Road test report -------- August 2010 -------- by Kevin Fenix.

Renault Fluence

When I first saw the Renault Fluence I was confused, as it was built on a longer wheelbase than its Megane sister, yet not quite as long as its Laguna sister. What segment of the market was it designed for, medium or large size ? When I asked someone at Renault, they told me that it was the saloon version of the Megane, built on the same extended wheelbase as the Grand Megane estate model.
Inside the design and styling is practically identical to that of the latest Megane models.
It may be a saloon, but it has a large boot, easily on a par, space wise, with cars in the large segment of the market. In fact, of the cars that I have tested in recent years, in this segment of the market, only the Volkswagen Passat has a bigger boot. The Fluence beats the Toyota Avensis, Opel Insignia, Mercedes-Benz C220, Honda Accord and Subaru Legacy in this regard. Before folding the rear seats for additional space, the Renault Fluence offers 0.530 cubic metres of usable space.
Below the luggage floor, there is a full size, pressed steel spare wheel, which is another plus point in my eyes. There is, however, an anomaly here, as the test car came fitted with seventeen inch diameter alloy wheels, whereas the spare was the standard fifteen inch diameter wheel. Still, in my eyes, a proper wheel and tyre, beats a Spacesaver, or one of those compressor and latex foam solutions, any day.

Above left : Normal luggage space ----------------- Above right : Maximum luggage space
Below left : Seat back folded for maximum space ----- Below right : 60/40 split rear seat

In addition this large saloon will accommodate up to 80 kg on the roof and will tow braked trailers of up to 1300 kg, or unbraked trailers of up to 650 kg. Thus besides offering space and comfort for five passengers, it is also versatile and highly adaptable.

Both front seats are comfortable and well padded. Each adjusted for reach, height and backrest angle. In addition the driver’s seat offered adjustable lumbar support as well. The leather covered steering wheel had a good feel and was reach and height adjustable. Thus drivers and front seat passengers of all sizes should be able to find a comfortable position. Each front seat has a map pocket incorporated into the rear side of the seat backrest. Between the two front seats there is an armrest that also serves as a cover for a reasonably spacious storage box. Behind the centrally positioned gearlever, there is a control pad for the TomTom satellite navigation system. The screen for the navigation is centrally positioned in an upright structure in the top centre of the facia.
The rear seating area is equally well appointed. The rear seat is divided 60/40 in both its cushion and backrest. To fold a section, the cushion lifts up into an upright position behind the front seat backrest and the corresponding rear backrest then drops into a horizontal position to fill the space thus vacated by cushion. The two outer positions are equipped with ISOfix fittings for child safety seats. All five seats come with adjustable headrests, plus three point lap and shoulder seat belts. The two outer positions are very comfortable. In the centre section, the cushion and backrest is harder and a passenger would sit slightly higher, but apart from the reduced shoulder room for all three passengers, this position is still suitable for adults over shorter distances. This centre section of the backrest also incorporates a folding centre armrest, that has an open storage space, with provision for two cupholders. When not needed for seating, the armrest provides an additional level of comfort for adults seated in the two outer positions. Headroom is adequate over all three rear seating positions. Both rear doors are fitted with electrically controlled, childproof locks, activated by a switch in the driver’s door armrest, that also houses the controls for the four electric windows and the adjustments for the exterior rear view mirrors.

The instruments and driving controls are well laid out for clarity and ease of use. The instrument binnacle, behind the steering wheel, contains two large round dials. The left hand unit is an analogue tachometer, with a black face and white lettering, although the upper limit of the engine’s speed range is shown in bright yellow lettering. In the centre of the binnacle, there is a similarly sized dial with a white face and black lettering, showing the speed in large digital figures. It also houses a digital engine temperature gauge and a fuel level gauge. To the right of this dial there is a rectangular panel that houses the trip and total distance recorders.
As already mentioned the top centre of the facia is dominated by the TomTom satellite navigation screen. Below the two centre vents on the facia, there is a slim panel that houses all the controls for the air-conditioning system. Controls associated with the audio system are housed in a panel below that, with some additional switches on the horizontal arms of the steering wheel for the cruise control. A slot below the audio panel accepts the card for the ignition and central locking, with an engine Stop-Start button alongside on the left. The driver’s door armrest has controls for folding and adjusting the exterior rear view mirrors, raising and lowering the four electric windows and activating/deactivating the rear doors’ childproof locks.

Power is provided by a 1461 cc, four cylinder, turbocharged, direct injection diesel engine, driving the front wheels, through a six speed manual gearbox. It is tuned to deliver 78 kW @ 4,000 rpm, with 240 Nm @ 2,000 rpm. This gives a potential top speed of 185 kph (114 mph) with a 0-100 kph acceleration time of 11.4 seconds. While not in the super performance bracket, that is more than adequate for daily use, both in urban and rural conditions. One thing I did notice, was that in moving off from standstill, the engine did need a firm prod on the accelerator, to build up the revs quickly to the 1,800 rpm mark, to avoid stalling. Likewise when trickling along in stop/go traffic, you need first gear to avoid stalling, as the gearing is a bit too high for second to be able to cope comfortably without stalling. Fortunately the gearchange is smooth and positive, so apart from the physical effort required, there are no difficulties associated with frequent gear changes.
While the high gearing can be a bit of a pain, in stop/go city traffic, until you get used to it, it does have positive benefits in another area. According to the EU testing standards, this Fluence manages an excellent 53 mpg (5.3 lt/100 km) on the urban cycle and an outstanding 68 mpg (4.1 lt/100 km) on the extra urban cycle. This gives a combined cycle average of 62 mpg (4.5 lt/100 km). Bearing in mind that this is a comfortable, spacious, five seater saloon, that it very good indeed. Then to gild the lily even further, its exhaust emissions are just 119 gm/km, putting the car comfortably into Irish road tax band A, with an annual levy, at present rates, of 104 Euro. I cannot imagine anyone, other than a GREEN LUNATIC, being dissatisfied with that !

I found the ride and roadholding to be perfectly satisfactory. The ride was smooth and comfortable, even over Fingal’s notorious road surfaces. Bearing in mind that this is not a boy-racer’s toy, the car handled securely and positively out on the open road. The brakes too seemed to be well up to the job in hand. The electrically, power assisted, rack and pinion steering was light, yet with a reassuringly positive feel. It is geared to give just over three turns from lock to lock.
The Fluence comes with a two years unlimited mileage warranty, that includes two years unlimited mileage roadside assistance, extending to three years if the car has covered less than 150,000 km, three years paint cover and twelve years anti-perforation guarantee. Recommended retail price, as tested, is Euro 23,500.

Technical data

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