State-run Renault makes good cars

Press, 4 July 1985, Page 27

State-run Renault makes good cars

BEHIND the WHEEL with

Peter Greenslade

Regie Renault, the Stateowned French car manufacturer, was founded in 1898 as a private enterprise company. It was nationalised in 1945. Today its 112,000 or so employees produce about 2 million cars annually making Renault the largest and most important French car maker. The Regie has not been having things so easy lately, however. Last year the organisation lost about £B5O million ($NZ2343 million). Early this year the chairman, Bernard Hanon, was replaced by George Besse, a hard-line industrialist who chaired the nationalised Pechiney aluminium group. Renault is the only large scale car maker actively involved in Formula 1 Grand Prix racing. It pioneered the use of 1.5 litre turbocharged engines when it established a two car team in 1977 and has won 15 world championship races since then, but never a world championship. Today, the Renault V 6 turbo racing engine is used by the factory team, Lotus, Ligier and Tyrrell in Formula 1 racing, having taken over the mantle of the normally-aspirated 3 litre Cosworth-Ford DFV engine which was, without doubt, the most successful ever developed for Formula 1 racing. In spite of its patchy record in recent times, however, Renault does make good motor cars. I was able to verify this in a trip around the East Cape last month. Auckland-based Eurotrans Motors, Ltd, which is almost wholly owned by New Zealand Forest Products, produced a range of the latest Renaults for a group of selected motoring correspondents to test.

Apart from a turbocharged version of the popular Fuego coupe, Erotrans had the R 25 GTX manual and automatic saloons, the Rll turbocharged coupe and normally-aspirated TXE four door saloon for us to sample. To add a dash o fpiquancy to the affair, the second right-hand-drive version of the Espace was also produced. This is a 2 litre fibreglass-bodied one box seven seater and Eurotrans has scored a coup in securing the second one Renault has built for use in countries where the traffic keeps to the left. The Espace was somewhat tenatively introduced, probably because it carries a basic price ticket of ?57,700. On that score alone it appears to lack sales potential in New Zealand, although Eurotrans reported' considerable interest and a number of firm orders from its dealers. After driving the Espace a considerable distance over

good and bad roads, I was impressed. Although it is quite large it handles just like a well bred car and will cruise with power in reserve at 80km/h all day. It is extremely well finished and appointed, and very comfortable. I am sure it would prove an admirable vehicle for people who need a seven-seater and can afford it. The Fuego Turbo with 1565 cu cm four cylinder engine and five speed gearbox has been around for a while now, but the latest verison comes with a trip computer and a $44,200 basic price ticket. This is a well equipped coupe that can be had with an electricallyoperated sunroof and leather upholstery for an additional $3500. This Fuego is an effortless high speed cruiser. However, I thought that the Rll Turbo, a more straight-up-and-down coupe, with 1397 cu cm engine for $4OOO less, was more fun to drive and, perhaps, fractionally quicker off the mark, but with less top end performance. It is seldom one encounters a nearly perfect car and the incessant turbo whine of the Rll became irritating during a long spell behind the wheel. I must admit, however, that this car is very responsive and its handling qualities are more than a cut above the average. Whether one needs all a turbocharged car offers is arguable. Frankly, the family-sized Rll TXE, with 1721 cu cm engine, five speed gearbox, electricallyoperated front windows, trip

computer, central door locking and a nutnber of other excellent features, performed well enough to convince me that forced induction will never be a prime need of the motoring community at large. The TXE is sufficiently sporting in character to satisfy the wants of enthusiasts in the family. It is also sufficiently practical for the other members of the family who simply regard a car as a reliable and comfortable means of getting from place to place. The other feature that attracted me to the TXE is that at $32,800 it is so much cheaper than the two door turbocharged version, which is a less convenient car and, with its smaller engine, somewhat fussier. Both Rlls are offered with an optional sunroof costing $9OO. It is a well made metal sliding panel, but I would not be tempted because the cars are noisy and draughty with their tops open at touring speeds. The R 25 was the British Guild of Motoring Writers’ top car last year. It comes in a number of verisons, one of the latest being a long wheelbase limousine. Eurotrans imports the basic 1995 cu cm five speed manual and automatic versions, and has now introduced the 2165 cu cm fuelinjected GTX manual and automatic saloons. These cars are being sold with trip computer and voice synthesiser as standard, and air conditioning as an option at $3lOO extra. The basic prices are $56,300 for the manual and $57,900 for the automatic. They are

costly, but the automatic car, in particular, represents very good value in its particular market segment where it confronts the 5 Series BMW, Peugeot, the lesser Audis and, perhaps, the smaller-engined Mercedes models. To my mind, the R 25 wins hands down on the appearance score. Its competitors look somewhat dated beside it. The GTX is smooth, compact and has that indefinable French stylishness about it. The car feels compact on the road and this engenders driver confidence which is reinforced by a commendable, all round field of vision and the immediately responsive, if rather light, controls. The five speed manual version seemed to suffer from ill-chosen gear ratios. In the intermediates the fuel-injected engine felt fussy and a shade harsh, while fifth was an overdrive ratio with the clout of a cream puff behind it. In marked contrast, the automatic car with elec-tronically-controlled gear selection was a revelation. The emphasis is strong on electronics in the majority of Renaults. Almost invariably,’ Renix electronics are employed. Renix is a Toulouse company owned jointly by Renault and the Bendix Corporation. The equipment it manufactures must have few peers in the automobile world. With the possible exception of the sporty threemode automatic transmission used in the 6 Series and some 7 Series BMWs, the Renix system in the R 25 is

the best I have encountered. If I could shop in that . particular segment of the market I would have no hesitation buying an automatic GTX in preference to a manual version. Around the twisty, hilly East Cape route it did everything as well, if not better than I could have accomplished with a manual GTX. If anything, the powerassisted rack and pinion steering is just a shade light and lifeless, considering that three turns of the wheel will swing the GTX from lock to lock. However, as the 2.2 litre engine develops 93kW (123bhp) at 5250 and is longitudinally mounted substantially ahead of the front wheel axis, the absence of torque steer and understeer is commendable. In fact, the handling in normaUconditions is almost neutral with a trace of inherently safe understeer. If one is tempted to drive really hard through corners the front wheels can become unstuck on occasions and the car will run wider than intended to the accompaniment of protesting sounds from the suspension or steering gear as the wheels move across the road in a series of short hops. Admittedly that does not happen often and the steering and suspension, the latter all-independent by MacPherson struts, coil springs and anti-roll bars, is nearly perfect, with first class riding qualities and secure road holding. In fact, from the driver’s viewpoint, there is little to fault in the R 25. The driving position is not the best

around, being more in the Italian than the French or British traditions. It is most suited to an individual with long arms and short legs because the steering wheel is almost out of reach for taller people who like to drive with legs outstretched. Otherwise the controls and instruments are well laid out and although the sliding sunroof restricts headroom — which is not over-gener-ous for rear seat occupants either — the passenger compartment is pleasingly spacious. The interior appointments are of a high standard and the furnishings and everything else about the car lend themselves to the carriage of four adults in great comfort although headroom is not excessive. The luggage boot is somewhat shallow also with access gained by swinging up the large, curved rear window. The rear sill does not seem as high as that of many contemporary cars, but it is high enough. Considering its size and performance potential, the R 25 is quite an economical car. Driven hard by a variety of men not generally noted for returning good figures in economy trials, the R2ss managed about 9.4 litres per 100 km. That is about 30mpg, which must be considered an admirable figure for a car of this nature, taking into account the manner in which it was driven. Having sampled the current crop of Renaults, I must confess that I am. looking forward to apprising the Renault Alpine, a Porsche challenger, next year.