The new 2016 Renault Talisman replaces the old Laguna and Latitude, and will be available in both sedan and estate (wagon) body styles
The 2016 Renault Talisman is the French brand’s new entry into the medium-sized saloon market, where it replaces both the Laguna and the Latitude, and where it will face the daunting task of taking on heavy-weights like the Volkswagen Passat, Opel (Vauxhall) Insignia and Mazda6, among others. And on paper at least, the new Talisman shows it’s up for the job.
Measuring in at 4.85 meters long and with a 2.81 meters wheelbase, Renault’s new sedan is 9 cm longer than its biggest rival, the Passat.
Up front there’s the distinctive Renault grille with an imposing logo in the middle and chrome surroundings that continue under the LED-equipped headlamps. This time around, the daytime running lights are made of two parts, one incorporated into the headlamps and the other one carved into the front spoiler. Together, they form large C-shaped lights which apparently inspire confidence.
At the back, the full-length LED taillights are disrupted only by the Renault Logo and offer a 3D-effect, according to the official info.
Inside, the 2016 Talisman offers one of the roomiest cabins in its class, with special attention directed towards the front and rear headroom, front elbow room, and rear knee room.
The dashboard sports a relatively simple design, with a standard 4.2-inch display for the infotainment system on the centre console, and another display mounted in the instrument binnacle. The intermediate trim levels offer Renault’s R-Link 2 infotainment system with a seven-inch touch screen, GPS navigation, Bluetooth, voice recognition and apps, while the top trims come with a huge 8.7-inch portrait format touchscreen display on the centre console. Also, there is a head-up display available which swivels out a small piece of glass in front of the driver when activated.
The front seats have been designed with airline business class seats in mind and use what Renault calls ‘Cover Carving Technology’ which translates into a semi-rigid lightweight shell that offers up to 3 cm of more knee room for the rear passengers and weighs about 1 kg less compared to traditional front seats.
The wide front seats can be specified with electrical adjustment, six-way adjustable headrests, cooling, heating, massage function, and settings memory for up to six individual profiles.
Rear passengers benefit from a bench seat that offers room for up to three people and is made out of variable density mousse. Also, the bench can be split in 60/40 format and has a hatch for loading skis.
In saloon form, the Renault Talisman has a boot capacity of 608 litres, and in estate guise it offers 572 litres up to the parcel shelf, with a maximum load volume of almost 1,700 litres with the rear seats folded. The Talisman also offers more than 25 litres of stowage space inside, with an 8-litre glove box and 4.6-litre door bins up front that can accommodate one and a half litre bottles.
Safety equipment available includes adaptive cruise control, automatic emergency braking, traffic sign detection, rear view camera and a parking assistant.
Under the skin, the French saloon combines Renault’s 4Control four-wheel steering with adaptive dampers, making it the only D-segment model that offers this combination. Also, the new Talisman gets Renault’s Multi-Sense technology, the same as on the new Espace, which controls and co-ordinates the various systems hidden from view – the four-wheel steering, active damping, engine and automatic EDC transmission. In other words, the driver can select one of five modes: Comfort, Sport, Eco, Neutral or Perso, depending on how he or she wants the car to feel.
There are three power units available in multiple output variants. First, there’s a 1.2-litre petrol engine with two outputs – 150 PS (147 hp) and 220 Nm or 200 PS (197 hp) and 260 Nm. Next, Renault has lined up two diesel units, starting with the venerable 1.5-litre dCi that makes 110 PS (108 hp) and 260 Nm. Then there’s the new 1.6-litre dCi diesel available with either 130 PS (128 hp) and 320 Nm (single-turbo) or 160 PS (158 hp) and 380 Nm (twin-turbo).
The 1.2-litre petrol gets a double-clutch seven-speed automatic transmission as standard; the 160 PS diesel gets a six-speed double-clutch auto while the 110 PS and 130 PS diesels can be mated to either a six-speed manual or a six-speed dual-clutch automatic gearbox.
Power goes to the front wheels on all models, with an average fuel consumption of 5.6 l/100 km (50.4 mpg) for the petrol unit and between 3.6-4.4 l/100 km (64.2-78.4 mpg) for the diesels. CO2 emissions are as low as 95 g/km for the 1.5-litre diesel and go as high as 127 g/km for the 1.2-litre petrol unit.
The 2016 Renault Talisman will be available in Europe at the end of 2015. Prices have not yet been announced.