MOTORING REVIEW: Renault’s Arkana gets makeover for 2024

RENAULT'S Arkana crossover/SUV has been given a minor makeover for 2024. Just some subtle upgrades to keep the car fresh and a viable alternative to competitors such as the Toyota C-HR, Peugeot’s 408 and the Cupra Formentor among others vying for market share in the hotly contested C-segment.

The Arkana is the brand’s first coupe SUV and available as a hybrid from launch in 2021. While a compact practical family car, it will also appeal to style-conscious buyers with its sporty styling including the coupe-like sloping roof.

Some 356 have already found owners this year compared to 469 for the whole of 2023. The brand’s Austral follows with 175 and Clio with 146 registrations this year so far.

In size, the car sits above its sibling Captur in the Renault range. My test car was the top-of-the-range Esprit Alpine E-Tech Full Hybrid 145. Other trims are evolution and techno.

My car looked very attractive in its Universal White exterior colour with contrasting dark privacy glass. Six other colours are available for owners to customise their own cars.

The styling shows off a streamlined silhouette, raised ground clearance - a hint to the SUV look - restyled grille that incorporates the new Renault emblem and bespoke Esprit Alpine F1 blade on the front bumper which added to the car’s sporty look.

The Arcana name is displayed in glossy black lettering across the rear while the wide spoiler and black twin exhausts emphasise the car’s strong character as do the special Alpine 19-inch wheels.These exhausts are fake, only there for visual effect! The colourful esprit Alpine badge is displayed on the front wings.

Step inside and the interior seems very spacious thanks to the car’s 2720mm long wheelbase. The cabin has a really pleasant and stylish look with very good fit and finish including a lovely slate finish on the dash and door panels.

Those seated in the full-sized three rear seats enjoy the same good headroom as the front seat passengers, despite the slope of the roof, and also get good knee room. However, there is the transmission tunnel for the middle seat passenger to have to contend with.

Special artificial leather and suede upholstery on the Esprit Alpine version is enhanced with blue stitching with the special logo - a sign of exclusiveness - embellished on front seats that bolster you in well, meaning you travel in comfort. They can also be heated. The driver’s has lumbar support. Not to be outdone, the perforated leather-wrapped steering wheel gets its own Alpine treatment with red, white and blue stitching and can be heated too on cold days.

A high driving position provides easy access as well as good visibility. The dash is dominated by a 9.3-inch portrait type touchscreen with easy access to navigation and smartphone replication with Apple CarPlay/Android Auto while all your essential driving information is displayed on the big 10-inch configurable digital instrument graphics. There are big knobs for climate control functions, some USB ports and a wireless phone charger to help keep occupants connected.

The height-adjustable boot floor provides up to 480 litres of boot space expandable to 1,263 litres with rear seats folded down allowing a completely flat floor. The hybrid battery pack is located below the boot floor.

All versions of the hybrid are powered by a 1.6 petrol engine with a 1.2 kWh lithium-ion battery and two electric motors offering a combined output of 145bhp, matched to an automatic transmission. Road tax is €180 and fuel economy a claimed 4.8 L/100km (that’s almost 60mpg) which is a real bonus. I’m afraid, though, I got nowhere close to that figure during my time with the car. Renault claim this E-Tech hybrid version to be 25pc more efficient than a traditional ICE SUV.

You can drive on pure electric power for up to 80pc of city driving which will cut fuel consumption by up to 40pc compared to an ordinary petrol engine. It means this version makes great sense for those who do mostly urban driving but with up to 1,000km of range available, I was very, very happy during my lengthy time with the car.

Three driving modes are offered. There’s oodles of acceleration for overtaking or merging on to the motorway and the car’s 0-100km/h time is an acceptable 10.8 seconds for a family car. I found the steering nice and direct. Some road noise filtered through, mainly on tar and chips road surfaces.

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This E-Tech full hybrid offers up to 18 advanced driver-assistance systems including active driver assist; rear cross parking alert when reversing, dipped headlight activation, front and rear parking sensors, a rear view camera, and good blind spot warning which all contributed to Arkana achieving a maximum five star safety rating from experts Euro NCAP.

Renault provides new vehicles with a 5-year or 150,000km warranty and 5 years roadside assistance.

Prices start from €32,590 for the evolution TCe 140 Auto. My car was priced from €41,515.