Renault sales are soaring and the new Fluence is part of the reason. It's affordable, but is it any good?
With Fluence prices starting at €15,800 (including Government scrappage) the Megane saloon replacement has taken the C sector saloon market by storm. It's big, relatively cheap, has a massive boot, and the diesels slot into tax band 'A'.
Fluence is 4.62m long and is smart, with a business-like presence. Inside the five-seat car is larger than the price tag suggests. The cabin features the familiar Renault DNA so the speedometer is very easy to read with its digital readout and the gear knob is chunky. The dash materials used are a step forward for the French firm, too. The leather seats in my top-of-the-range 'Tom Tom Edition' test car are fine on straight roads but lack lateral support. This discourages cornering at any sort of enthusiastic pace.
One other ergonomic gripe is the indicator lever switch that is positioned quite far away from my left hand. Smaller hands will find it hard to operate with their fingertips while also securely holding the steering wheel. Strangely, the corresponding right hand side wiper switch, which is always used less than the indicator lever, is a lot closer to the wheel!
The 'Tom Tom Edition' features a built-in Tom Tom sat-nav with remote control. The unit is good, but not for those drivers who are tempted to interact with their sat-navs on the move, although it's perfect for back seat drivers! It will be interesting to see how many of these remote controls get lost. I'd be tempted to treat it like a bank pen and tie it with a string to the car! There are loads of toys and useful driver aids like the speed limiter/cruise control that help make this car a stealthy bit of luxurious motoring for those on a tight budget.
There are petrol and diesel engines in the range and an electric version on the way. You can choose from a 110bhp 1.6-litre petrol, a four-speed automatic 1.6 with 105bhp and two 1.5-litre DCi powered cars with 85bhp and 105bhp. Fluence is not a sporty drive but my 105bhp DCi gobbles up the kilometres on the open road while delivering very good fuel consumption. The four-cylinder car averages 4.5 litres of diesel per 100km travelled. Going from 0-100km/h takes 11.4 seconds, and with 240nm of torque there is plenty of low-end grunt. The ride is comfortable but on bumpy B roads Fluence is less composed. There is nothing particularly new or innovative going on under the skin. If you want a more sophisticated ride try an Opel Astra, Ford Focus, Mazda3 or VW Golf, to name a few.
Anyway, the long and short of it is my top-of-the-range Fluence retails for just €23,950 plus dealer charges, or with scrappage it sells for just €19,000. ESC (ESP) is a cost option. While the additional delivery-related charges will bring this price up, you still get a lot of kit for your money.
Renault has made huge strides up the sales charts to reach number 2 in the Irish market. What effect this has on residual values in years to come is yet to be seen, but for now Renaults are retailing for very affordable money.
Michael Sheridan
