Renault Rafale review: a coupe SUV we actually like

Let’s be honest here. It would be fair to say that this column has not been kind – in any shape or form – to the Coupe SUV segment. We have belittled them, we have been horrid to those who buy them and we have been quite sarcastic about their purpose in our lives.

Moan and all as we have been doing about these things, you cannot fault the manufacturers for making them, because there is an obvious market out there for them, otherwise they wouldn’t build them at all.

So, the fact they are a thing and appear to be with us for the foreseeable future, means we’re wasting our sweetness on the desert air on this one and have failed miserably to shift opinion – public or private.

We have another one to review this week and, I must confess, the car in question perhaps softened our view that anyone who drives one is a thick baboon for paying out their hard-earned on a SUV with a sloping roof they think makes them look chic.

Largely the reason for this ‘softening’ is the effort Renault has put into making this car look like a stand-out. Time will tell, of course, on that front as the ‘Regie’ has a great reputation for building cars that fit easily into the zeitgeist of the moment, but ten minutes later look more dated than yesterday’s paper.

Large Renaults have traditionally also had the unfortunate capability of devaluing quicker than the Argentinean peso during an economic downturn and their build quality has often been called into question. While their technology has been impressive, getting it to work constantly has been another matter.

The Rafale – a new name in the Renault lexicon – is based on the same platform as the Austral (another new handle) and the people-carrying Espace, which is not sold here. That means it is a big lug, but one possessed of a lot of fine design detail, some amazing tricks and a decent hybrid propulsion system which is well capable of hauling the car’s ass around with a degree of elan.

I know it is possible to get blinded by the light of design trickery combined with fancy dan technology, but it seemed to me during my time with this car that it would not ever turn out to be a future chicken coop on a Breton farm, as so many of its antecedents successfully did.

The exterior is very dynamic and flash-looking and there is hardly any angle from which it does not excite – even with that bloody coupe roofline. Individual elements like the light clusters, the shapely rear end and the nearly amazing 3-D grille are all eye-catching. Even the door mirrors, for God’s sake, have something of a ‘wow’ factor.

In ‘Esprit Alpine +’ specification, the Alpine logos embedded in the front seats become illuminated in the dark, which is somewhat irrelevant when you’re sitting on them, but neat when you’re not.

The portrait central screen is well laid out and the infotainment easy to use, while the are actual physical controls for the heating, which is good. Seating too is predictably comfortable – very French – and, given the 4.7 metre length of the car – there’s tons of room, especially for taller people sitting in the back. And that’s despite the coupe roofline.

The boot too is vast and there’s underfloor space as well if you don’t specify a spare wheel. We would, as we’ve said on many occasions in these columns, recommend getting an actual spare, particularly if you’re a rural dweller. Depending on the tyre repair kit will only end in tears.

One especially useful design tweak is the central rear armrest, which has two USB ports, two cupholders and two device holders and two carpeted trays. With argumentative children on board, this will help alleviate some of the angst that’s part and parcel of motoring life.

On the road, the Rafale is not quite as dynamic as its looks suggest, but that’s not to say it’s a dog. The tester had a 128 bhp 1.2 litre petrol engine mated to an electric motor which is integrated into the gearbox and a third which works as an integrated starter/generator, for a combined output of 198 bhp.

That translates into a 0-100 km/h time of 8.9 seconds, which is not outstanding in this day and age and neither is the 178 km/h top speed, but both are acceptable and fit in credibly with this car’s intent of being a relaxed cruiser. The consumption levels too are good with an official figure of 6.2 litre per 100 km (60.2 mpg) which we found hard to quibble with.

Renault’s system is smooth and quiet most of the time, albeit a little growly on start-up. Engine response can be a tad hard to predict – sometimes the system will bring the engine to life if you even hint at a throttle input; on other occasions it takes a while to get the message and awaken it from its slumbers.

One of the tricks of this car is the four-wheel steering system and you have thirteen steps to choose from. The more agility you require, the more nervous the car can seem and particularly in long sweepers where the smooth single-motion steering input you’d ideally require, actually needs two or three to get the job done.

As with all such systems, this is most effective a lower speeds where it makes parking such a doddle; that the car has the same turning circle as a Clio, tells you everything you need to know.

Truth is that the Rafale is a bit fidgety when asked questions and this, once again, suggests it is a car more for calm family driving than anything else, despite the manufacturer’s claims about its driving dynamism. The 20” inch alloys may not help in this regard.

Taking all of that into account, consideration must be given to the amount of kit that comes with the car – everything from puddle lights to the Harmon Kardon stereo system and the panoramic roof.

Although a sworn enemy of the SUV coupe genre, I quite liked this one for its realistic dose of practicality and actual real-time family friendliness.

These are not cars we have ever liked, but this one is more about the people who drive and travel in it than most of its direct rivals and on that basis we have to give it something of a grudging thumbs up.

I just hope time is more of a friend to the design than so many past Renaults and I think it probably will.