2021 Renault Arkana Launched in Australia

[Fordman]

Dropped in for a look at the Arkana today.
Overall, my opinion is that people will buy this. Not suitable for me, I prefer the Koleos for it's size generally.
I was surprised at the fore/aft depth of the boot space, I think similar or greater than Koleos. Shallower of course with the sloped rear hatch, but with the clever lower floor, quite a usable boot area.
But that is at the expense of rear seat leg room - something has to give, as the car is shorter than Koleos. A factor in favour of the Koleos when I bought it was the excellent adult leg room in the back seats. The Arkana is very limited when the front seats are fully back. Front seats are more than adequate for a tall person. The car is lower than the Koleos and it feels like it when you sit in it, but probably still higher than many/most sedan cars.
I think it looks good, and different enough to appeal to a buyer who might want something of a coupe style. After all, these have been fairly popular in the past, we called them liftbacks.
I didn't drive it, and I'm not a fan of small turbo engines, but a 1.3 turbo probably gives it a reasonable performance.

The rear end photo shows the considerable difference in styling. (Arkana near, Koleos behind).

In fact, looking at the above photo, I don't even get why they call this an SUV. Just confusing, and IMO selling this car short.

 

[Kim Luck]

Dropped in for a look at the Arkana today.
Overall, my opinion is that people will buy this. Not suitable for me, I prefer the Koleos for it's size generally.
I was surprised at the fore/aft depth of the boot space, I think similar or greater than Koleos. Shallower of course with the sloped rear hatch, but with the clever lower floor, quite a usable boot area.
But that is at the expense of rear seat leg room - something has to give, as the car is shorter than Koleos. A factor in favour of the Koleos when I bought it was the excellent adult leg room in the back seats. The Arkana is very limited when the front seats are fully back. Front seats are more than adequate for a tall person. The car is lower than the Koleos and it feels like it when you sit in it, but probably still higher than many/most sedan cars.
I think it looks good, and different enough to appeal to a buyer who might want something of a coupe style. After all, these have been fairly popular in the past, we called them liftbacks.
I didn't drive it, and I'm not a fan of small turbo engines, but a 1.3 turbo probably gives it a reasonable performance.

The rear end photo shows the considerable difference in styling. (Arkana near, Koleos behind).

View attachment 136385View attachment 136386

I believe that Renault initially considered the new Koleos as a seven/eight seater with an extra row of seats but decided that it was too cramped. They left it as a five seater with exemplary rear leg room. Anyone over six foot three who has driven an R10 or R16 with adult rear passengers needed to be able to adopt the Morris 850 style of legs splayed to ensure the rear seat passengers survived the trip. I still find most small to medium cars have no rear leg room, the new Koleos is an exception.

 

[JohnW]

Dropped in for a look at the Arkana today.
Overall, my opinion is that people will buy this. Not suitable for me, I prefer the Koleos for it's size generally.
I was surprised at the fore/aft depth of the boot space, I think similar or greater than Koleos. Shallower of course with the sloped rear hatch, but with the clever lower floor, quite a usable boot area.
But that is at the expense of rear seat leg room - something has to give, as the car is shorter than Koleos. A factor in favour of the Koleos when I bought it was the excellent adult leg room in the back seats. The Arkana is very limited when the front seats are fully back. Front seats are more than adequate for a tall person. The car is lower than the Koleos and it feels like it when you sit in it, but probably still higher than many/most sedan cars.
I think it looks good, and different enough to appeal to a buyer who might want something of a coupe style. After all, these have been fairly popular in the past, we called them liftbacks.
I didn't drive it, and I'm not a fan of small turbo engines, but a 1.3 turbo probably gives it a reasonable performance.

The rear end photo shows the considerable difference in styling. (Arkana near, Koleos behind).

View attachment 136385View attachment 136386

In fact, looking at the above photo, I don't even get why they call this an SUV. Just confusing, and IMO selling this car short.

I imagine you are completely right. They seem to have Renault Arkanas south of the river then, not the "north of the river" Suzuki variant with white plastic stuck all over the cars. I read a review in the Irish Times and they were quite complimentary. Not suitable for me but they'll penetrate the market at their pricing rather better than the Scenic II model did 15 years ago.

 

[JohnW]

I believe that Renault initially considered the new Koleos as a seven/eight seater with an extra row of seats but decided that it was too cramped. They left it as a five seater with exemplary rear leg room. Anyone over six foot three who has driven an R10 or R16 with adult rear passengers needed to be able to adopt the Morris 850 style of legs splayed to ensure the rear seat passengers survived the trip. I still find most small to medium cars have no rear leg room, the new Koleos is an exception.

You don't mean the Koleos is a small to medium car??

 

[Kim Luck]

You don't mean the Koleos is a small to medium car??

It's actually a small to medium car. Never forget that even the 4X4 weighs 17kg less than it's two predecessors.

 

[Haakon]

Shame the Megane wagon got canned...

 

[Kim Luck]

Shame the Megane wagon got canned...

And the Megane sedan......

 

[Fordman]

I imagine you are completely right. They seem to have Renault Arkanas south of the river then, not the "north of the river" Suzuki variant with white plastic stuck all over the cars. I read a review in the Irish Times and they were quite complimentary. Not suitable for me but they'll penetrate the market at their pricing rather better than the Scenic II model did 15 years ago.

I should have turned around and photographed the dealership. Yes, a full showroom and frontage dedicated to Renault. I think every vehicle in my photos in their front yard is a Renault, including commercials. The sales staff were dedicated Renault staff.
The side of the building, and the separate showroom is for Mahindra, believe it or not, a name I haven't seen for many years - and they look quite decent commercial 4x4s now, not that I looked too closely.
The Nissan component of this dealership, previously the main franchise, has now completely gone from here, I think they are now in Canning Highway Melville.
By the way, this Melville Renault dealership is on corner of Leach highway and Rome Road.

 

[JohnW]

I should have turned around and photographed the dealership. Yes, a full showroom and frontage dedicated to Renault. I think every vehicle in my photos in their front yard is a Renault, including commercials. The sales staff were dedicated Renault staff.
The side of the building, and the separate showroom is for Mahindra, believe it or not, a name I haven't seen for many years - and they look quite decent commercial 4x4s now, not that I looked too closely.
The Nissan component of this dealership, previously the main franchise, has now completely gone from here, I think they are now in Canning Highway Melville.
By the way, this Melville Renault dealership is on corner of Leach highway and Rome Road.

I must visit again. Last time I was there I won the raffle and got a framed and signed F1 photograph with Daniel R! Proper Renault dealer. Thanks for that.

 

[REN TIN TIN]

But the elephant in the room is that the Arkana costs more than the Koleos.
$33990 RRP for Koleos Life, $38670 for the Arkana Zen which is the base model.
$39427 RRP for Koleos Zen, $41248 for the Arkana Intens which is the mid range model.
These are RRP from the Renault website and no, they're not the wrong way around. The RRP for Koleos is less than Arkana.
I have no doubt that the Arkana is priced to compete with it's immediate rivals from the other car brands.
If you're in the Renault showroom and you have a Koleos and Arkana in front of you, would you pay up to five grand more for the Arkana?
I haven't done the comparison of features in the Arkana vs Koleos, and there might be a few more features in the Arkana over the equivalent Koleos. But either the Koleos is exceptionally good value or the Arkana (and the equivalents in the other brands) are overpriced. It's no wonder that mid-sized SUVs clutter up our roads and car parks if you have to pay more for a smaller car.

Cheers
RTT

 

[JohnW]

It's actually a small to medium car. Never forget that even the 4X4 weighs 17kg less than it's two predecessors.

All relative I guess. Too big for me.

But the elephant in the room is that the Arkana costs more than the Koleos.
$33990 RRP for Koleos Life, $38670 for the Arkana Zen which is the base model.
$39427 RRP for Koleos Zen, $41248 for the Arkana Intens which is the mid range model.
These are RRP from the Renault website and no, they're not the wrong way around. The RRP for Koleos is less than Arkana.
I have no doubt that the Arkana is priced to compete with it's immediate rivals from the other car brands.
If you're in the Renault showroom and you have a Koleos and Arkana in front of you, would you pay up to five grand more for the Arkana?
I haven't done the comparison of features in the Arkana vs Koleos, and there might be a few more features in the Arkana over the equivalent Koleos. But either the Koleos is exceptionally good value or the Arkana (and the equivalents in the other brands) are overpriced. It's no wonder that mid-sized SUVs clutter up our roads and car parks if you have to pay more for a smaller car.

Cheers
RTT

I hadn't noticed. Thanks. I wonder why - they are both out of Korea. Perhaps it is that Nissan platform on the Koleos. The nearest thing on the market that works for me with internal space is perhaps the Skoda Karoq, but it is academic really so I'd better stop confusing this thread and wait a few years.

 

[Fordman]

Regarding the model name confusion, I think the Zen and Intens are staying relatively similar in option level to the previous (ie, Koleos) models, it's just that they have dropped the base model and introduced a higher level the RS Line.

As I mentioned earlier, I think they have dropped the base model level, and we should compare Zen for Zen, with similar equipment levels.
Then the Arkana is about $1000 less than Koleos.

 

[Haakon]

https://www.drive.com.au/caradvice/...=acm&utm_content=article_8&utm_medium=partner

 

[Kim Luck]

https://www.drive.com.au/caradvice/...=acm&utm_content=article_8&utm_medium=partner

Apart from emanating from the well known Murdoch Misinformation stables this article is, after all, just another opinion piece. Car manufacturers spend a lot of time and money on researching their markets, they hold blind tests where members of the public get to ogle unbranded vehicles and mark them up for looks or are asked for feedback on various interiors and features. Most people won't take a blind bit of notice of the Drive authors opinion because, as always, their own opinion is a much more important one when it comes to choosing a vehicle.

 

[JohnW]

Apart from emanating from the well known Murdoch Misinformation stables this article is, after all, just another opinion piece. Car manufacturers spend a lot of time and money on researching their markets, they hold blind tests where members of the public get to ogle unbranded vehicles and mark them up for looks or are asked for feedback on various interiors and features. Most people won't take a blind bit of notice of the Drive authors opinion because, as always, their own opinion is a much more important one when it comes to choosing a vehicle.

Especially with this headline:

It’s time to overcome our unhealthy obsession with practicality​

I reckon there's nothing unhealthy about practicality. Personally......

 

[Haakon]

Apart from emanating from the well known Murdoch Misinformation stables this article is, after all, just another opinion piece. Car manufacturers spend a lot of time and money on researching their markets, they hold blind tests where members of the public get to ogle unbranded vehicles and mark them up for looks or are asked for feedback on various interiors and features. Most people won't take a blind bit of notice of the Drive authors opinion because, as always, their own opinion is a much more important one when it comes to choosing a vehicle.

Well, its Peter Costello and Nine Media to be accurate, but same same...

 

[Haakon]

Especially with this headline:

It’s time to overcome our unhealthy obsession with practicality​

I reckon there's nothing unhealthy about practicality. Personally......

I think the title was a bit tongue in cheek - more a dig at those who claim to want practicality yet still buy an SUV...

 

[Kim Luck]

I think the title was a bit tongue in cheek - more a dig at those who claim to want practicality yet still buy an SUV...

You've still got it all wrong, Haakon, I wanted a small 4X4 and when they were released here a Scenic RX4 is what I got. After 10 trouble free years, it was traded in on a Koleos diesel auto 4X4. The Koleos is no bigger inside than the RX4 and perhaps not as flexible in cargo carrying ability but it is as powerful, has more torque and, better for poor road excursions, it has a slushbox auto. You can call it what you like, for me it is practical and I simply call it a Koleos!

 

[Fordman]

https://www.drive.com.au/caradvice/...=acm&utm_content=article_8&utm_medium=partner

Interesting article, a bit of a laugh, good read.
Full of contradictions - what is practical – the least practical? – then it must be the most practical in that case?

Quote: “The same howls of dissent follow coupe-style SUVs. You see it all the time, comments like, ‘Why could you buy a GLC Coupe, when a regular GLC is so much more practical?’ ”
Aussie Frogs: Why would you buy an Arkana, when a Koleos is so much more practical?

Quote: “SUVs seem like the obvious target, but dual-cab utes come in for the same criticism.”
This is one I can partly agree with. If you were a tradie with a couple of kids, or had a decent caravan, possibly a good choice. But I don’t understand how a ute can outsell any other car on the market.

Quote: “Not too long ago, a friend of mine was searching for a new car, and was disheartened because he couldn’t get a new Honda Jazz to replace his two previous Honda Jazzes.”
Aussie Frogs: Substitute Renault Scenic for Honda Jazz.

Quote: “Then there are the practical cars that lack practicality. Let’s say you’re a family of five, with two adults in the front seat, three kids across the rear, but fairly often grandparents along for the ride. Seven seats are a necessity, maybe eight. For that you need an SUV, right? Something practical enough to carry the whole crew, or drop seats and take care of cargo, right? I mean, that must be the answer, three-row SUVs are everywhere. And yet… Cars like the Honda Odyssey and Kia Carnival, though they do still sell, represent a fraction of the sales of something like a Kluger or Prado.”
So, does the author want an even more practical car or what?

I am fortunate to be in a position to own a fun, impractical car as well as a fun practical SUV. Horses for courses.

Cheers.

 

[Kim Luck]

Interesting article, a bit of a laugh, good read.
Full of contradictions - what is practical – the least practical? – then it must be the most practical in that case?.......................................................................................................................

Quote: “Then there are the practical cars that lack practicality. Let’s say you’re a family of five, with two adults in the front seat, three kids across the rear, but fairly often grandparents along for the ride. Seven seats are a necessity, maybe eight. For that you need an SUV, right? Something practical enough to carry the whole crew, or drop seats and take care of cargo, right? I mean, that must be the answer, three-row SUVs are everywhere. And yet… Cars like the Honda Odyssey and Kia Carnival, though they do still sell, represent a fraction of the sales of something like a Kluger or Prado.”
So, does the author want an even more practical car or what?

I am fortunate to be in a position to own a fun, impractical car as well as a fun practical SUV. Horses for courses.

Cheers.

As a "grandparent" with a car and driver's licence I'd much prefer to drive myself to a location at which I might meet the rest of the family. Failing that, and if we all wanted to travel together, I'm covered with an HB licence so can take the whole lot in a coach.....Seven/Eight seat vehicles of any description are for the segment of society who have yet to discover or use birth control.