It's been 21 years since the Laguna name joined the Renault family and with the latest generation on the market since 2007, it was time to evolve. The French brand has divorced from its past in the D segment, although some precious goods have been left along the way, and there is already a new marriage: the lucky one is called Renault Talisman.
I confess that I did not expect good weather in Italy. At dawn on Thursday, there was an orange alert for our destination and what I least wanted was to leave the sun that was shining in Portugal, to find thunder and rain in Florence.
Renault was going to introduce us to its top of the range, a new addition to the family. More modern, with the air of an executive who goes to the gym regularly but doesn't go with steroids or protein supplements. The refined air and care promised not to be confused with exaggerated, unnecessary luxuries or even “fails”.
Upon arrival in Florence, I am handed the key at the door of the airport with the Renault Talismans perfectly lined up to welcome us. The first thing that occurs to me, judging by the key detail, is that this has everything going well. To further motivate me the weather was excellent, let's get to it?
The big change starts from abroad
Outside, the Renault Talisman presents a more imposing posture than one would expect for this segment. At the front, the large Renault logo and the “C”-shaped LEDs give it a strong identity, making it recognizable from afar. The rear breaks a little with the “hegemony of the vans”, with Renault managing to create a very appetizing product. Leaving the marshy field of subjectivity, the rear lights with 3D effect are always on , is a novelty.
There are 10 colors to choose from, with the special Améthyste Black color only available on versions with the Initiale Paris equipment level. At customization possibilities The exterior continues on the rims: there are 6 models available from 16 to 19 inches.
I sit behind the wheel of the Renault Talisman Initiale Paris dCi 160, the top notch diesel version of the Renault Talisman with a 160hp 1.6 bi-turbo engine. Due to the keyless system, access to the interior and starting the engine is done with the key in your pocket. The key you see in the image is not new, it was a model introduced with the new Renault Espace.
Inside, (r)total evolution.
From the dashboard to the seats, the Renault Talisman is a wealth of news. The latter were designed in partnership with Faurecia, are flexible, resistant and guarantee excellent comfort in a chapter where the French rarely disappoint. It was possible to save an extra 3 cm of space for the knees and reduce the weight of each seat by 1 kg compared to conventional plastic seats.
The seats also have ventilation, heating and massage. Depending on the versions, it is possible to adjust the seats electrically in 8 points, with 10 available. In addition to allowing you to record up to 6 individual profiles. In the development of the headrests, Renault was inspired by the seats of the executive class of airplanes.
Still in the chapter of comfort , the front and side windows are equipped with superior soundproofing. Renault also used a system consisting of three microphones that mute the external sound, technology provided by partner BOSE and which we also find in the best headphones.
On the dashboard are two excellent calling cards: the quadrant is fully digital and at the center of the dashboard is a screen that can be up to 8.5 inches, where we can control practically everything, from the infotainment system to the driving assistance systems.
Multi-Sense System
The Multi-Sense System is present in the new Renault Talisman and is no longer a novelty, having been at the Renault Espace that the French brand launched it. With a touch we can switch between 5 settings: Neutral, Comfort, Eco, Sport and Perso – in the latter we can parameterize one by one the 10 different possible settings and save them to our liking. It is available on all levels of the Renault Talisman , with or without 4Control system.
Switching between the different Multi-Sense modes influences suspension setup, interior lighting and quadrant shape, engine sound, steering assistance, air conditioning, etc.
4Control system is icing on the cake
The 4Control system, not being a novelty, guarantees the Renault Talisman a notable increase in driving safety, in addition to making that road much more interesting. Up to 60 km/h the 4Control system forces the rear wheels to turn in the opposite direction to the front wheels, resulting in a better insertion of the car in the most demanding curves and greater maneuverability in the city.
Above 60 km/h the 4Control system makes the rear wheels follow the front wheels, turning in the same direction. This behavior improves the stability of the car at higher speeds. We had the opportunity to test at the Mugello Circuit the differences between a Renault Talisman without the system and one with the system installed, the advantages are more than obvious. In the Initiale Paris equipment level this system will be available as standard, as an option it could cost a little more than 1500 euros.
Engines
With powers between 110 and 200 hp, the Renault Talisman presents itself to the market with 3 engines: a gasoline engine and two diesel engines.On the petrol engine side is the 1.6 TCe 4-cylinder engine coupled to a 7-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission (EDC7), with powers ranging from 150 (9.6s 0-100 km/h and 215 km/h) and 200 hp (7.6s 0-100 km/h and 237 km/h).
In diesel, the work is being delivered to two 4-cylinder engines: a 1.5 dCi ECO2 with 110 hp, 4 cylinders and coupled to a 6-speed manual gearbox (11.9s 0-100 km/h and 190 km/h); and a 1.6 dCi engine with 130 (10.4s and 205 km/h) and 160 hp bi-turbo coupled to an EDC6 box (9.4s and 215 km/h).
At the wheel
Now we're back to the moment I got in the car, I apologize for this “tour” through the technical sheet, but it's part of my life to nail these droughts to you.
In the versions that I had the opportunity to test, with the Initiale Paris equipment level with 19-inch wheels, the Renault Talisman always managed to deliver that comfort I expected from a D-segment saloon.
The 4Control system, an asset that was left behind from the divorce with the Laguna, was a precious ally in the curves and against curves of the Tuscany region, preventing incursions into the vineyards that lined the road. To help improve dynamic handling, the Renault Talisman also has an electronically controlled suspension that scans the road 100 times a second.
The available dual-clutch gearboxes (EDC6 and EDC7) do their job to the full and provide the smoothness you want in these products – even when moving fast, they don't disappoint. The Renault Talisman gives us that feeling of driving a car of excellent quality, were it not for a product that received the greatest care, having had the support of Daimler in terms of quality control.
Summary
We liked the little we saw on the Renault Talisman. The interior has good assembly and excellent overall quality (maybe there are less noble plastics in areas where “the devil has lost his boots”, which is worrying if you are in the habit of looking for them). In general, the engines fit the Portuguese market like a glove and fleet owners can expect a very competitive entry-level product: the 1.5 dCi with 110 hp announces consumption of 3.6 l/100 km and 95 g/km of CO2.
The Renault Talisman arrives on the domestic market in the first quarter of 2016. As there are still no official prices for Portugal, we can expect a price of around 32 thousand euros for the entry-level diesel version. The weather is often wrong, but Renault, it seems, may have hit the nail on the head.
Datasheet
Images: Renault
