Jerome often bashes the French for being a bit boring. He’s
not very wrong when it comes to driving Renaults. This is about the Renault
Fluence test drive and lest you are overwhelmed with the gloomy start, let me
assure you that though the Fluence is plain-Jane, it is indeed a brilliant
overall package.
Lets look at the good things first. This is Renault’s first
vehicle for the Indian market (let’s forget the Renault-Dacia-Mahindra Logan)
and the company’s enthusiasm is apparent. The dealers are motivated and you do
get to see the Fluence on a couple of billboards.
The car looks smart and simple. It can put up a show better
than the Skoda Laura and the Jetta, but that’s about it. The profile is smooth
and nothing outrageous so to say. The curves are just right, the prominent
headlamps surrounding the small linear grille with the huge Renault logo make
quite a sight.
It is difficult to distinguish between the petrol and diesel
from the outside but once you step in the cabin, there is a huge difference.
The Petrol offers interiors which is leagues beyond the diesel. The diesel does
not get the display, the beige interiors and the snazzy dash. Don’t get me
worng, the quality is top notch. Once you touch that dashboard plastic, you
would be confused as to whether to classify it as leather or plastic. The soft compound
is something I’ve never seen before. But at a cursory look, it seems that it is
similar to a car that comes for 1/5th the price. The music system is
quite ordinary and the steering mounted controls are difficult to access. The
steering system is European with controls on the wrong side stating that this
is just makeshift engineering from a left hand drive vehicle. The cabin noise
is negligible and the clatter of the oil burner can be sensed only at lower
RPMs. The seats are very comfortable but again I’m not sure if its leather I’m
looking at. When I expressed my reservations about the interiors, the sales
executive suggested a Rs. 80,000 upgrade to ape the petrol’s interiors sans the
display.
The car is quite a decent performer though the engine
generates only 106bhp. The word only
is necessisated in this case due to the competition from the Chevy’s 140bhp
diesel rocket called Cruze and the Laura. The motor is mated to a 6-speed
transmission which is a pleasure to operate. The turbo kicks in a little beyond
2000 rpm and is a bit gradual. (Some turbos give me jitters as they seem to
multiply power beyond 2500 rpm). I thought out aloud: “This ought to difficult
in the city, shifting gears and waiting for the turbo to kick in.” The sales
execute immediately responded: “But that’s your chauffeur’s problem isn’t it
sir?” Well err… he does have a point. But aren’t there any individuals who
still love driving when they move up in life?
However, once the turbo kicks in the drive is pleasurable if
not spine breaking. The braking is a bit sudden as you take time to get used to
the vehicle avionics (EBP, ESP and ABS are standard). The steering is firm and
you get ample feedback. I loved the overall feel of the car. Lighter products
like the Civic maybe powerful and luxurious but do not like being thrown around
corners the way the Fluence does. You do not cringe in the Renault when you corner it hard or take off a speed
breaker. There are not many that inspire you to drive this way. The doors close
with a reassuring thud and the metal is top notch. Renault offers a 5 year
warranty on the finish.
Bad:
Renault, please give us better interiors. Not to forget, we
love delving upon the variants and accessories. Choosing from LXi, Vxi,
Emotion, Tum-tum or yoyo models gives us a high which cannot be explained.
Perhaps we take it as an extension of bargaining. So Renault, if you are
serious about us, please offer us more configurations. Ever heard of that
company called Maruti? If offers Swift Vxi, Swift LXi, Swift Automatic, Swift
LDi, Swift VDi and maybe even a Swift Eco-Green (CNG) soon..
As much as we Indians love high mileage diesels, we cannot
do without pomp and show. My friend rightfully pointed out: If I were to shell out that kind of money, I’d like to be surrounded
by something more graceful.
