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.
Re: Renault Fluence : Test Drive & Review 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 And the Logan has given it an image of cut-cost, outdated cars.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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