KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 7 — The medium-sized sedan car segment is one segment that is quite hotly contested; this is the size of car that one upgrades to, from the compact-sized Honda City, Toyota Vios, and the Nissan Almera, the three top players.
These three brands also have their own models that are waiting, namely the Honda Civic, the Toyota Altis, and the Nissan Sylphy.
All have their good points, including good performance, good resale value, and excellent service networks. Alongside the main competition, there are the other brands — the Mazda 3, for instance, is newly-launched, and is available with SkyActiv technology and a great shape, and to add to the confusion of the prospective buyer, there is the Proton Preve and Suprima S, both of which offer great passenger space, in addition to very down-to-earth prices.
Add Peugeot, Citroen, Naza Kia, Hyundai, Volkswagen and Mitsubishi to the already long list, and one can see the quandary the buyer faces.
Most people would go the way everybody else goes — buy something that the neighbour has, stick to the known “devil” rather than chance it with the unknown. It is, in a way, “mob mentality” for want of a better phrase.
The Renault Fluence, launched about a month ago, faces plenty of challenges, and we atthemalaymailonline.com took a test car from TC Euro Cars, the local distributors to check it out.
The people at TC Euro Cars have no illusions about the big challenge to successfully market the Fluence. This is their first volume-production locally-assembled mainstream vehicle after the Kangoo (which was a cute little MPV cum window van) and represents Renault’s first serious comeback into Malaysia.
Knowing that they face an uphill task, Reza Mutalib, General Manager, and Kuan Kim Loon, Executive Director of TC Euro Cars, negotiated for a competitive price and the reward to the buyer is a retail price of just RM115,000 (price on-the-road, without insurance).
Notwithstanding the low price, the Fluence is not a “cheap” car — in fact, it comes as a very comprehensive package, which includes a 5-year manufacturer’s warranty with unlimited mileage.
A manufacturer’s warranty is not to be confused with warranty that is purchased through an insurance company. Also included in the package is two years’ free maintenance (or 40,000 km) with parts and labour. All parts replaced also carry a one-year unlimited mileage warranty.
Besides these offers, TC Euro Cars also offers complimentary pick-up service, and if your Fluence needs to spend more than 48 hours in the workshop, TC Euro Cars will provide a mobility solution right away.
The Fluence is designed by Renault, but since Renault also owns Nissan, there is some component sharing — one of the most obvious is the CVT (Constantly Variable Transmission), and the 2.0 litre engine sounds quite familiar.
I would have thought it quite logical to even share the base platform — the Nissan Sylphy has a wheelbase of 2,700mm, and Reza tells me it is a completely different platform that the Fluence has — the Fluence has a 2,702mm wheelbase. Overall length is 4,618mm, with an overall width of 1,813mm, while overall height is 1,485mm. These measurements fall within the range of the Fluence’s competitors.
The 2.0 litre engine of the Fluence has a bore and stroke of 84mm x 90.1mm respectively, very familiar numbers if you care to check out the Nissan Sylphy 2.0, but the power is boosted to 143 horsepower @ 6,000rpm, with maximum torque of 195Nm at 3,700 rpm.
This is a tweaked engine for better power and efficiency. Fuel consumption is mooted at 6.1 litres per 100 kilometres in extra-urban conditions, while combined fuel consumption is 7.7 litres per 100 kilometres. Top speed is claimed at 195 km/h, while zero to 100 km/h acceleration is claimed at 10.1 seconds.
Drive is to the front wheels through the CVT, which has 6 virtual ratios – top gearing provides approximately 48 km/h per 1000 rpm, which I suppose is to provide more get-up-and go for the European market – and there is a “manual” shift available by pushing the gear lever to the left.
Actual real-world fuel consumption is in the region of 9.5 to 10 litres per 100 kilometres with air-conditioner on, or roughly 30 per cent more than the test figures as claimed (proving yet again that +30 per cent or so is what you actually get from claimed figures).
Suspension is MacPherson struts at the front, and a torsion beam at the rear, very similar to that found in the Nissan Sylphy, and yes, there are disc brakes all round. Wheels are 17-inch alloys with 205/55 R17 radials.
On the road, the Fluence rides well, and the 55 series tyres help to iron out the little bumps. Performance is in keeping with its 2.0 litre competitors, although it does lose out just a little on the outright horsepower.
Still, it is enough, considering that this is a mainstream car, and the people who are likely to buy it are not really performance-oriented. For those who want really good power delivery, there is the Clio RS and the Megane RS.
Handling is quite acceptable, considering that this car is a balance between road comfort and outright handling. There is some body roll, but driven at decent speeds, the Fluence is quite stable.
Whilst on the subject of handling, the Fluence comes with a very comprehensive electronic aids package — Electronic Stability Program (ESP) with Anti-Skid Regulation (ASR), ABS and EBA (Emergency Brake Assist) are standard equipment, which is a surprise considering the retail price.
In terms of passive safety, six airbags are available, as are projection-type automatic headlamps, and a rain sensor. ISOFIX child seat anchors are found in the rear seats. For reversing, there is a rear-view camera, viewed through a large screen that also serves for audio and navigation systems.
The complete package that is offered by Renault goes beyond what we have highlighted here, including keyless entry and keyless go, leather seats, tilt and reach adjustability for the steering,”follow me home” lights, USB and phone connectivity — it is a package that spells true value for money.
