Renault’s Renault Arkana Hybrid
Horse lovers like to say a camel is a horse designed by a committee. A hybrid, in other words. Which is fine until you try and cross the desert on your horse. In cars, a hybrid refers to some kind of petrol/electric drive and a decade ago people called them the worst of both worlds. This is no longer the case, with even Formula One cars now hybrids.
Then you get the Renault Arkana, a hybrid hybrid with another hybrid option. Which has just been awarded the max 5-star Euro NCAP safety rating. Which is not (yet?) sold in South Africa. This is a pity, because the Arkana is amazing and this writer would love one.
Hybrid 1
In looks the Renault Arkana is a hybrid – an SUV with a pronounced touch of Coupe. At longer than 4.5m, the Arkana is at the larger end of the C-segment, although it is based on the CMF-B modular platform used by the likes of the smaller best-selling Renault Captur and Clio.
The SUV part comes in the 20cm ground clearance, five spacious seats and a huge boot. The Coupe comes from the sporty sloped roofline and generally fast lines, up to now the province of the more expensive German marques.
Hybrid 2
The E-Tech 145 gives you all the benefits of electric without the need to plug in. You can drive up to 80% in electric in the city, with the benefits of a petrol engine should you need to go further. But your fuel consumption will be 40% less than an equivalent petrol-only drive at 4-litre/100km Euro combined, while your emissions will be a planet-friendly 92g/km.
You get electric zip and quiet, with hybrid peace of mind in range. Or you could go for the other hybrid.
Hybrid 3
On the other hand, you can get the Arkana as a micro-hybrid, a turbo-petrol with a smaller 12v hybrid battery. This allows some energy capture during braking, engine shut down/quick start during traffic light stops and adds a bit of zip to the acceleration. It will give you a significant saving in both fuel consumption and emissions. You can choose between the TCe 140 and 160 models, both 1.3 turbo-petrol motors, the 140 giving your 103kW, and the 160 giving you 118kW.
Safety
NCAP does not hand out 5 stars like sweets at a party, and the Arkana really earned this coveted rating. The body structure is optimised for maximum crashworthiness, the seatbelts feature pyrotechnic pre-tensioners and load limiters, as well as Fix4sure technology which prevents your body sliding below the seatbelt during a crash.
Of course, a crash is the last thing you want, so the Arkana gives you the full set of the latest driving aids. Advanced Driver Assistance, Motorway and Traffic Assistant, traffic sign recognition, blind-spot warning, lane departure warning and lane-keeping assistant all work together to keep the ominous-sounding pyrotechnic pre-tensioner calm and happy.
They are joined in this endeavour by Active Emergency Braking, a 360° camera, 100% LED headlights that can be automatically activated and an electro-chromatic interior rearview mirror, a fancy way of describing a mirror that dims itself when a high-beam thug comes up behind you.
A very safe, very pretty hybrid hybrid
The Renault Arkana is not sold here, but it should be. It is a very pretty car that gives you all the benefits of new-generation hybrid technology. It is also certified as a very safe car, which in South Africa would not be a bad thing. For more about Renault and its role in changing what and how we drive, please .
