News
New Renault Rafale Coming Soon: Specs, price and release info
Sub-£40,000 starting price confirmed for Renault’s new Rafale luxury coupe-crossover
Big Renaults have a mixed history here in the UK, where the brand has had greater success with smaller hatchbacks like the Clio and electric reinventions of big-selling family favourites like the Megane and the impressive new Scenic. Confidence riding high it’s now confirmed further details of its new hybrid-powered Rafale crossover, and with it the brand’s new design language.
• Rafale sits at the top of the Renault passenger car range as a showcase for the brand’s latest design and tech • Panoramic roof uses ‘opacifying’ glass that can adjust the amount of light reaching the cabin without the need for mechanical blinds • E-Tech hybrid combines petrol and electric power for a real-world 60mpg and claimed range of nearly 700 miles between fill-ups • Rafale launches with a 200 horsepower hybrid, a ‘high performance’ all-wheel drive version with 300 horsepower coming later • Orders now open, with first deliveries expected in the summer • Pricing starts under the £40,000 threshold for ‘premium car’ road tax/VED to help monthly running costs
• Rafale sits at the top of the Renault passenger car range as a showcase for the brand’s latest design and tech • Panoramic roof uses ‘opacifying’ glass that can adjust the amount of light reaching the cabin without the need for mechanical blinds • E-Tech hybrid combines petrol and electric power for a real-world 60mpg and claimed range of nearly 700 miles between fill-ups • Rafale launches with a 200 horsepower hybrid, a ‘high performance’ all-wheel drive version with 300 horsepower coming later • Orders now open, with first deliveries expected in the summer • Pricing starts under the £40,000 threshold for ‘premium car’ road tax/VED to help monthly running costs
Design and models available
The first Renault designed entirely using the brand’s new styling language, you can consider this a hint of what its future models are going to look like. And with its combination of the tall crossover stance with the sloping, coupe-style roof and bold slashes cut into the bodywork it’s bang on trend. Signature features include a huge panoramic roof, which can turn from clear to opaque at the touch of a button if the sun is getting a bit too much. You can even customise it so different areas of the roof have their own lighting arrangement – for instance those in the back can keep a clear roof above them even if those in the front prefer the shade. The glass roof also means improved headroom, which is a consideration given the sloping, coupe-inspired roofline. The three-model line-up at launch starts with the £38,195 Techno, progressing through £42,195 Techno Esprit Alpine to £44,695 Iconic Esprit Alpine, all using the same 200 horsepower hybrid engine. Expect more models in due course.
Interior and tech
The so-called ‘OpenR’ digital cockpit design of a horizontal screen in front of the driver and a vertical one in the centre is carried over from the all-electric Megane we ran on long-term test and the equally impressive Austral that followed it , the Google operating system powering it designed to be as user friendly as possible and revised for the Rafale. There’s also a head-up display (or HUD) projecting information for the driver onto the windscreen, all with the aim of keeping the tech usable without taking eyes off the road. A total of 32 driver assistance systems offer additional support, and are grouped under driving, safety and parking according to their intended use.
Engines
Where the Megane and Scenic have gone full electric the Rafale sticks – for now – to Renault’s proven petrol-hybrid system, now shared with Dacia and using an innovative F1-inspired gearbox for those fired up by such things. For the rest of us it’s a simple system that doesn’t require any faffing around with cables or plugging in – you just put it into ‘D’ and go, the engine, motor and battery sorting themselves out to deliver the most efficient combination of propulsion. A 300 horsepower plug-in hybrid all-wheel drive version with a bigger motor driving the rear wheels will join the range later.
Price and release
Pricing and full specification details for the Rafale have now been confirmed, starting at £38,195 on the road for the entry-level model. First deliveries are due for July 2024.
What other cars from Renault are due this year?
It’s a big year for Renault, the Rafale soon to be joined by the Qashqai-rivalling Symbioz as part of a range-wide influx of new models. The one everyone’s waiting for is, meanwhile, the new Renault 5, this electric reboot of the iconic small hatchback already creating one heck of a buzz.
What other cars that are upcoming will this compete with?
The Rafale launches into a crowded space filled with talented rivals, and Renault hasn’t always performed well in this more premium sector. Or at least not outside of its home market in France. The hybrid option offers flexibility for those not ready to commit to fully electric alternatives like the updated Polestar 2, while in style and spirit the Rafale could potentially tempt buyers away from German rivals like the BMW X4.
