It is without any modesty that Renault has chosen to call its new SUV coupe Rafale. A reference in aeronautics and national pride, the Rafale is an omnirole fighter designed to dominate the skies where it is deployed. The relationship with a diamond-shaped car is difficult to perceive, but connoisseurs will remember the Caudron-Renault Rafale, the benchmark single-seater aircraft of its time, with speed records established in 1934. Unsurprisingly, the Renault Rafale took its place in top of the manufacturer’s range, and aims to make it a benchmark in the field of premium cars.
Like an austral air
The most observant will not have failed to notice that, like the latest Espace VI, this newcomer uses the CMF-CD platform inducted with the Renault Austral SUV launched at the end of 2022. To caricature, one could describe the Espace like an extended Austral, and this Rafale like an Austral coupé, which would however amount to minimizing the work of the engineers and designers at Renault.
Gossips will not fail to assimilate this Rafale to a simple restyling of the Arkana, another Renault SUV with a “fastback” type body, but it is not so. Indeed, this new kid wants to be much more upscale than the Arkana, as evidenced by its state-of-the-art equipment. The glazed roof called SolarBay is electronically clouded, a technology usually reserved for premium brands (Porsche Taycan or BMW iX). It is thus possible to adjust it to four positions: opaque, transparent, opaque at the back and transparent at the front, and vice versa.
To reinforce its unique positioning in the Renault range, the Rafale is adorned with exclusive seats covered in 61% recycled Alcantara. He thus comes to walk on the flowerbeds of the only other manufacturer to offer such an extravagance: Ferrari and its Purosangue. The cockpit opts for an original proposal combining slate and cork supposed to offer a touch of French refinement.
300 horsepower and four-wheel drive
On the engine side, Renault relies on its E-Tech Hybrid group already present on several models of the brand. The latter uses a 1.2 liter three-cylinder petrol engine with a power of 130 horsepower coupled to two electric motors, bringing the power to 200 horsepower.
A new version should appear, adding a motor on the rear axle and increasing the cavalry to 300 horsepower, while giving the Rafale a four-wheel drive transmission. We will also find the 4Control system with four-wheel steering, which should offer exemplary handling and agility to this SUV. fast back equipped with tracks widened by 4 cm compared to the Austral.
The cockpit is also typical of the diamond brand, using the openR Link system: running Android, it displays driving information and infotainment on two L-shaped panels.
Rival and brother of the Peugeot 408
The pencil line is obviously reminiscent of the Peugeot 408 which plays in the same court. No surprise since the designer of Renault, Gilles Vidal, made a passage at the Lion by initiating the new visual signature of the Sochaux brand, before rallying to the banner of the diamond.
However, a few details could make the difference, like this grille made up of a multitude of diamonds whose appearance changes depending on the angle of view, or the “Rafale” logo placed on the back with its typography handwritten.
A matter of taste, the all-new Renault Rafale will surely find it difficult to distinguish itself from the 408, with its more aggressive lines and ultimately very similar signature. Let’s wait and see if this coupe SUV will be able to convince on the road with its superior power and four-wheel drive and steering, and if a possible 100% electric version could tip the balance in its favor.