The French invasion

The French in their time have invaded a lot of countries; well at least they tried from Russia to Spain to England to Mexico. But now, it’s India’s turn. However, the mood this time round is quite upbeat because they are here to serve the Indian customer. They are here to sell cars. And not just any cars, but ones they promise will set new benchmarks in comfort, innovation and style. We are talking about Renault’s invasion, which will in the span of two years comprise of five launches.

So, by the end of 2012 Renault would have launched two sedans, two SUVs and a hatchback. It’s the company’s second shot at the Indian market, however. It first tried its hands at a joint venture with Mahindra and launched the Logan, but that quite obviously didn’t go too well. So now, Renault is here on its own, and its first product is the Fluence, a business sedan that will compete against the likes of the Corolla Altis.

Highlights

• The Fluence is a CKD operation with no localisation content at all.
• There are two versions to begin with - a fully loaded automatic petrol and a slightly stripped down diesel with a manual gearbox.
• The petrol is 137bhp, 2-litre, four cylinder engine capable of dispatching 0-100kmph in about 13.5 seconds. The diesel is a 1.5-litre engine similar to the one on the erstwhile Logan, but on the Fluence it develops 106bhp and 240Nm of torque. It should do the 0-100kmph run in about 14 seconds.

The Fluence might have 100 per cent import content, but that has an advantage as well. The customer as a result benefits from high levels of quality, fit and finish and potent engineering. And on the Fluence, these benefits are immediately visible. In terms of looks, the Fluence isn’t pretty in the conventional sense, but does strike a handsome pose. It’s not a car that one would miss if it drove by.

Inside, it’s difficult to fault the car for uneven gaps or poorly finished surfaces. In fact, the quality of plastics all round, both in terms of look and feel, are very much at par with the competition. The Fluence’s insides also feel fresh and are more about a luxurious and an airy feel rather than just function or a cocooned, sporty feel. It’s also a well thought out cabin in terms of convenience. There’s loads of stowage space, couple of cup and bottle holders, door pockets on all four doors, sun blinds for the rear passengers and a convenient located window and child lock button for the rear doors on the driver side door.

We also liked the seats on the car; these carry forward the comfort aura setup by the interior design and colour. The seats aren’t terrifically supportive with the ones on the rear lacking a bit of thigh support, but these remain cushy and feel comfortable and accommodating immediately. What we weren’t completely happy about were the ergonomics. A lot of bits on the car like the placement of the start-stop button, the handbrake as well as the hood opener have not been adopted for the right hand drive format. Naturally, it doesn’t feel completely comfortable to use at the beginning. Also, I found the placement of the audio controls behind the steering a tad unintuitive.

The better equipped petrol version additionally gets side airbags for safety and electric foldable mirrors, multi-functional steering wheel with controls for cruise control, two zone climate control system, rear AC vents and others over the diesel version.

The petrol is a 2-litre, 137bhp unit. It’s an all aluminium unit and is coupled to a CVT transmission. A CVT does not have pre-set ratios, but the ratios change continuously to get the best out of the engine. Its biggest drawback however, is the rubber-band effect it produces. For instance, if you floor the throttle and want to make swift progress, the engine revs dial up to a point and stay there. Of course, the car keeps on accelerating, but the constant high rpm engine hum does get bothersome after a while. And of course, there’s no real feel of progress that the driver can associate with it even though he is accelerating. The end result is a lacklustre driving experience. The NVH levels nonetheless are pretty low on the car.

The diesel engine equipped Fluence though is the surprise package here. We would have liked more equipment on the car, but the engine and the driving experience more than makes up for it. The engine is a 1.5-litre common rail one, but unlike the similar engine on the Logan, this one makes 106bhp. It is coupled to a six-speed manual on the Fluence. The end result is a car that’s very driveable indeed. It’s not blisteringly quick and we expect a 0-100kmph time of about 14 seconds, but it feels more than adequate both in the city and on the highway. And of course, the well insulated cabin of the Fluence means, the diesels lack of refinement even at high revs isn’t too intrusive.

The Fluence is a comfort oriented car and it shows in the way it drives. The ride quality is really good and it absorbs everything with aplomb letting very little seep through to the occupants. For a soft car it also has surprisingly good straight line stability even on undulated or broken roads, no matter how fast you traverse over them.

The steering feel is good too, even though it must be said that the car’s reaction to steering inputs is not electrifyingly quick. The steering though is accurate and for the city, it’s light enough to make easy work of parking and battling city traffic. But like we said earlier, the Renault Fluence is a comfort oriented car thanks to a soft suspension. So naturally, it doesn’t feel as light-footed as say the firmer Skoda Laura. And then, it does roll around corners when pushed hard as well. It’s not a car you’d love to take around a section of twisties; at least not for an entertaining drive.

The Fluence at the face of it looks like a good deal. The petrol might lack passion, but is comfortable and well equipped. And while the diesel could do with more convenience features, it drives well enough to make daily commute both effortless and interesting. And if you are going to be driven around, the Fluence makes even more sense.