2021 Renault Arkana Launched in Australia

Just a thought, John, perhaps a phone call to the dealership before you arrive might ensure the sales staff are back from the Pub?
Just dropped in again as I was passing. Two young folk in there, super-courteous to give them full credit, apologised for being very short staffed etc etc. Found a key for an Arkana after a while, told me it was a new model... The export plastic is still all over two of the three cars on display and the third has an empty soft drink bottle in it. How to sell cars, eh? Not.

Anyway I've no doubt they are perfectly good vehicles but regarding load capacity they are surprisingly small to me and no substitute for a Scenic, that's for sure. The first year's depreciation would buy a low mileage Scenic too, and they are still around if you look hard! The young man reckoned my best buy to replace a Scenic would be a Kangoo, and I reckon he's right unless I go and buy the new Skoda with removable seats! Of course I'll be buying nothing for some years I hope.

Not for the first time, I've been told they can't make cars like Scenics any more as they can't meet safety standards. The Scenic has had 5 stars since 2003 or something like that, but maybe the standards have changed?
 
Not for the first time, I've been told they can't make cars like Scenics any more as they can't meet safety standards.
Thats a new one, not heard that before! The last Scenic alternative we had was the Kia Rondo which was pretty current for safety standards... Are they suggesting top heavy faux 4WDs are the only safe option?
 
Thats a new one, not heard that before! The last Scenic alternative we had was the Kia Rondo which was pretty current for safety standards... Are they suggesting top heavy faux 4WDs are the only safe option?
They are saying that the criteria for awarding 5-star safety are now stricter than before. The Arkana has 5-star safety but they say it is better 5-star safety than before. I need to do some homework on that one.
 
They are saying that the criteria for awarding 5-star safety are now stricter than before. The Arkana has 5-star safety but they say it is better 5-star safety than before. I need to do some homework on that one.

The criteria are indeed stricter, the 5 star Scenic/Megane 2 we have would at best be 3 stars now. But what gives you the extra stars these days is add on tech, not so much the structure.

Although there is a recent push to do better in small overlap tests, the big push is for things like autonomous braking, blind spot monitoring etc etc. All things that have nothing to do with the "type" or shape of the vehicle.
 
Thats a new one, not heard that before! The last Scenic alternative we had was the Kia Rondo which was pretty current for safety standards... Are they suggesting top heavy faux 4WDs are the only safe option?

Haakon, much as I appreciate your contribution to A/F, your constant carry-on regarding a particular style of vehicle is bordering on deliberate misinformation much in the same category as that spruiked by a former member of the coalition who was given the arse because of his inaccurate, incorrect, misleading and dangerous comments re vaccines. From every post you make one would expect to see piles of inverted SUV's at every corner and that is just not the case. Now, I've driven bloody great trucks considerably higher than any SUV at about 4.2m and weighing a lot more and with a higher C of G but have never stuck one on it's side or on it's roof, all without the benefit of the modern technology that comes standard with every modern car, coupe, ute, SUV, truck etc. Either you really are a shit driver or you maybe just need to get out more. And, if your driving skills are that bad may I humbly suggest you never turn off your electronic stability program, and if you haven't got one of those, perhaps you could restrict your biased and misleading comments to vehicles of the same vintage as the ones you drive! Thank You!
 
Herald Sun reviewer gave the car 3 stars.
‘A fresh flavour that stands out from the compact SUV crowd, French quirks and all’
 
Herald Sun reviewer gave the car 3 stars.
‘A fresh flavour that stands out from the compact SUV crowd, French quirks and all’

The herald sun, pinnacle of excellence in journalism ;)
 
Herald Sun reviewer gave the car 3 stars.
‘A fresh flavour that stands out from the compact SUV crowd, French quirks and all’
French quirks eh? If the Prius were a Renault, what WOULD they say about quirks?
 
Last edited:
A horrifying statistic I recall.
In the US over 5000 fatalities were caused by single vehicle SUV rollovers alone.
The Yanks went to war for 20 years in Af. due to the 9/11 twin towers attack which
took only 3-4000 lives.
Yes, statistics can be used to prove any point.
They don't wear seatbelts etc. Head injuries, roof collapse and a propensity for rollovers...
Thankfully, SUV's are a lot safer now.
Their drivers know this, probably explaining why they are more likely to tailgate and bully
a small low car...closer still with a bull bar...
 
A horrifying statistic I recall.
In the US over 5000 fatalities were caused by single vehicle SUV rollovers alone.
The Yanks went to war for 20 years in Af. due to the 9/11 twin towers attack which
took only 3-4000 lives.
Yes, statistics can be used to prove any point.
They don't wear seatbelts etc. Head injuries, roof collapse and a propensity for rollovers...
Thankfully, SUV's are a lot safer now.
Their drivers know this, probably explaining why they are more likely to tailgate and bully
a small low car...closer still with a bull bar...
An analysis of the increasing death rate on Victorian country roads does not reveal vehicle configuration as a cause. The poor condition of the country road network, collisions with trucks, fatigue, drug and alcohol impairment and excessive speed for road conditions are all recognized factors. Single vehicle fatalities are caused by fatigue, drug or alcohol impairment, excessive speed, animal impact or avoidance, medical episodes and rarely mechanical or tyre failure. Single vehicle fatacs sometimes have no known cause and sadly suicide is a rare factor. Suicides are removed from the accident stats.
 
Sadly, you'd suspect suicide is under-estimated too. The best we seem to get from the police is the useful "speed is believed to have been a factor". Unless stationary, that is stating the obvious, so be super-polite!
 
Herald Sun reviewer gave the car 3 stars.
‘A fresh flavour that stands out from the compact SUV crowd, French quirks and all’
What a stupid and completely useless description that is. The car is bulky, has a non-flat floor when seats are folded forward and has such a bad rear roofline that you can't fit bulky things in. Those aren't French quirks, they are bad design. Better off getting a Hyundai or a Mazda or a secondhand Tiguan.
 
What a stupid and completely useless description that is. The car is bulky, has a non-flat floor when seats are folded forward and has such a bad rear roofline that you can't fit bulky things in. Those aren't French quirks, they are bad design. Better off getting a Hyundai or a Mazda or a secondhand Tiguan.

So you have had a look at one now, John? 😀😀😀
 
So you have had a look at one now, John? 😀😀😀
On the fourth attempt... Fourth!! The two young people were courteous and helpful, knew practically nothing, asked if my Scenic was a Peugeot. They apologised for understaffing (I think neither was actually a salesperson). They did manage to find a key to an Arkana, still parked proudly at the front with all its plastic shrouding still on the car.

Anyway, the Arkana is useless to me. You don't even get a flat floor when the rear seats are folded down (ah, said that already). The Scenic is vastly more usable. I have to say I wasn't much impressed. No doubt it drives quite nicely.

I've written to Renault Australia, in praise of the two young people and critical of everything else.

The only Renault remotely useful to me would be a Kangoo. Hang on, there's an idea! I asked them whether I could buy one with the rear seats available elsewhere and they didn't know of course. I'm sure the answer is no.
 
What a stupid and completely useless description that is. The car is bulky, has a non-flat floor when seats are folded forward and has such a bad rear roofline that you can't fit bulky things in. Those aren't French quirks, they are bad design. Better off getting a Hyundai or a Mazda or a secondhand Tiguan.
Not defending the article. They are superficial and contacted them in the past complaining. The answer is that it is just a general impression for the average buyer. They are limited by resources and space.
On the other hand they do drive many different makes and one would think that they have a good relative handle on what they are writing? Does bias and 'incentives' come into play - who knows ;)

Anyway, this trend/style is just a fugglyfication of the various makers basic styling, a bit schizo - less practical as far as space and rear vision, just a bit easier to get into if you are an invalid.
 
Not defending the article. They are superficial and contacted them in the past complaining. The answer is that it is just a general impression for the average buyer. They are limited by resources and space.
On the other hand they do drive many different makes and one would think that they have a good relative handle on what they are writing? Does bias and 'incentives' come into play - who knows ;)

Anyway, this trend/style is just a fugglyfication of the various makers basic styling, a bit schizo - less practical as far as space and rear vision, just a bit easier to get into if you are an invalid.
Fair enough and I certainly didn't mean to imply you were defending the article. :) Most motoring journalists don't seem to know the customer base for the vehicles and how they'd use them - half their evaluation is irrelevant to the buyers, who mostly want a fridge (also not be being critical of said buyers) but relevant to the motoring journalists.

We actually bought our first Scenic using ease of getting in and out as the main criterion. My wife's back wasn't aging as well as our 20-year old Peugeot 306 (fabulous and almost 100% reliable over 20 years from new despite not being a Toyota :) ) and we borrowed a Scenic from a friend for a few days. The Peugeot was a "curl down into" car where the Scenic is a "slide across into" car! We then discovered how wonderfully versatile it is. The love affair started ten years ago and my wife's hasn't missed a beat in ten years (it's now 16 years old but nearly as new).

The young bloke was amazed by the Scenic (and by then I'd explained it was a Renault not a Peugeot) but said you can't make cars like that AND have 5-star safety. I explained that the Scenic had 5-star safety more than 15 years earlier....

Mustn't rant but I am a tad irritated by the local Suzuki dealer and Renault's failure to market a vehicle I'd want to buy. Sigh.....
 
Fair enough and I certainly didn't mean to imply you were defending the article. :) Most motoring journalists don't seem to know the customer base for the vehicles and how they'd use them - half their evaluation is irrelevant to the buyers, who mostly want a fridge (also not be being critical of said buyers) but relevant to the motoring journalists.

We actually bought our first Scenic using ease of getting in and out as the main criterion. My wife's back wasn't aging as well as our 20-year old Peugeot 306 (fabulous and almost 100% reliable over 20 years from new despite not being a Toyota :) ) and we borrowed a Scenic from a friend for a few days. The Peugeot was a "curl down into" car where the Scenic is a "slide across into" car! We then discovered how wonderfully versatile it is. The love affair started ten years ago and my wife's hasn't missed a beat in ten years (it's now 16 years old but nearly as new).

The young bloke was amazed by the Scenic (and by then I'd explained it was a Renault not a Peugeot) but said you can't make cars like that AND have 5-star safety. I explained that the Scenic had 5-star safety more than 15 years earlier....

Mustn't rant but I am a tad irritated by the local Suzuki dealer and Renault's failure to market a vehicle I'd want to buy. Sigh.....

The earth's population is currently 7.9 billion. Whilst some of that number may not have a an income or a driver's licence, undoubtedly a vast number do. Renault and it's partners are a global manufacturing and sales force. Between Renault, Dacia, Lada, Samsung, Nissan and Mitsubishi are literally a thousand varieties of various forms of domestic transport. Considering that Australia is a right hand drive country and we are just 26 million people (not all with an income or a drivers licence) Ateco are quite right to try and increase their sales by focusing on a flavour of the month style of vehicle. There does not appear to be a RHD Scenic on offer in the UK so I'd suggest that the market is just not there, even for a population twice that of Australia's.
 
The earth's population is currently 7.9 billion. Whilst some of that number may not have a an income or a driver's licence, undoubtedly a vast number do. Renault and it's partners are a global manufacturing and sales force. Between Renault, Dacia, Lada, Samsung, Nissan and Mitsubishi are literally a thousand varieties of various forms of domestic transport. Considering that Australia is a right hand drive country and we are just 26 million people (not all with an income or a drivers licence) Ateco are quite right to try and increase their sales by focusing on a flavour of the month style of vehicle. There does not appear to be a RHD Scenic on offer in the UK so I'd suggest that the market is just not there, even for a population twice that of Australia's.
I think you are completely correct Kim. Just that it doesn't suit me well (although a Dacia Duster might, or a 4-seat Kangoo). Ateco needs to be profitable (although they won't be if many dealers are as hopeless as our local one). And Korea is probably a better place to source vehicles than France, based on distance and manufacturing costs.

Renault has stopped making RHD Scenics AFAIK (and the current Scenic doesn't have the rear seat configuration that is so good for our purposes). Ours has three separate seats, each adjustable fore-aft and for rake, with two folding options and complete removal for bigger loads. Briliant cars but Scenic II sales were so poor in Oz that we didn't even get the Scenic III. I think they were about $40K and the Hyundai "equivalant" probably 20% cheaper or even cheaper than that.

For me, there are plenty of better options out there than the Arkana, that's for sure. We'll keep the Scenics for quite a while it seems.
 
Last edited:
Top