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• Picture Tour: Renault Fluence in SA       

ROAD TEST - RENAULT FLUENCE 2.0 PRIVILEGE:

Cars for Joe or Jane Average aren’t designed to be exciting. They need to be practical, spacious, light on fuel, have seats that are easy to clean when junior applies chocolate handprints to them, and have useable commuting pace.

Insert the new Renault Fluence into this serene suburban middle-class picture, complete with Jane the soccer mom behind the wheel, three juniors belted up in the passenger seats, and a pram stashed in the large boot (or if it’s a weekend, dad’s golf clubs).

The French carmaker’s new Fluence sedan, the booted alternative to the Megane hatchback, arrived in South Africa a couple of months ago in petrol 1.6- and 2.0-litre guises. In a market already bursting with choice, it gave buyers another alternative to add to a list which already includes cars like the Corolla, Cruze, Cerato, Jetta, Tiida, Focus, Mazda3 and Lancer among others.

At R244 900 the top-of-the-range Fluence 2-litre Privilege tested here covers all the bases, except perhaps its fuel consumption which at 9.5 litres per 100km is a little heavier than we expected.

There’s little excitement to be had from the 2-litre petrol engine with its 105kW and 195Nm outputs, but neither does it ever feel gutless or force you into the slow lane when driving uphill.

It has acceptable commuting and cruising pace, and the slick-shifting six-speed manual transmission is a delight to use. The engine gets on with the job in a soft-spoken way with good refinement and it’s a very quiet car in general, with minimal road and wind noise.

The ride quality’s also notably smooth, and this is one of the least jarring cars I’ve driven on the ubiquitous speedhumps littering our roads. This hypnotically comfy suspension doesn’t make the Fluence disturbingly squishy around corners either, and Renault’s engineers have hit on a decent ride-and-handling compromise.

The driving dynamics are all about comfort and good balance. The very light steering will delight soccer moms but won’t find favour with driving enthusiasts who prefer their steering with a bit more resistance and feedback.

ABS brakes provide the necessary safety when Jane brakes a little late after being distracted by noisy children in the back seat, and stability control also comes standard in the 2-litre Fluence. There are no less than six airbags in all versions of the Fluence.

Exterior styling is that of a generic sedan, with your standard aerodynamically inoffensive look. Perhaps not as plain-Jane as a Corolla, but I was expecting perhaps a little more design va-va-voom from a carmaker such as Renault. There’s an optional sports body kit available if you wish to spice up your ride, however.

Cabin space is reasonable, although there’s hard plastic on the back of the front seats for passengers’ knees to knock against. Boot space is pretty roomy at 344 litres, expanding to 1024 litres with the seats folded.

Interior styling is as neat and plain as the exterior, and is quite plastic-intensive which doesn’t necessarily create a warm ambience but makes chocolate handprints easier to clean.

The seats themselves are leather-covered but the front seat cushions are quite narrow with hard side bolsters, which won’t be very comfy to soccer moms who buy their clothes at Donna-Claire.

Carminat TomTom satnav is one of the highlights of the gadget list; I enjoyed the big screen and its easy-to-use remote controller, which comes with its own dedicated slot between the front seats.

The 2.0 Privilege also comes standard with headlights and windscreen wipers that switch on by themselves when needed, a rear parking aid to help Jane with her parallel parking, and Renault’s premium 3D Sound by Arkamys audio system with eight speakers and surround sound.

The integrated sound system has convenient controls at finger’s reach behind the steering and there’s also Bluetooth as well as a slot for your MP3 player.

A hands-free keycard is part of the standard spec and the theory is you can leave the credit card-shaped key in your pocket or purse and lock and unlock the car simply by touching the doorhandles. Great when it works but, as with every other Renault we’ve tested with this feature, sometimes it mysteriously malfunctions and you have to fish out the key and press the button.

VERDICT:

Renault’s new middle-class suburban sedan covers most of the bases without much fanfare, except perhaps for its above-average ride comfort.

It’s also worth a look for its five year/100 000 km service plan and five year/150 000 km warranty with roadside assistance. -Drive Times