NEW RENAULT TALISMAN
The Talisman is here
and it wants to punch a VW Passat in the face and gnaw at the back of an Audi
A4 and other compact premium sedans.
During the reveal
speech, Renault-Nissan boss Carlos Ghosn talked about solidity and the feeling
of substantiality. He, along with design boss Laurens van den Acker, made it
clear that this car had a clear emphasis on actual and perceived quality.
They say they worked
really hard to screw the whole thing together with more precision and also make
occupants feel like they’re driving around in something premium. The word
premium was not used, but it’s clear that’s what they’re aiming for.
Other core principles
behind its creation are an emphasis on fuel efficiency, low emissions and,
believe it or not, driver enjoyment. Don’t take that last one literally,
though, as it will probably not be true – it’s hard to call a car fun to drive
these days since the standards, in any body style or size, are set extremely
high – do you see this beating a Mazda6 on a twisty road? No.
Scrolling nearly all
the way down through the official press release, not all that much space was
allocated to describing the engine range. Still, we are told they will all be
turbocharged, and if you’re familiar with Renault’s naming strategy, you’ll
know what TCe 150, Energy TCe 200, as well as DCi 110, 130 and 160 mean.
The DCi diesel units
are all derivatives of the new 1.6-liter unit, which in 160 PS guise sports a
twin-turbo setup (an actual one, not to be confused with a single twin-scroll
turbo).
Of the two petrol
engines, we know the TCe 200 is basically the same 1.6-liter unit found under
the bonnet of the Clio RS (as well as the new Espace MPV/crossover), but we
really have not found any information on the TC150. It may very well be the
same basic engine but with but in a lower state of tune.
As for gearboxes, the
two petrols will be exclusively available with Renault’s dual-clutch
seven-speed. The DCi 110 will get a manual six-speed as standard, as will the
130; the 160 will be exclusively available with a six-speed dual clutch also
optionally available for the two lower-powered diesels.
The car features what
is promised to be a feeling of quality-inducing interior, crash mitigation tech
and quite extensive means of personalization.
