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Renault Fluence -Ultimate Ride

After a divorce with Mahindra & the Logan sedan, Renault has decided to continue its Indian operations alone. Nissan (Renault owns a 44.3% stake in Nissan) has had a relatively good start with the Micra hatchback, and has also successfully positioned its Chennai factory for exports to Europe. Nissan's experience in setting a distribution network, and the learnings from the Mahindra alliance, will no doubt influence Renault's future strategies. Now, like Nissan, Renault is also establishing its own, independent dealer network. It's not going to be an easy task, as Renault lost 4 years of time since the Mahindra-Renault partnership launched the Logan in 2007. And the Logan has given it an image of cut-cost, outdated cars. This could be one of the reasons why Renault is starting its second innings in a "top down" manner, with a sedan costing over a million rupees, only to bring in the sub-10 lakh cars later.

The current generation Fluence was globally launched in 2009, and is based on the Renault - Nissan C Platform; this platform is also common to the Nissan X-Trail & Renault Megane hatchback. It is the first of 5 new cars that Renault intends to bring to our market in the coming 2 years. The Fluence arrives as a CKD from Turkey. However, Renault is quick to add that all future launches will be locally manufactured at the Chennai plant (shared with Nissan).

Renault is adopting a very curious approach to this segment, at least initially, where the diesel engine is only offered via a stripped down variant. From the engine & variant options, it's obvious that the Fluence is targeting the Toyota Corolla. The Corolla's success in India can be attributed to the car's VFM pricing, no-nonsense nature, practicality, petrol & diesel engines and, of course, the T badge up at the front. However, unlike the Altis which offers a multitude of variants, the Fluence will only be offered in a single variant for either engine. It's noteworthy to mention the Chevrolet Cruze' highly successful positioning strategy here. Chevy knew that competing against the Altis was a tall order. Hence, it equipped the Cruze with a blow 'em away powerful diesel, stunning looks and a full equipment list that included some segment first features. Result? The Cruze is the best selling diesel sedan in the 10+ lakh category.

  After the dated looking Renault Logan, the Fluence's curves bring some relief. The Fluence appears larger in pictures than it actually is in person. Dimension wise, the car has a wheel base of 2703 mm, 125 mm longer than the Skoda Laura and 103 mm more than the Corolla Altis. Renault is famous for making extreme designs, from the good looking Clio to the odd-ball Vel Satis or Avantime. With the Fluence however, they have kept their design principles simple. The looks are nothing to write home about; it's not a great looker, but not ugly either. The front is quirky with its large headlamps, tiny grill and the deep-dish style bonnet. Even the huge logo is embossed deep inside the bodywork. The rear end is typically European, with long wrap-around tail lamps and a large license plate area on the trunk lid. Like most modern cars, the side profile gets a progressively climbing waistline and thick body cladding on the doors. The petrol Fluence gets chrome treatment on the front grill, fog lamps and rear number plate (no chrome on the diesel!). Surprisingly for a CKD, there were inconsistent panel gaps at certain places. You will remember similar comments in GTO's Micra review (link (Nissan Micra : Test Drive & Review)). Obviously, the Chennai factory needs to be brought up to speed in this area. Gaps aside, the Fluence feels solid & sturdy enough, and should easily withstand the kind of abuse meted out by Indian roads. Paint quality was overall top notch.
       

Re: Renault Fluence : Test Drive & Review

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The Black Fluence pictured here is the diesel, while the Champagne Beige is the petrol.





Take II, Renault.

After a divorce with Mahindra & the Logan sedan, Renault has decided to continue its Indian operations alone. Nissan (Renault owns a 44.3% stake in Nissan) has had a relatively good start with the Micra hatchback, and has also successfully positioned its Chennai factory for exports to Europe. Nissan's experience in setting a distribution network, and the learnings from the Mahindra alliance, will no doubt influence Renault's future strategies. Now, like Nissan, Renault is also establishing its own, independent dealer network. It's not going to be an easy task, as Renault lost 4 years of time since the Mahindra-Renault partnership launched the Logan in 2007. And the Logan has given it an image of cut-cost, outdated cars. This could be one of the reasons why Renault is starting its second innings in a "top down" manner, with a sedan costing over a million rupees, only to bring in the sub-10 lakh cars later.

The current generation Fluence was globally launched in 2009, and is based on the Renault - Nissan C Platform; this platform is also common to the Nissan X-Trail & Renault Megane hatchback. It is the first of 5 new cars that Renault intends to bring to our market in the coming 2 years. The Fluence arrives as a CKD from Turkey. However, Renault is quick to add that all future launches will be locally manufactured at the Chennai plant (shared with Nissan).

Renault is adopting a very curious approach to this segment, at least initially, where the diesel engine is only offered via a stripped down variant. From the engine & variant options, it's obvious that the Fluence is targeting the Toyota Corolla. The Corolla's success in India can be attributed to the car's VFM pricing, no-nonsense nature, practicality, petrol & diesel engines and, of course, the T badge up at the front. However, unlike the Altis which offers a multitude of variants, the Fluence will only be offered in a single variant for either engine. It's noteworthy to mention the Chevrolet Cruze' highly successful positioning strategy here. Chevy knew that competing against the Altis was a tall order. Hence, it equipped the Cruze with a blow 'em away powerful diesel, stunning looks and a full equipment list that included some segment first features. Result? The Cruze is the best selling diesel sedan in the 10+ lakh category.

After the dated looking Renault Logan, the Fluence's curves bring some relief. The Fluence appears larger in pictures than it actually is in person. Dimension wise, the car has a wheel base of 2703 mm, 125 mm longer than the Skoda Laura and 103 mm more than the Corolla Altis. Renault is famous for making extreme designs, from the good looking Clio to the odd-ball Vel Satis or Avantime. With the Fluence however, they have kept their design principles simple. The looks are nothing to write home about; it's not a great looker, but not ugly either. The front is quirky with its large headlamps, tiny grill and the deep-dish style bonnet. Even the huge logo is embossed deep inside the bodywork. The rear end is typically European, with long wrap-around tail lamps and a large license plate area on the trunk lid. Like most modern cars, the side profile gets a progressively climbing waistline and thick body cladding on the doors. The petrol Fluence gets chrome treatment on the front grill, fog lamps and rear number plate (no chrome on the diesel!). Surprisingly for a CKD, there were inconsistent panel gaps at certain places. You will remember similar comments in GTO's Micra review (link (Nissan Micra : Test Drive & Review)). Obviously, the Chennai factory needs to be brought up to speed in this area. Gaps aside, the Fluence feels solid & sturdy enough, and should easily withstand the kind of abuse meted out by Indian roads. Paint quality was overall top notch.





The petrol Fluence I drove was equipped with ESP (electronic stability program), ABS + EBD brakes, ASR (traction control), 4 Airbags (2 front and 2 side), leather seats, CD / MP3 audio system with USB / AUX / Bluetooth compatibility, dual zone climate control, rear air-con vents, rear & side sun blinds, cruise control, rear parking aid system, automatic head-lamp on feature, rain sensing wipers and an engine start / stop button. The bare minimum diesel, on the other hand, loses the side airbags, chrome accents, leather seats, climate control, rear air-con vents, auto headlamps & wipers, rear parking aid, cruise control, sun blinds and even proper stereo AUX inputs! Cars costing over 10 lakh rupees must have a feel-good factor, which the diesel Fluence is sorely missing.

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Mercedz R-Class GZ Ride

Price OTR Mumbai: Rs. 66,51,670/-
Mercedes-Benz launched the R-Class in India in October last year. The R-Class is the first full size luxury MPV in the country and made its global debut in 2006. Based on the Vision GST (Grand Sports Tourer) concept, the R-Class is built on the W251 chassis, and is positioned between the M-Class and the GL-Class. It was initially marketed by Mercedes-Benz as a Sports Cruiser and later as a Family Tourer, we find out exactly what it is in this review of the 2011 R-Class.

Exteriors – At the front end,  the bonnet, wings, radiator grille, headlamps and bumper have been completely redesigned from the previous generation. In conjunction with bi-xenon headlamps, a chrome insert enhances the integrated LED daytime driving lights. The bonnet has marked contours, and is more arrow-shaped at the front edge. The wider, higher radiator grille is more steeply angled, while the bumper cladding is more striking, with clear-cut lines. The side recesses in the bumper, where the fog lamps and daytime driving lights are located, are spaced well apart and give the front section an impression of width.

The R-Class has been positioned as the royal class of family cars and the space justifies the tagline. There is more than ample amount of legroom in the second row, almost equal to that of a luxury car. Get into the third row and you will surprised that tall people can get in there too and not feel uncomfortable. Every passenger has got AC vents around him and lots of cup holders too. The seats are very comfortable with excellent support. The second row of seats have an LCD each behind the front seats, which can play DVD and USB.The dials and needles have a white background and are easy to read. The display on the instrument cluster tells you a host of details including time, tyre pressure, audio details and various other tidbits when the car is performing any action (i.e. lowering or getting raised). The Harman Kardon Logic 7 surround sound system is one of the best sounding system we have come across.

Should you need to carry alot of luggage, the last row of seats fold. The tail gate has a button which when pressed closes the boot automatically. No need to manual exert pressure on the lid. It even has a sensor, which stops the boot from closing should something come in between. 

Ride, Handling and Braking – A family carrier has to ride well and the R-Class does that with excellence. The ride can be adjusted to comfort or sport through a button on the center console. The low ground clearance can be an issue on rough roads, but you can increase the height of the nose by 2 inches via a button. Once the car crosses a certain speed, it again lowers the car automaticallyThe R350 is not light by any means but when turned to sports setting it handles quite sharply for an MPV of this size. The car has various systems to ensure it goes where you point it, including an ESP system with trailer stabilization. What it essentially does is, it ensures the driver does not loose control even when he is towing a trailer by activating brakes and controlling the back and forth movement of the trailer. Not that we would be using this feature in India much. Brakes have a good amount of play but are very sharp and halt this two tonne monster in quick time.

The R350 is not light by any means but when turned to sports setting it handles quite sharply for an MPV of this size. The car has various systems to ensure it goes where you point it, including an ESP system with trailer stabilization. What it essentially does is, it ensures the driver does not loose control even when he is towing a trailer by activating brakes and controlling the back and forth movement of the trailer. Not that we would be using this feature in India much. Brakes have a good amount of play but are very sharp and halt this two tonne monster in quick time.



Performance – The R-Class is powered by a 3498cc V6 petrol engine, which produces 272 bhp of power at 6000 RPM and 350 NM of torque between 2400 – 5000 RPM. While all this may sound good enough for a sports saloon, it is just about adequate for a vehicle tipping the scales at 2.2 tonnes. At lower revvs, the R350 feels underpowered and there is not much torque for city driving. When you floor the car, response is not that quick either and the 7G-Tronic box shifts into the next gear at just 5000 RPM. Activate the manual mode via the paddles on the steering wheel and everything changes. The R-Class all of a sudden senses urgency, it gains revvs very quickly and reaches 6800 RPM in no time. The sound at high revvs from this motor is absolute  nirvana and in manual mode the gasoline motor in the R feels all of a sudden more than capable for the jobHowever, a petrol powertrain for a family MPV seems quite ridiculous. We say so because the R-Class delivers a mileage of 5-6 kmpl in auto mode, which comes down to 4-5 kmpl when you start using the paddles. We don’t blame the engine at all, it is a fantastic unit. But it is not suited to a car weighing in excess of 2200 kgs. The R-Class also features 4Matic, which is Mercedes way of saying 4-wheel drive. This makes the car have average off-roading abilities. We say average, because even when the nose is raised, the R-Class cannot go on slushy terrain.  

   Conclusion – The Mercedes-Benz R-Class is a fantastic MPV. It has loads of space, excellent features, lot of safety equipment and one of the few cars in the market with ample amount of space for both passengers and luggage. However the company could have opted for a diesel engine considering the R-Class is a CBU. With petrol prices rising, a petrol powered R-Class does not make much sense but for those who can afford to run on gasoline, there are very few things which you can find at fault with this luxurious people carrier.



Mercedes-Benz R-Class Specifications : -
* Engine: 3498cc, V6
* Power: 272bhp @ 6000rpm
* Torque: 350Nm @ 2400~5000rpm
* Transmission: 7 G-Tronic
* Drive Type: All Wheel Drive
* Top Speed: 230kmph
* 0-100kmph: 8.3 seconds
* Fuel Consumption: 05-06 kmpl (City), 06-07 kmpl (highway)
* Fuel Type: Petrol
* Suspension: DIRECT CONTROL suspension with selective damping syste
* Tires: 255/55/18 Tubeless Radials
* Brakes: Mechanical-hydraulic, dual circuit with ABS
* Safety: ABS, ESP, Dual SRS front airbags, Side airbags, Immobilizer, Seat belt warning , Adaptive high beam assist, Parking guidance system, Drowsiness detection system, LED daytime running lights
Mercedes-Benz R-Class Dimensions : -
* Overall length x width x height: 5157 mm X 1922mm X 1674mm
* Wheelbase:: 3215mm
* Front/Rear Track: 1661/1651 mm
* Turning Radius – 6.3m
* Ground clearance: 160mm
* Boot Volume: 633 liters (with third row folded)
* Fuel Tank Capacity: 80 litres (13 reserve)
* Kerb Weight: 2230 kgs
* Co-efficient of drag: 0.32