We made life difficult for him, he didn't care
We took flights, we loaded a family, we flew in twists and turns, we jumped in cities.
But Renault's crossover coupe insisted on delivering excellent fuel economy.
What about the rest?
Kenan Cohen
08/24/2022
Wednesday, August 24, 2022, 07:34 Updated: 07:51
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In the first moment and from the front it looks like any Renault crossover (Photo: Keinan Cohen)
After about two years without a significant, new or interesting model in its showroom, Renault Israel could not have hoped for a more suitable vehicle than the Arcana to return the "open - air conditioning" sign to the front of the dealerships.
It comes with generous dimensions, an eye-catching design, very handsome accessories and an innovative drive unit that, at least on paper, promises to be very economical.
There is a long list of reasons to come check it out.
But colorful prospectuses are one thing and the real world is something else entirely.
After a few hundred kilometers in three intense days with the Arcana, we have some insights on one of the more important cars for this brand.
The front seats are very comfortable, the passenger compartment is nice (photo: Keinan Cohen)
המבט שבשנייה הראשונה מסווג אותו כ"קרוסאובר של רנו" משתנה כאשר הוא עובר לפרופיל וחושף את החלק האחורי המעניין שלו. זו פעם ראשונה שיש זליגה מובהקת כל כך של תצורת הקרוסאובר-קופה לקטגוריה העממית. ואנשים מגיבים לזה ממש טוב. את מדרגות הצד המיותרות האלו אל תקנו ואל תסכימו לקבל גם במתנה אתם תבינו למה כשתרדו מהרכב בחורף ותלכלכו את המכנסיים מהן.
הדבר הראשון שפוגשים בתא הנוסעים הם המושבים הקדמיים שלו. הם גדולים, עם ריפוד עור ובד, בעלי תמיכה טובה לגוף, אבל זונחים את שיטת הכיוון האירופית באמצעות "ברז" לשיטת ה"ראצ'ט" האסיאתית הפחות טובה בשל העובדה שהיא נעה בין מצבי משענת קבועים מראש (הארקנה מיוצר במפעל רנו בדרום קוריאה). תנוחת הנהיגה גבוהה ושולטת, הראות לפנים טובה, זו לאחור בעייתית בשל עיוות קל שנוצר בשמשה האופקית ובעלת הציפוי הכהה והפתח המצומצם.
עוד בוואלה!
לעבור את אוגוסט בשלום: 11 מתכונים קלים לקיץ
In collaboration with Shufersal
Plenty of room for legs and air conditioning outlets in the back (Photo: Keinan Cohen)
The cabin is handsome, a "metallic" strip (it's painted plastic) crosses it across, a large vertical screen (9.3 inches) stands out in the center.
It includes the control of the navigation system, the mutimadia, the driving modes and also the volume buttons (rope), below it the physical air conditioning controls (luck).
There is a good amount of storage compartments and the equipment is also generous in the edition S finish level being tested, including a very handsome digital dashboard (10 inches), rich in details and in Hebrew.
There are air conditioning outlets for the two very spacious seats in the back, with legroom thanks to a wheelbase that already touches the crossover category above it.
Even the headroom in them is not affected by the roof that comes down relatively early.
The trunk opens to a very generous size of 480 liters, but more than that is the large fifth door that makes loading it very easy and comfortable.
The list of safety equipment is sufficient, lane departure correction, automatic braking, vehicle detection in a "dead zone", adaptive cruise control, rear cross traffic alert (the last three are not available in the iconic trim level, which can be skipped).
480 liters and especially a very convenient opening (Photo: Keinan Cohen)
The business that is just as interesting as the design of the Arcana is in the foreground.
A hybrid engine that combines a 1.6 liter gasoline unit and two electric motors.
These drive the front wheels through two gearboxes - a manual with 4 transmission ratios that is operated by an electric command and an electric motor that synchronizes the transmission of the gears and another two-gear box for the electric motor.
The combined result is 143 hp, when there is no combined torque figure, but it stands at 15.1 for the gasoline engine and 20.9 for the main electric engine and 5 kg for the starter motor.
What is important is that this combination works most of the time smoothly and completely transparent to the driver.
There is no indication of the transition between the types of paddles, and the gear shifts are also done in a smooth and fluid manner.
It responds nicely in the city, and also outside the city up to three-digit speed and if there is enough electricity in the 1.2 kWh battery it will push well even above 120 km/h.
But if you've emptied it, well, you're in quite a bit of trouble.
Welcome to the game "let's move a 1.9 ton vehicle, using a 94 hp atmospheric gasoline engine and a four-speed gearbox" - hint - this circle is not fun, it is noisy, slow and the long transmission ratios in the gearbox do not help here.
The design that was the property of luxury manufacturers spills over to popular brands (Photo: Keinan Cohen)
The Arcana's ride comfort is one of its biggest strengths.
Even on excessive 18 inch rims it swallowed disruptions, breaks, undulating road and potholes very well.
Even the ground fold at the entrance to the turn that serves me as a real world laboratory could not be successfully calibrated and Renault succeeded in the business with distinction.
Hurting this score is its ability to filter brake and road noises out of the cabin when it comes to breaks or a poorly paved road.
A boiling clatter that appeared and disappeared throughout the drive and drove me crazy was discovered as a result of the video screens in a local installation - throw in the trash along with the side steps.
It is recommended to give up the side stairs (photo: Keinan Cohen)
The road behavior is very good, and you can't get it to do things too fast, but what it does it does with a sense of confidence that the chassis knows how to handle even if you exaggerate a bit and if you make a mistake and are surprised by a sharper curve than you expected.
The steering wheel is a little light and not quick enough in response to his turn, but these are really minor things that are a bonus in a car like this, not a condition or a significant factor.
The ones who raised their hands long before the car were the Como tires it came with which rushed to screech and exhibited unimpressive grip.
At the end of the hundreds of kilometers, no matter what I did to it and how many times I dragged it to situations where the gasoline engine had to sweat and consume a lot of gasoline to move it, every time the driving conditions moderated and the efficient charging of the battery brought it back to life, it returned to moving in its electric mode on every occasion.
The result was an average consumption of 16.1 km per liter. This can be significantly improved if you drive like humans, with a real compromise in your speed of movement.
סובב ראשים ועורר המון עניין(צילום: קינן כהן)
ראש פרק: סיכום
Renault Arcana is exactly what the importer needed, a shot of youth that places it with another model alongside the Captur in a very hot category of the car market.
Its big points are its sleek appearance, comfort and safety equipment (with reference to this trim level only), ride comfort, its excellent space and fuel consumption.
What works less?
The drive system itself, the jewel in the crown of this model was the least impressive component of it.
She is perfectly fine as long as the demands on her are very moderate.
But really does not deliver the goods when it is required to function under load.
Arcana prices start at NIS 150,000 for the entry-level version, which, as mentioned, is recommended to be passed up, the higher finish level, the edition S, costs NIS 160,000 and is the most recommended, the tested one with a sunroof costs NIS 165,000 for fans of the genre.
At these prices, it competes head-to-head with tools like the CHR Draft and the Hyundai Kona Hybrid, but offers far superior dimensions.
Who is better on the road - it is worth a comparative test.
A stamp that the importer needed to wake up the brand (Photo: Keinan Cohen)
On the technical side: Renault Arcana edition S
Engine, drive:
gasoline, 4 cylinders, hybrid, front
Volume (cc):
1,598
Power/rpm (hp):
143 (combined)
Torque/rpm (kgm):
missing data
Gearbox :
Gasoline - 4 gears, electric - 2 gears
Dimensions:
Length (cm):
457
Width (cm):
182
Height (cm):
157
Wheelbase (cm):
272
Trunk (liters) :
480
Performance:
Acceleration 0-100:
10.8 seconds
Maximum speed:
172 km/h
Fuel consumption (test):
16.1 km per liter
Competitors:
Toyota CHR, Hyundai Kona Hybrid
Price:
NIS 165,000 (test)
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Tags
Renault
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Crossover
Hybrid