powertrain makes the most of driving on electricity, which the unit takes from a 1.2 kWh battery pack. With it, the Arkana will also go some two kilometres in pure electric mode in one go. The control unit recharges the battery at about half-discharge, so you’ll never run out of power. Just fill up with petrol…
When driving quietly, it’s no problem to hover around 5l/100km. After a week of driving where half was county roads and the other miles were a mix of highway and city, we got down to an average of 5.6l/100km. The 50-litre fuel tank (the same as the other motorisations) then ensures a very respectable range on a single fill-up.
The cabin is well soundproofed and the softer chassis tuning is a pleasure. The Esprit Alpine’s standard chassis does sit on 19-inch wheels, but still maintains a balance between comfort and stiffness. The Arkana is able to filter out various bumps and doesn’t lean too much in corners.
The base Evolution trim with the mild-hybrid 140 EDC engine starts from €26,150, while the tested version with the E-Tech full hybrid 145 engine starts from a price tag of €29,700. In our test trim, the price has risen to €32,600 for the Esprit Alpine trim, and you can also treat yourself to a few extras such as a sunroof for €1,000, or the aforementioned BOSE packet for €700 and the Pack city plus automatic parking system for €750.
The Renault Arkana’s modernisation may not be as pronounced as the Clio’s, but personally I don’t see it as too much of a problem. The Arkana still offers a nice SUV-coupe body that doesn’t just resemble more worthy premium brands from a distance. Here again we have more cabin quality workmanship, decent practicality and modern technological equipment. And that’s on top of a relatively reasonable price tag.
