Renault Arkana is a front- or all-wheel drive coupe-like C + class SUV, combining emotional design, practical and roomy interior and modern technical solutions ... in turn, energetic and ambitious city dwellers who strive to get "real driving pleasure" (according to the automaker itself) and who want to change to a "universal vehicle", but are not ready to change the sedan for a full-fledged crossover ...
For the first time, Renault Arkana was presented to the general public at the end of August 2018 at the Moscow International Motor Show, but then only in a conceptual guise, and the coupe-like SUV really became one of the main adornments of the auto show, which was scarce for new items.
Then there was some lull, and only on April 10, 2019, the French shared technical details and other interesting moments about the car ... Well, the full-fledged premiere of a fully serial coupe-crossover took place on May 23 at a special event organized by the Russian division of Renault in Moscow's Zaryadye park , where the five-door appeared before the public in all its glory.
Externally, "Arkana" can boast of an attractive, emotional and memorable image - the car will definitely not go unnoticed in the city traffic.
The front of the five-door flaunts spectacular optics with LED brackets for running lights, the lower part creeping onto the bumper, and a stylish radiator grill with a large "diamond" in the center, and from the rear it shows graceful lights with narrow stripes tending towards each other and a massive bumper.
But the most classy SUV looks in profile, and all thanks to the swift coupe-like silhouette with a dropping roof, turning into a large lifting fifth door, and a "tail" of the trunk a la sedan. The long sloping bonnet, expressive “splashes” on the sidewalls, and large flourishes of the wheel arches also contribute to the construction of a balanced look.
In terms of its dimensions, Renault Arkana is a C-class crossover (according to European standards): the length of the car is 4545 mm, of which the center distance extends by 2721 mm, its height reaches 1565 mm, and the width fits into 1820 mm (taking into account the exterior mirrors - in 2047 mm). The ground clearance of the front-wheel drive versions of the five-door is 208 mm, while the all-wheel drive version is 205 mm.
In the "stowed" state, the weight of the car varies from 1378 to 1571 kg, depending on the modification.
Inside "Arcana" it looks less emotional than outside, but rather pragmatic, but attractive, modern and mature. The driver's workplace is crowned with a beautiful three-spoke multi-steering wheel with a slightly flattened lower part and developed tides in the area of the correct grip and a laconic, but extremely understandable "toolbox" with two arrow jackals and an onboard computer display between them. The center console attracts the eye with an 8-inch "tablet" of the multimedia center with "aluminum" edging, under which the keys responsible for secondary functions are "registered", and three stylish "washers" of the climate system with integrated displays. It should be noted that in the basic versions everything is much simpler.
With ergonomics, the coupe-crossover has no obvious mistakes as such, but almost all trim materials in the cabin are budget-friendly (hard plastics, metal-look inserts, etc.).
The decoration of the compact SUV is designed to carry five people, and all riders, without exception, will be provided with a normal supply of free space (unless, of course, they are two-meter basketball players). In the front seats, there are seats with widely spaced, unobtrusive lateral support bolsters, soft padding and wide adjustment ranges. On the second row there is a comfortable sofa with a folding armrest (albeit without cup holders) and heating.
The trunk of Renault Arkana boasts an ideal shape, but its volume depends on the modification: in front-wheel drive cars with a five-seater layout, the "hold" is able to accommodate 508 liters of luggage, and in all-wheel drive cars - only 409 liters. The rear sofa folds down in the ratio "60:40", forming an impressive step, as a result of which the compartment capacity increases to 1333 and 1234 liters, respectively. In the underground niche - a full-fledged spare wheel and a set of tools.
On the Russian market for "Arkana" two gasoline engines are announced to choose from:
- The basic versions are based on a 1.6-liter "aspirated" with an aluminum block and cylinder head, a distributed "power" system, dual phase shifters and a 16-valve timing belt, generating 114 horsepower at 5500 rpm and 156 Nm of torque at 4000 rpm.
- Top-end versions are equipped with a 1.3-liter inline-four TCe with an aluminum block and cylinder head, a turbocharger, direct injection with high fuel pressure, a 16-valve timing chain with a chain drive, a partially integrated exhaust manifold, double variable valve timing and an oil pump with variable displacement, the potential of which is 150 hp. at 5500 rpm and 250 Nm of peak thrust at 1620-4000 rpm.
The "younger" unit is mated with a 5-speed "mechanics" or "old" Jatco JF015E variator and front-wheel drive transmission, or with a 6-speed manual gearbox and four drive wheels. The "senior" motor works jointly with an eighth generation Jatco V-belt variator capable of simulating seven gear changes, but the drive here can also be both front and full, built on the basis of a multi-plate clutch for connecting the rear wheels.
The Renault Arkana all-wheel drive transmission is implemented according to the scheme familiar from other crossovers of the brand, and is capable of operating in three modes:
- 2WD - torque is supplied exclusively to the front wheels;
- 4WD - traction is automatically distributed between the axles depending on driving conditions;
- 4WD Lock - forced locking of the clutch for driving at speeds up to 80 km / h in off-road conditions, the potential in this case is divided between the front and rear wheels in equal shares.
With a top-end engine under the hood, the coupe-like crossover accelerates from 0 to 100 km / h after 10.2-10.5 seconds, gains a maximum of 191 km / h, and in the combined cycle it “eats” from 7.1 to 7.2 liters of fuel for every “hundred” of run. As for the basic aggregate, there are no such data for it yet.
Renault Arkana is based on a modular SUV platform called "B0 +" - here 55% of new components compared to the produced crossovers on the "B0" architecture. The five-door has a monocoque body, the power structure of which consists of 35% high-strength and ultra-high-strength steel grades.
On the front axle of the coupe-like off-road vehicle, an independent MacPherson-type suspension with an anti-roll bar is used, but the structure of the rear "walker" depends on the modification: on the front-wheel drive - a semi-independent torsion bar, and on the all-wheel drive - an independent multi-link.
The car is equipped with a rack-and-pinion steering gear with an integrated variable power steering. The front wheels of the SUV are equipped with ventilated disc brakes with 280 mm "pancakes", and on the rear - simpler "drums" measuring 230 mm.
On the Russian market, Renault Arkana is offered in four trim levels to choose from - Life, Drive, Style and Edition One.
A car in the basic version with a 1.6-liter engine and 5MKPP will cost from 999,000 rubles, while for the variant with a variator you will have to pay from 1,049,990 rubles.
By default, the five-door has: four airbags, 17-inch steel wheels, air conditioning, ABS, ESP, LED headlights, heated and electric mirrors, four power windows, a four-speaker audio system, ERA-GLONASS technology and some other equipment.
For a crossover in the "Drive" configuration they ask for from 1,089,990 rubles, it is the same, but with an all-wheel drive transmission it costs at least 1,169,990 rubles, and with a 1.3-liter unit, a variator and an all-wheel drive - 1,229,990 rubles, while for the "top-end" modification will need to fork out in the amount of 1,419,990 rubles.
The most "packed" SUV boasts: six airbags, keyless entry and engine start, one-zone "climate", light and rain sensors, 17-inch alloy wheels, heated steering wheel, windshield and all seats, rear parking sensors, "leather" trim interior, a media center with a touchscreen, "cruise", all-round cameras, blind spot monitoring, fog lights and a Bose audio system with eight speakers and a subwoofer.
