By: Dave Abrahams
Boulogne-Billancourt, France - The French have always done cars differently; sometimes avant-garde, sometimes utilitarian to a fault, but always with a distinct Gallic flair.
Renault's new D-segment sedan, the grandly-named Talisman, is no exception. It's not particularly big by the standards of the class at 4850mm long on a 2810mm wheelbase, 1870mm wide and 1460mm high (about the size of a Honda Accord) but it packs noteworthy passenger space and a 608-litre boot into a neat, somewhat conservative shape.
Nevertheless, it gains a lot of extra elegance by setting the glazed area so far back that the rear deck is no more than a suggestion and the third window becomes the defining feature of the profile.
Whether the chunky front treatment with its all-LED light signature is elegant, quirky or just distinctive, we leave up to you to decide.
French cars are known, moreover, for outstanding road manners, and the Talisman continues that tradition by combining four-wheel steering and adaptive damping with what Le Regie calls multi-sense technology, in which the drive mode selector modulates not only the ride quality, chassis feedback and power delivery but also the sound and interior lighting ambience.
Choose from Comfort, Sport, Eco, Neutral and customisable Perso modes, depending on the mood and the day - with a short-cut button to switch instantly between Comfort and Sport modes.
A deeply hooded binnacle houses a configurable digital instrument panel, matched by a colour head-up display, while the centre console is laid out around either a seven inch landscape-format or an 8.7 inch portrait-format touchscreen and a 13-speaker Bose surround sound system.
Creature comforts are catered for by ventilated front seats with massage function and 10-way power adjustment, and a 60:40 split rear bench with variable-density foam, pivoting headrests and ski hatch.
THE GO SHOW
Motorvation is provided by a choice of three diesel and two petrol engines, all turbocharged. Renault doesn't mention capacity or number of cylinders beyond describing them as 'downsized'.
The 81kW Energy dCi 110 and 95kW Energy dCi 160 turbodiesels are mated to either a six-speed manual or six-speed dual-clutch auto transmission, while the 118kW, biturbo cDi 160 will only be available with the dual-clutch transmission.
The 110kW Energy TCe 150 and 147kW Energy TCE 200 petrol engines will each be mated to a seven-speed dual-clutch auto. All five justify the 'Energy' label with idle stop and energy recovery under braking.
Driver aids include adaptive cruise control, emergency active braking, lane departure warning, safe distance alert, traffic sign detection with excess speed warning, automatic headlights dipping blind spot alert, a reversing camera and hands-free parking.
TRIM LEVELS
The Talisman will be offered in Europe in a choice of five trim levels, starting with the LIFE, featuring a black dashboard, leather-trimmed steering wheel, black fabric seats and digital radio with a 4.2 inch display.
The ZEN has the same features but with lighter-coloured trim strips, while the BUSINESS adds an R-Link 2 connected multimedia tablet in seven inch landscape format and Bose surround sound.
The INTENS is trimmed in a fabric/leather mix, or optional dark brown or black leather with brown top-stitching, and features an 8.7 inch portrait-format R-Link 2 touchscreen.
There will also be an INITIALE PARIS limited-edition introduction special featuring a black or grey dashboard with dark charcoal or silver top-stitching, full-grain leather upholstery in a graded grey pattern or solid black, and leather-trimmed steering wheel.
The Renault Talisman sedan - and its estate sibling, will make their public debut at the Frankfurt motor show on 17 September and will be available for sale in Europe at the end of the year. Whether or when it will come to South Africa has yet to be confirmed, according to Renault SA.