How
much do I love the newest little member of the Renault family? It's
compact, cute, sporty, fun and comfortable, while coping well with just
about anything you throw at it. In fact if it was a guy I'd be
proposing marriage (well civil partnership) to it after spending a
romantic two hour drive together on the M6 (I really need to get a life
I know!).
So what makes the little GT so much fun, well akin to a go-kart the super nippy little Twingo is more fun round town than an hour with Alan Carr, the steering is very precise, performance from the 100 bhp 1.2L turbo engine is superb, having a top speed of 117mph and it still does nearly 50 miles to the gallon. Ride quality although a little on the firm side is still comfortable, the Twingo feels stable at motorway speeds and sporty round town. Small enough to park just about anywhere, but spacious enough inside for four friends and their accompanying weekend luggage, the sliding rear seat also ensures that if you need some extra room in the boot you have the ability to create it, so its very practical as well as entertaining to drive. Spec is good with electric windows, auto lights and wipers, MP3 connection point, CD player with steering wheel control, air con, ABS and Bluetooth all coming as standard, my test car also came with a panoramic roof with a twist, dual sunroofs for the front and rear!
Outside the little powerhouse is dripping with spoilers, alloy wheels, tinted glass and chrome effect wing mirrors; it looks stylish, has great fuel economy and thanks to its 5E insurance rating isn't going to cost you the earth to insure. Overall for just under 10k it's a good buy, practical, stylish, fun and economical, what else could a gay ask for.
So, Renault are
entering the small convertible market with a car that is so different from any
other two-seat roadster, it's sure to turn heads. Meet the new Renault
Wind. Yes, Renault has Wind and
they aren't trying to disguise it at the dinner table, or even blame the dog.
Now, I could make
all sorts of toilet jokes throughout this review…so I'm going to :) Upon first
impressions the Wind looks very conceptual in design, bigger than a Twingo but
smaller than a Clio, with sporty curves and compact styling making it very
attractive. Although nothing like
the concept itself, the road going production car is definitely better looking
which is unusual, however, will definitely capture all the right attention. Not content with
just looking good, Renault decided to pass 'Wind' to the RenaultSport team,
allowing them to work on this little wonder from the ground up, using previous
platforms like Twingo RS combined with new technologies, the RS team have
created their first car without an RS badge. I tested both 1.2
and 1.6 engines, both strong machines respectively, excelling in very different
areas. The 1.6 kicks out133bhp and
Renaultsport are never shy to show you a good time. The little roadster turns on a pin point and follows through
phenomenally, clutching the road and sounding a great little gurgle from the
adapted exhaust system, really engaging you into the driving experience along
those windy roads in the country. Take it into
town, however, and it's a different story. Still capable of nipping through narrow streets, this is
mainly due to it's size as the 1.6 just doesn't seem too responsive in lower
gears at lower speeds. To solve
this you could opt for the 1.2 Tce100, a smaller engine that copes perfectly
round town, zipping through traffic and reactive enough to avoid any sticky
mess. Unfortunately, you loose
that characteristic gurgle that is so pleasant in the 1.6; however gain that
important wind power about town. With all small
two-seater roadsters you will always compromise luggage space to feel the wind
in your hair, however Renault have adapted the way the roof coverts - and in
just a staggering 12 seconds. At
the touch of a button, the hood will flip into the boot and simply rest above
the luggage space, meaning you have as much space in the boot of your Wind, as
you would in a standard Clio. A
small two-seater roadster that you can actually use the boot with the hood up
or down, not compromising on cabin space for you and your passenger. Lastly, I have to
bring up the issue with rear visibility.
If you didn't use your wing mirrors before, other than to see how cool
you look driving, you better start learning what they're used for. To get the roadster experience from the
Wind, Renault have done a good job, however the giant pillars at both sides
create giant blindspots with almost zero rear visibility, making it difficult
to look quickly to check for traffic.
Overall, Renault,
or rather Renaultsport, has done a brilliant job with the Wind. Making a practical two-seat roadster
that looks gorgeous, sounds great and performs as well as you want it to. Could Renault give their French friends
Peugeot a run for the 207cc market? In honesty, it's a tough one to call, they
will definitely convert a few people their way. Renault dealers will have wind pretty much constantly from
August 2010, with the special edition 'Collection' passing later in the
year. Pricing starts from £15,500
for the entry level model.
Clio
197 Sport
If
you're looking for a small hot hatch then there's a lot of choice on
the market, not many of them truly float my boat though I'm afraid to
say. Rarely are they as exciting as the manufacturers claim they will
be, even rarer do they have the drop dead sporting pedigree and looks
promised. In fact most of the time small "hot" derivatives are nothing
more than the same small car but with a bigger engine, lowered
suspension and have a few daft spoilers bolted on in the appropriate
places.
Then there's the Renault Clio 197 Sport,
Renault have never really pulled any punches when releasing insanely
"hot" versions of one of the regular model line-up.
Take the R26 Megane (please don't, let me keep it, I've been a good boy
honest guvner), it looks like it eats small hot hatches for breakfast
and is totally insane, its also the best there is in the "hot" hatch
stable, hence why I voted it "TopGayer Hot Hatch of the Year 2006".
So on to the Clio 197 Sport which once again doesn't disappoint in
terms of looking good, extra wide wheel arches, super low slung profile
and a sound from the exhaust to rival a super-club. Cosmetically
everything about the Clio 197 Sport screams it means the business, it's
a great looking car, it sounds great and handling wise it's one of the
best out there and could be considered somewhat of a Rival to its R26
bigger brother (the R26 is better though lol). Sadly one thing lets the
butch-but-still-cutesy 197 down and that's the performance, it is quick
0-62mph takes 6.9 seconds making it almost as quick as it's sibling the
R26 (0-62mph - 6.2 seconds), however it just doesn't feel that quick in
reality and the performance although great just feels a little lacking
lustre in the thrills department.
The interior is good with plenty of sports styling, if you could find a
partner that hugged you as tightly as the seats do then you'd marry em
as quick as you could.
It's also full of gadgets and gizmos, from the card key keyless entry
and push button start through to the MP3 and electric everything, your
left wanting for nothing.
Overall I do love the little Clio and it's a fabulous sporty little run around, it sounds amazing, looks fantastic and the performance is more than adequate even if you do feel like your not really shifting, all those headlights disappearing out of sight in your rear view tell you that you are!
..........
200Cup
I'm a huge fan of the Renaultsport versions of the bog standard Clio and Megane, they're great value for money and rarely disappoint. So when I got chance to get behind the wheel of a new facelifted Renault Clio 200 Cup for a week, I couldn't say yes quick enough. Having driven and fallen in love with the 197 it replaces I wanted to see just how much a facelift could change the monstrously performing little hatchback.
Now I say it's a facelift, the engine has had a few more tweaks to it than the bodywork. Yes that amazing 2.0-litre 16-valve screamer is under the bonnet, yes it still kicks out just under a massive 200bhp (hence the 200 in the name). The 0-62mph time is a Golf GTI worrying time of 6.9 seconds and it'll keep going to 141mph. Power and strong good looks is what the 200 Cup is all about. So with some tweaking and fiddling around Renaultsports engineers have managed to squeeze around an extra 20% more torque at low revs. They've also played about with the gearshift and now first, second and third are rapidly quick. So it looks like Renault have listened to owners comments about the 197 being a tad on sleepy side of sporting. The other huge achievement for Renaultsport is that the gas guzzling qualities of the 197 have been improved (albeit ever-so-slightly!) on both mpg and C02 emissions.
So what's it like to drive? Its got more grip that a drag queens hold on the last 'whore red' lippy in Boots. It still has very slight torque steer, but only when you give it large without warning, and the balance is so beautifully arranged that manages to be both incredibly forgiving, when you push your luck too far, and highly entertaining. As with all Renaultsport derivatives Brembo brakes are the brake of choice, after all it's no good having super quick acceleration if you can't stop in time when you need to! So the Brembo's are top notch without being to snatchy, the steering is responsive and light (sometimes a little too light!) However you do feel somewhat of a Rally driver sat in the Recaro bucket seats, tiny steering wheel in hand. The other huge thing to remember is that the 200 Cup is stripped out, if it doesn't need to be in there, then its not, this includes all the nice touches like air-con, reach-adjustable steering column (I'll come back to that later) electric mirrors and much lower quality dashboard and interior, all this in the name of saving weight and increasing performance.
It, without doubt, handles brilliantly, its more fun than Alton Towers and performance is enough to worry almost all hot-hatch drivers. Not to mention the fact that in the Alien Green colour that Renault sent me the Cup in, it looks demonic and most drivers look petrified as you rocket up alongside or up behind them. The Cup's styling is almost as aggressive as the noise that comes out the back of it. You cant fail to hear it coming, unless of course you've been sat inside it and then due to the excessive cabin noise from that beefy engine, you'll probably half deaf.
So on to a few issues I have with the otherwise superb 200 Cup… The chassis for a start, saying its excessively stiff would be an understatement akin to saying that Leona Lewis is a bit big in the thigh department (the woman has the legs of an Arabian Thoroughbred race horse). I love a sport ride as much as the next man (minds out the gutter!), not however if the next man is bloody Jenson Button! It's a road going car, regardless of how sporty it is there is a limit to how back breaking the ride needs to be to emphasize this. Its 15% stiffer than its predecessor's, which Renault say gives the car a more distinct more distinct personality from the standard Renaultsport 200 version. I kid you not when I say, that so hard is the suspension on the 200 Cup, that whilst testing it I came to the end of the A417 (Swindon - which is not the smoothest of roads and it certainly wouldn't win any prizes for its flatness either) that it shook me and my passenger so hard and so violently for so long that I actually felt sick!
My other major issue is with the optional Recaro seats, they look and feel great, they look and feel like a great idea to buy. However, over long journeys they're uncomfortable, they're an £850 cost extra and they sit way way way too high, it's meant to be a sports car, I want to sit and feel part of the car, not sit so high that I get altitude sickness! Stick with the standard seats, I've checked it out and the driving position is way better and far more comfortable than in the Recaro's. Finally my last issue is with the lack of rake adjustment on the steering column. Again the steering wheel sits far too high and at an odd angle, especially when combined with the Recaro seats. It's less-than-ideal driving position and totally removes the feeling of being at one with the car. It makes you feel like your driving a Go-Kart whilst being sat on a kid's bumper seat.
So do I like the 200 Cup…. Yes of course I do, I'm a petrol head!
I can say without a shadow of a doubt I'd buy one, and I'd love every minute of driving it, I just wouldn't have the Recaro seats. And at just over £17,000 for the top of the range 200 Cup, yes it's a great track day car, but you can drive to and from the track as well.
Coupe
Since
the launch of the new Laguna Coupe, Renault have changed the minds of
us all, bringing a new prestige feel to a brand once slated, for being
unreliable and of poor build quality. Next came the new Megane hatch
and following suit is a much better car than it's predecessor. Poking
fun at themselves with a fantastic new advertising campaign, and an
honest attitude made the perfect platform to make way for the Megane
Coupe, a car that looks phenomenal, but is it all that it's cracked up
to be?
I used to have very high expectations, but as I have come to realise, this is not always a good thing, as I find myself nit picking at little things making my views somewhat jaded. So, I now go about things with an open mind, not expecting too much and being pleasantly surprised. This is exactly the case with the Megane, as I have driven the hatch, I thought I knew what to expect from the Coupe, and I was pleased when things felt a little different.
The Coupe is a much more composed ride than the Hatch and certainly has the styling to match, kinetic design that makes the car look like it's constantly moving. The new grille screams 'sport' and the pinched back finishes the slender and sensual angles of the car, making almost a tear drop shape, all of which adds to the sporty, aero-dynamic image of what is already an attractive car.
All of Renault's diesel engines are now classed as 'eco' and it's definitely something that they like to boast about. I tested the 1.9 dCI 130 Dynamique, reaching 62mph in an impressive 9.5 seconds, the Megane Coupe will certainly entertain the driver within. Handling doesn't let the car down either, and keeps the car composed when putting it through it's paces on those windy country bends and twists, smoother than a night in with a bar of Galaxy. The engine is quiet for a diesel and the cabin is quiet on long motorway journeys, and build quality has definitely improved.
Inside the car is comfortable, even without leather, and styling is similar to the prestige feel of the Laguna Coupe. With highlights of chrome involved in a moulded ergonomic dashboard and centre console, the interior looks more appetising than a man painted in chocolate, my only issue however, is that it's as dull as when you've finished all the chocolate! Some hints of colour wouldn't have gone a miss.
As far as toys go, the Dynamique comes equipped, features like Bluetooth and automatic lights and wipers are all standard so unless you're in need of satellite navigation and heated seats, you wont need to spend much more on optional extras. Although there are some really great options that just make the Coupe that little bit more special, for example, the upgraded Arkamys stereo with 3D sound, 17" alloy wheels and finally, that fantastic burnt 'Cayenne Orange' metallic paint.
Overall, the Megane Coupe is a fantastic car that won't fail to disappoint when it comes to driving experience and it certainly beats the competition when it comes to looks. Sexier than watching Jude Law and Matthew McConaughey get together, Renault have really pulled out all the stops and created a really well put together and stylish car.
For those of you thinking hmmm interesting a rep wagon, thanks Rich…
Don't be too hasty to judge, yes the old Laguna had a few build quality
issues, however this all new model seems to have sorted all that out
with the new Laguna Hatch seeming to have a much stronger and more
quality feel about it.
Now the model I had to test was a top of the range Initiale 2.0L Diesel model with a cracking 150bhp, which makes it quick to say the least, 0-62mph is done in nine and a half seconds. So the new Laguna has much improved handling as well, its far more precise and so smooth and quiet you do actually have to check the engine is running at times. With regards to the new exterior styling, don't misunderstand its no Calvin Klein model in Daniel Craig's short shorts (oh the thought) but… I love it, the pictures just don't do it justice, and the new wrap round front lights / low front give it an altogether more sporting and poised look. The new rear is pleasant and will no doubt grow on me over time.
Interior wise the quality feel has gone through the roof, its very Starship enterprise sat behind the wheel with electrickry, full colour screens and computers everywhere; controlling everything from the climate control to the 6 stack in-dash CD player. You get an awful lot of kit for your money, regardless of the spec level you go for. My Initiale model had just about everything you could ever want and more. Because it's a Renault is just about as safe as you can get with even the entry level Expression model coming equipped with ABS, EBD, ESP and ASR Traction control as standard. Now don't get me wrong if you drive like a Turkish taxi driver on a country road you're still going to wrap yourself round a tree, but the Renault safety systems will try their best to help you avoid it.
So overall it's a great motor, nice to drive, comfortable, well equipped and safe into the bargain. It also does nearly 50mpg on the combined fuel cycle which means its going to be fairly cheap to run as well.
..........
Sport Tourer
There's
no denying, no matter how much you dislike estate cars, that the new
Laguna Sport Tourer is a great looking car. It's sleek, sporty and very
upmarket with its dashing new bodyline. Renault's diesels have always
been great performers, and the 2L Turbo unit in the Sport Tourer I
tested was no exception, with more grunt than a eastern bloc tennis
player the big estate never felt underpowered and returned great fuel
economy.
Now the new Laguna Sport Tourer over the last version is a totally different car all together, it feels better made, looks better both inside and out, the quality of the materials inside feels far more upmarket and it looks far more expensive than its £24,370 price tag.
Equipment is another of Renault's big things; whatever you're buying it's normally got plenty of toys as standard. The new Laguna follows this rule and had more toys for boys than the Soho prowler store. Included as standard on my top-of-the-range model was full leather interior, CD/MP3 stereo, Bluetooth Sat Nav with a full colour screen, electric and heated front seats, front and rear parking sensors, keyless entry, Xenon headlights and headlamp washers, amongst a wealth of other features included as standard. The extra sporting touches as standard on the outside included the gorgeous pair of twin tail pipes that just increases the big Renaults sporting look from behind.
Even though the Laguna Sport Tourer shares the same wheelbase as the hatch version its been extended to give a load area that feels big enough to fit half of Ikea in the back. It also feels massive within the actual passenger cabin and five are seated with more than enough room to cope with long journeys in plenty of space and comfort. Handling wise it's a lot of fun and you really wouldn't know you where in a large barge estate, it handles corners well and is great flying down country roads and twisting bends.
A triumph for Renault and well worth a test drive if you're looking for a big estate or need an estate company car.
Firstly
it's a Renault; secondly it's got a stupid name, but so has Lady GaGa
and it doesn't stop us loving 'Beautiful, Dirty, Rich' and buying her
singles by the shed load. The Koleos is Renault's first attempt at an
SUV 4X4 crossover, boy have they got it right! As Crossover's go, it
comes with great standard equipment levels, the top of the range I
tested came with 3D SatNav, Bluetooth, leather, heated seats, BOSE
sound system, panoramic roof and Bi-Xenon's.
Great on-road handling twinned with a comfortable ride that soaks up the bumps and potholes without any trouble. It also takes sweeping bends in its stride, and copes well with more adventurous driving styles better than most. The thanks to the good ground clearance off-roading, means it handles rutted fields like a cruising queen in search of trade. The 'Uphill Start Support' and 'Hill Descent Control' ensures you be handling fairly steep banks / hills without much headache.
With 150bhp the performance has got more oomph that drag queen's at a showing of 'sing-along to Mama Mia'. 0-60mph takes 10.4 seconds and is delivered more like a car than crossovers. Fuel consumption is another matter though and a major chink in the Koleos's armour. Renault claim 38.7mpg (combined cycle), however I had trouble getting 30mpg and off-road in 4x4 mode I was reading a terrible 14mpg. Price-wise its not cheap, starting at a very reasonable £17,999 rising up to the model I tested at a whopping £23,495, which with all the standard spec for the Privilege model is actually great value for money. So although it's priced at the higher end of the 'under 25k' scale, you do get a lot of toys and gadgets for your money.
On and off road it's very pleasant to drive and very capable, it also looks good. Definitely worth looking at if you're in the market for a good 4x4 crossover for under 25k
The
big daddy Grand Espace is a bus of an MPV, it looks like it crashed to
earth in a meteor, not only that but it shifts and I mean REALLY
shifts. The 7 seater Grand Espace is a great luxury people carrier,
however in the 6 seater formation I tested, it takes on a totally
different slant and has somewhat of an upmarket limo-esque quality.
Inside its cavernous, it's the road going equivalent of G-A-Y but with
leather seats and fewer crop-tops. The interior really is top quality
and everything throughout all three rows of 2 seats is outstandingly
well laid out, everything is where you would expect it to be. In the 6
seater layout there is also enough room for you and the boys to move
around between the rows and it has to be said with the option extra
entertainment pack putting TV and DVD players in the front headrests,
you feel more like the captain of an airbus than the driver of an MPV.
Yes my press car was blinged up to the nines and had more kit than an
S&M queen on his way to a "party". However most of the toys weren't
optional extras but in fact standard spec, Bi-Xenon lights that steer
round corners with you (op ex), Bluetooth, voice recognition Nav-Com
system (voice activated Sat Nav to you or I), blinds, TV's, privacy
glass, A/C throughout the entire car, leather, front / rear parking
sensors, CD stacker / MP3 player complete with remote controller, I
mean the list just goes on and on.
So it's got great spec and it looks good, which is always an added
bonus, however the Grand Espace's secret weapon is hidden out of sight
and out of mind. Describing it as a "sleeper" would be an
understatement! Nobody you stop next to at lights will ever expect you
to leave them standing, jaw open, but that's just what happens if you
put your foot down into the thick carpet under the accelerator.
The 3L turbo diesel unit in my test car was phenomenally good, almost
breathtaking with its unexpected speed at times. What's more the Espace
is no longer a barge which rolls round corners, actually pushing the
car through bends it feels firm and controllable. Yes of course there's
some body roll, its 37ft tall, 4 miles wide and longer than a 'I'm deep
and just misunderstood' emo queens Gaydar profile for gay gods sake.
But never the less it still handles very well for its size and new
six-speed auto gearbox in the top of the range Initiale I tested was
superb, giving smooth gear changes up and down the range and plenty of
power at pretty much any speed.
It's worth pointing out that you do have the driving position of a long
distance trucker and being cosseted behind all that glass means you can
also see clearly (now the rain has gone dum de dum..) for miles around
in any direction. This of course makes the car much easier to drive as
black-spots from the drivers view are pretty non-existent.
Overall I think the Espace is probably the best big MPV on the market,
it is pricey especially when you start really going mad with the
non-essential optional extra's, but I think it offers a truly different
slant on the 'I need a bus' MVP's and is well worth looking at if you
need a 6/7 seater or even a 5 seater with a massive boot.