Renault Fluence or Renault Megane sedan

It’s a Renault Megane sedan but with a new name – Fluence which was introduced in Aug. 2009. 

The tested car has 1.5L dCi (diesel) engine with 115 hp and 6-speed automatic (EDC) transmission. With this 1.5 dCi engine, the driving is cool because the car is agile. The EDC automatic transmission has a dual-clutch, which shifts the gears without lag and is very fast. Moreover, this 6-speed automatic transmission decreases fuel consumption and CO2 emissions and the values can be compared with the manual transmission. Renault Fluence offered these engines and technical parameters:

	1.6 16V 110 hp	dCi 90 hp	dCi 110 hp	dCi 110 hp EDC	Energy dCi 130 hp S&S
Fuel	Petrol	Diesel
Emission Class	Euro 5
Fuel system	Multipoint injection	Direct Common Rail + turbocharger
Volume (ccm)	1598	1461			1598
Power hp (kW)	110 (82)	90 (67)	110 (82)		130 (97)
Torque Nm (lb ft)@rpm	151 (111)@4250	200 (148)@1750	240 (177)@1750		320 (236)@1750
Transmission	5-speed manual		6-speed manual	6-speed automatic (EDC)	6-speed manual
Fuel Consumption (combined)  l/100 km	6.8l	4.4l	4.6l	4.4l	4.6l
Rims	6.5J/15       6.5J/16      7.0J/17
Tyre Size	15” 205/65R15 16” 205/60R16 17” 205/55R17
Front Suspension	Pseudo McPherson with triangle wishbone
Rear Suspension	Deformable crossmember

The 1.6 dCi engine with 130 hp has timing chain which is not changeable. This engine decreases the costs for maintenance of the car. You know that the timing belt has to be changed on every 60000 km (app. 37300 miles).

The diesel engines of Renault Fluence has ‘Renault eco2’ badge. These models are produced in factory with low effect over environment; the CO2 emissions are under 120g/km or used bio fuels; over 7% recycled plastic and 95% of used plastic material can be recycle in the end of operational period of the car. It’s so environmentally… 

Let’s take a look at the exterior of the car. Obviously the tested car has brown “Cafe” color but for me, personally, this is not the right one. For example, I would choose between “ivory”, “ice white”, “platinum silver”, “cobalt blue”, “blue ‘night sky’” or „black pearl” paints. It’s a hard to choose because Renault Fluence has a huge palette. I don’t like the other two colors the “grey ‘Cassiopeia’” and “deep red”. I think that these colors don’t make the car to look a special.  

I like the whole structure of the car. It has simple shapes; the lines of the body just emphasize the design. Actually, the front hood and fenders are inflated but it is not so bad. The headlights have drop-shape and use the newest LED technology. The front logo is so huge that I think that it’s copied from Renault trucks. You know, make a detail, use it in whole gamma and you will reduce the costs. 

 

On the side view you can see the profile of the headlights and chrome frame of the fog- and daily lights. The clearance is 120 mm and I think that’s more than enough for this cars type. The producer has kept the classic door handle from the previous model – Renault Megane. On the backside profile, you can see the extended tail lights. However, the coolest thing for me is that the forms of Renault Fluence are simple and clean.

Backside view shows us big tail lights which are placed on the max upper position.  The trunk lid makes an impression that the opening is huge, and actually it is – 1020 mm.

Let’s open the doors. The driver seat is comfortable and the steering wheel is created very ergonomically. This gives me an impression that the car is easy to drive.  In fact the driving of Renault Fluence is a child’s play. This car is very wide inside for all four passengers and the driver. I think that three passengers could travel comfortably on the back seats.

The negative point for me is that the rpm meter is an analogue display and the speedometer is a digital. These instruments are the most observed and I don’t like this combination. 

The trunk is not small. You can put about two big suitcases and a few small bags. My opinion is that this trunk could collect all the baggage of five passengers. The volume of the trunk is 530 cubic dm. 

Renault Fluence offers four levels of equipment- AUTHENTIQUE, EXPRESSION, DYNAMIQUE and PRIVILEGE. I like the last two levels of equipment. The DYNAMIQUE has dark synthetic leather with dark grey textile. The PRIVILEGE interior style has similar interior but in beige color.

Of course the different interior styles have different options and I would look around the top level. If you want to distinguish yourself on the road - Renault Fluence gives you an extra point. You can personalize your car with the additional equipment. For me, interesting are Avanza rims in black color and the rear spoiler. Also you can choose the chrome exhaust pipe or chrome molding which will be put on the trunk under the Fluence inscription.

What is the extra equipment for the interior? You can choose the threshold of the front doors with Fluence badge and this will be really cool. Textile carpets for the floor are available as well. The best point is the two-face cover for the trunk – textile and rubber. In case that you need to put dirty baggage in the trunk, there is a plastic tray.

The Euro NCAP were made a crash test with Fluence Z.E. (Zero Emission or electrical) and the result is four of five stars.  Although, that the crash test was done with different car - not equipped with classical engine I don’t expect a lot differences in the results. 

The safety results of the crash test are: 72% adult occupant; 83% child occupant; 37% pedestrian; 84% safety assist. Obviously, the pedestrian safety is low but the main responsibility for them is on the driver. So, drive carefully. 

The man behind the steering wheel is also responsible for the other people in the car but in case of accident there are two front and two side airbags. 

To prevent a crash Renault Fluence has Anti-lock Braking System (ABS) which works together with Electronic Brakeforce Distribution (EBD) and a supporting system for emergency stop (AFU). These systems help the driver to control the car to complete stop. Electronic Stability Program (ESP) works in combination with Anti-Slip Regulation (ASR) and CSV – a system that defends understeering of the car. These systems make the car very stable in extreme road conditions. 

Here I have to make a big point about the brakes. I have enough experience with French cars. They have very sensitive brakes and they stop perfectly, but this Renault Fluence has the most sensitive brakes I have ever seen. For me, it’s a big, huge, and large plus. 

It doesn’t matter how fast the car is; what power it has. The car has to stop faster. 

If I have to choose Renault Fluence I’ll get it with R-Link. It’s a new multimedia system which has navigation powered by TomTom. The display is 7-inch and you can manage it by touching it. The cell phone connection is available via Bluetooth and you can make a call with a voice command. Renault R-Link is connectable with external devices by Bluetooth or USB connection. The most important option of R-Link for me is that it can show the vehicle status. 

Renault Fluence is a car which is the best for work uses and families. This model is very useful for business trips or for a picnic; it has enough trunk space.  Renault Fluence has very good equipment levels, a big range of engines, power, torque, and transmissions. Fluence is really easy to drive and gives you pleasure. 

Dimensions  

mm(in.)	Renault Fluence
Length	4622 (181.96)
Height	1479 (58.23)
Width	2037 (80.20)
Wheel-base front/side/rear	1541 (60.67)/2702(106.38)/1563(61.54)