Renault Rafale review

Yet another Renault SUV. The company’s UK range will soon include six of the blighters, but none will be bigger or grander than this, the Rafale. It’s described as Renault’s new flagship, filling the shoes of cars like the Safrane, Avantime and Vel Satis – just three of the grandiose badges that’ve previously tried to inject a bit of luxury into the French firm. There was even a Laguna Coupe little over a decade ago, resembling a middle-of-Lidl Aston DB9.

It doesn’t take an ardent automotive historian to identify they each missed their respective marks, however much of a cult modern classic the Avantime has slowly morphed into. It’s therefore little surprise the Rafale doesn’t attempt to niche-bust or mould-break in the least, instead tapping into the ever-lucrative SUV coupe market.

Where its underperforming forebears majored on insouciant V6 power, the Rafale makes do with merely half the cylinders, a 1.2-litre 3cyl turbo mated to a pair of electric motors to make it a so-called ‘full hybrid’ – aka one you can’t actually plug in. Though a range-topping PHEV will follow in due course, too.

What’ll this one do?

The powertrain is familiar from other Renaults, including the rather likeable Austral SUV. So you get 60mpg claims and 197bhp total output. It drives only the front wheels but the 1.6-tonne kerbweight is kept in check by 4Control – aka four-wheel steering.

Renault has been obsessed with it for years – it was premiered on that svelte Laguna, in fact – and here it’s got a sharper tune than the Austral and Espace with which the Rafale shares its platform. The suspension is uniquely tuned here, too, and there are wider tracks and tyres; this is the Renault SUV that’s more serious about driving.

Don’t I need a car like this to be comfy? Practical?

Well it’ll do that too, sharing the wheelbase of the Espace (which we no longer get in the UK and is effectively a seventh Renault SUV sold in Europe) but without trying to seat seven, meaning the rear passengers here have abundant space despite the swooping coupe roofline. Partially this has been achieved by a swish sunroof that has four levels of opacity at the touch of a button – electronic trickery replacing the need for a bulky blind. The boot floor is high, as per most hybrids, but luggage space is still fairly flexible, the seat backs split 40/20/40.

The trick here is to offer BMW X4 space for a mite under X2 money. And arguably nicer styling than both, even if the Rafale’s rear three-quarter angle is as curiously gawky and metalwork heavy as most SUV coupes and the front looks oddly reminiscent of the latest Peugeot 3008. No oddness at all, in fact – this is Renault’s first model fully designed by Gilles Vidal. His last job? Design boss at Peugeot, where he finished off the 3008 before hopping across Paris to work on this.

Both are handsome cars from the front, though, and there’s welcome intrigue here from a lavish grille that was designed with the assistance of artificial intelligence. Things are yet more lavish inside, with more than 24 inches of display and touchscreen and plush materials scattered generously around. And that sunroof really is something to behold.

So what does it cost?

Prices start at £38,195 and standard equipment is strong – 20in wheels, in-built Google, a host of driver aids (and an easy button press to extinguish them) – while the more lavish Alpine trims head towards the mid 40s but bring plenty with them to justify the outlay. Perhaps more pertinently, Renault has pulled off the same trick it managed with the less-luxe Arkana and carved out some tempting lease deals. Two-year terms and a big deposit could see you in a Rafale for under £300 a month.

More palatable deposits and a longer lease will take you towards £500 monthlies, but that’s still – as they always used to say – a lot of car for the money. Indeed, this is a Mercedes GLC Coupe or Audi Q5 Sportback rival in size with the price tag of a GLA or Q3. Renault is adamant that this time it has a credible rival for the Germans – that the Rafale doesn’t wish to step in the Safrane’s shoes, but walk in entirely different ones. Time to see if it’s a success…

There’s lots to like about the Rafale. Smart looks (from some angles), plush materials, an intuitive mix of buttons and screens, some novel interior highlights – and all with some genuinely competitive lease deals to soften any fears of the depreciation that stung its forebears.

It’s just crying out for a slightly clearer personality. It doesn’t drive as keenly as Renault would like us to believe, but nor does it potter along with the plushness big Frenchies always used to. Perhaps, given their success (or lack thereof), it’s intentional.

All told, it’s a decent enough SUV coupe at an appealing price, but it feels like it occupies a different universe to the cars that truly excite us about Renault – namely the upcoming 5 and Twingo urban EVs.