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Post by rodge on May 23, 2022 17:21:09 GMT
So I asked the rental company if I could get a different French car for this week and they obliged with a Renault Talisman. Let me say off the bat that this is a car I was completely unaware of until I drove behind one last week. Not sure about the UK but they aren’t available in Ireland. They’re a replacement for the Laguna and have a similar size cabin as the Peugeot I drove last week. This one’s a saloon and after familiarising myself with it, I was disappointed to see that the only connectivity it has is through Bluetooth which doesn’t support Google maps or any other type, meaning I have to use the in car satnav. It works well and directed me along a different route to the hotel, using toll roads, which sliced my journey in half at a cost of €12.20 I’ll happily pay that for a clear 130kmh road and an extra hour which allowed me to watch the finale of the Premier league. the car drives well and is uninspiring. Doesn’t accelerate as well as the Peugeot last week and I’m not as keen on the looks. The boot is big but not as big as an estate obviously. The car is ok, and does things adequately. I’d never entertain buying one. As cars go, it’s of the washing machine/dryer/dishwasher variety, but it’ll do for the next few days.    |
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Post by Big Blue on May 23, 2022 17:49:38 GMT
I always look at these when I’m in France and they’re good family fodder cars.
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Post by Alex on May 24, 2022 5:16:15 GMT
I always look at these when I’m in France and they’re good family fodder cars. How can it be a good family car? It's not an SUV! |
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Post by humphreythepug on May 24, 2022 7:57:48 GMT
We've had the occasional LHD one in work, lovely looking cars.
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Post by PetrolEd on May 24, 2022 9:13:41 GMT
I always look at a top spec Talisman and think its a great looking car. In fact Renault probably have one of the most attractive line ups going, its just a shame we don't get most of them.
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Post by Bob Sacamano v2.0 on May 24, 2022 11:54:51 GMT
I can't see this as a good looking car. I've been off and googled it and looked at more angles and it still looks like a very generic large car design, and slightly dated to me - both inside and out.
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Post by Andy C on May 24, 2022 12:19:47 GMT
Looks like a Passat to me
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Post by Big Blue on May 24, 2022 12:33:54 GMT
It is 6 years old and was conceived as a Passat competitor. For a French owner or fleet manager it would make sense. I like its normalcy in a world of fake vents, bulging design sections and SUVs.
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Post by ChrisM on May 24, 2022 19:44:31 GMT
There are a lot of Renaults sold in France but not in Great Britain. When I bought my Scenic in 1998 Renault's market share was on the up and I think they got to about 10%, but then it all went wrong and plummeted yet they never got rid of their marketing people over here. Sad
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Post by rodge on May 24, 2022 21:12:09 GMT
It turns out that Thursday is a national holiday here so I’ve the day off.
It’s a 2 1/2 hour drive to Geneva and I’m planning on doing that for the day. Never been to Switzerland so should be a good test of the car, along with an opportunity to see somewhere new.
Update on the car, I really like the locking mechanism, where it unlocks and locks the car as you approach or leave it.
Great when you’re carrying stuff and can’t be bothered fumbling for a key fob.
I know Renault have had this feature for a while but it’s one I really like.
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Post by ChrisM on May 25, 2022 6:58:27 GMT
Yes, Thursday is Ascension Day and a public holiday in France and Germany (and maybe several other European countries); I hope Switzerland is open if you do go there.
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Post by PG on May 25, 2022 7:39:27 GMT
It turns out that Thursday is a national holiday here so I’ve the day off. It’s a 2 1/2 hour drive to Geneva and I’m planning on doing that for the day. Never been to Switzerland so should be a good test of the car, along with an opportunity to see somewhere new. Update on the car, I really like the locking mechanism, where it unlocks and locks the car as you approach or leave it. Great when you’re carrying stuff and can’t be bothered fumbling for a key fob. I know Renault have had this feature for a while but it’s one I really like. Have you checked that you can take the French registered hire car (I think you're in France?) into Switzerland? I seem to remember you had to make sure that you had the OK for that. And if you wanted to drive in Switzerland you had to hire from the Swiss side of Geneva airport and for France from the French side. |
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Post by PG on May 25, 2022 7:41:35 GMT
It is 6 years old and was conceived as a Passat competitor. For a French owner or fleet manager it would make sense. I like its normalcy in a world of fake vents, bulging design sections and SUVs. And this is why France still has a car industry. French owners and fleet managers willing to buy average product, over something else, as it's French and built in France. Well, that and the huge government bungs that the industry receives at regular intervals. |
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Post by Bob Sacamano v2.0 on May 25, 2022 9:38:31 GMT
Yes, Thursday is Ascension Day and a public holiday in France and Germany (and maybe several other European countries); I hope Switzerland is open if you do go there. Sometimes they shut up shop so they can count their Nazi gold. |
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Post by rodge on May 25, 2022 10:30:07 GMT
It turns out that Thursday is a national holiday here so I’ve the day off. It’s a 2 1/2 hour drive to Geneva and I’m planning on doing that for the day. Never been to Switzerland so should be a good test of the car, along with an opportunity to see somewhere new. Update on the car, I really like the locking mechanism, where it unlocks and locks the car as you approach or leave it. Great when you’re carrying stuff and can’t be bothered fumbling for a key fob. I know Renault have had this feature for a while but it’s one I really like. Have you checked that you can take the French registered hire car (I think you're in France?) into Switzerland? I seem to remember you had to make sure that you had the OK for that. And if you wanted to drive in Switzerland you had to hire from the Swiss side of Geneva airport and for France from the French side. They did say something to me last week about that. I’ll look into it and drive north anyway, as Annecy is in the same direction and is supposed to be nice. If I can’t get in to Switzerland, I’ll see if I can park at a train station and go across by train or something. |
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Post by Martin on May 25, 2022 10:51:38 GMT
Have you checked that you can take the French registered hire car (I think you're in France?) into Switzerland? I seem to remember you had to make sure that you had the OK for that. And if you wanted to drive in Switzerland you had to hire from the Swiss side of Geneva airport and for France from the French side. They did say something to me last week about that. I’ll look into it and drive north anyway, as Annecy is in the same direction and is supposed to be nice. If I can’t get in to Switzerland, I’ll see if I can park at a train station and go across by train or something. You'd also need a Swiss Motorway Vignette unless you were confident you could get in without touching a motorway. Annecy is nice, had quite a few summer holidays there as a kid. |
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Post by Blarno on May 25, 2022 11:34:05 GMT
It could be a Passat, or an A4, or even a Citroen C5 (Do they still make them?) Do they do an estate version? That's the killer question.
Meanwhile, we get the Arkana, which is...well, I don't know what the fuck that's meant to be. Looks like a French interpretation of an X4.
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Post by Big Blue on May 25, 2022 12:55:42 GMT
Mind out for lone gunmen in Annecy. Yeah, you’d need to tell them you’re crossing a border so they can charge you more for no reason as the vehicle is insured across Europe. Blarno: yes, there is equally handsome/ bland/ inoffensive estate version. |
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Post by rodge on May 26, 2022 15:30:16 GMT
Went to Annecy, it’s stunning and well worth the traffic to get into the city.
Didn’t get shot thankfully…
Did discover on the way back that the car has massage seats, I was trying to lower the seat and brought up the menu for the massage seat. Tried it, it’s kind of weird but I could see it helping on long journeys.
Also saw an estate version of the Talisman and it looks better in that guise.
One thing I’ve discovered with both French cars I’ve had in the past 2 weeks, even when the language is set to English, the error messages are still in French.
The message that popped up today told me the key fob battery is low.
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Post by Bob Sacamano v2.0 on May 26, 2022 18:01:09 GMT
I can’t think of any saloon that doesn’t look better as an estate.
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Post by Blarno on May 27, 2022 11:39:58 GMT
Been saying that for years.
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Post by Ben on May 30, 2022 14:47:33 GMT
Meanwhile, we get the Arkana, which is...well, I don't know what the fuck that's meant to be. Looks like a French interpretation of an X4. It is a French X4, and it is an absolute pile of crap. |
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Post by humphreythepug on May 31, 2022 12:52:28 GMT
Meanwhile, we get the Arkana, which is...well, I don't know what the fuck that's meant to be. Looks like a French interpretation of an X4. It is a French X4, and it is an absolute pile of crap. I think that description is a tad harsh Ben, must admit I don't get it, it also looks awful from the rear, it needs an electric tailgate, however it is nicely appointed inside, drives OK and actually sells really well. I think it is a stop gap until the Austral arrives at somepoint next year, I believe it was already available in other markets so it was re jigged relatively cheaply for Western Europe, it does already look dated against the latest Sportage for example but then it is based on the Captur which is 2 years old now |
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Post by Ben on May 31, 2022 17:01:35 GMT
I've driven it, and my biggest issue is the gearbox, which Renault says is a 'dog-clutch gearbox'. In practice it felt as clunky as a badly-sorted dual-clutch, while also weirdly feeling as whiny as a CVT.
The Talisman does look pretty neat though.
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Post by humphreythepug on May 31, 2022 17:51:27 GMT
I've driven it, and my biggest issue is the gearbox, which Renault says is a 'dog-clutch gearbox'. In practice it felt as clunky as a badly-sorted dual-clutch, while also weirdly feeling as whiny as a CVT. The Talisman does look pretty neat though. The drive train in normal operation is fine, however when pushing on a bit and then needing to make a bit of a sudden stop or slow down, it does have moments, a few times I've been caught out and wondered if I was gong to actually stop as the momentum of the car told me otherwise and it wasn't due to a lack of braking, a "normal" ICE car wouldn't have given me the same bum clenching moment, in a similar situation, its like the gearbox, engine and electric motor weren't sure what to do. As for the "dog clutch gearbox", TBH I'm not sure what that actually means or how it affects the general driving for the positive or negative. |
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