In the name, a tribute to aviation
There Renault Rafale it is a sleek 200 HP hybrid SUV-coupé, created on the same basis as the Renault Austral and the Renault Espace; takes its name from the Coudron Rafale C.460 monoplane (powered by a Renault engine), which set a speed record in 1934, reaching 445 km/h. 471 cm longthe car has a bold lookunderlined by the tapered lights, the toned sides and the almost horizontal rear window (surmounted by a thin spoiler, which matches the one on the edge of the tailgate).
Cared for and with fine details
Inside it has a technological aspect, with materials that are pleasant to the touch (the rigid plastic is located right on the lower part of the dashboard). This Esprit Alpine it also features refined details, such as the stitching with the French tricolor in the seats and steering wheel, the felt-lined door pockets, the exposed aluminum pedals and the Alpine logo (the Renault group’s sports company) engraved on the seats and which lights up in the dark. Worthy of note is the large one roof panoramic self-mattifying (standard on the Esprit Alpine) which can be darkened (or lightened) by pressing the button above the windscreen, or by contacting the voice assistant directly. For those sitting in the back, however, there is a large armrest which has two USB-C sockets for charging smartphones and two drink holders which rotate, transforming themselves into comfortable holders for mobile phones or tablets.
Google in command
At the front, the central console (rather bulky) integrates a plate for induction charging of mobile phones, surmounted by a practical handle which allows the driver to more easily reach the piano keys for adjusting the automatic dual-zone climate and the multimedia system, with a 12″ screen, like the one on the dashboard (very customizable). Both are clear and have excellent resolution; the real strong point, however, is the operating system Android Automotivewhich allows you to access all the Google services such as the voice assistant Google Assistant, Google Maps, Google News and the Play Store. From here you can download many apps such as Spotify, YouTube Music and Amazon Prime Video. Negative note about the driver’s seat: the gear, windshield wiper and volume levers located on the right side of the steering column create confusion.
Plenty of space
The Sofa It accommodates three adults without any problems, even if there is a bed on the floor Annoying “step”.. Despite the arched roof, even those over six feet tall will have no problems: in fact, there are many centimeters of distance from the roof. The trunk it is spacious: the shapes are regular and there are no annoying lateral encumbrances. With the backrests up load capacity it is 528 litres, which becomes 1660 when the sofa is reclined. However, the edge of the trunk remains very high from the ground (82 cm).
The gearbox is without synchronizers
Under the hood of the Renault Rafale there is a 1.2 three-cylinder turbo petrol engine with 131 HP, combined with a 68 HP electric motor. There combined power of the hybrid system is 200 HP (all unloaded on the front axle). The two engines can work together or separately, thanks also to the particular transmission without synchronizers). The exchange in fact, it uses a second electric unit to bring the three-cylinder engine to the right speed and guarantee the clutches. The 1.2, in addition to giving drive to the wheels, can operate a motor generator to recharge the 2 kWh battery positioned under the front seats.
It snaps, but sometimes it’s abrupt
There Renault Rafale it always starts in electric mode, and without forcing too much on the accelerator you can travel several meters with zero emissions. This helps i consumptionso much so that in this test which took place on a mixed route, we saw on the digital dashboard a average value of 20 km/l. It is at ease in the city: despite its large dimensions, the rear steering axle (standard in the Esprit Alpine) and the light steering wheel make it agile in manoeuvres. As soon as you sink your right foot, the three-cylinder “awakens”. When you turn it on to operate the generator that recharges the “battery”, you then notice some slight vibrations, which are accompanied by gear changes, are not always smooth. On the other hand, the 200 HP make themselves noticed, doing recover speed in fluency. Finally, it must be said that with the large 20″ rims the potholes are noticeable, while at motorway speeds the soundproofing seemed to be taken care of.
The “base” is also complete
There Renault Rafale is proposed in two versions: the “richer” Esprit Alpine what it costs 48,200 euros and the Techno base from 43,700 euros. The latter is already well equipped and has semi-autonomous driving as standard. The Esprit Alpine in this test adds the warning not to open the doors when another lane approaches from behind, automatic emergency braking in reverse and rear axle steering.
