Renault Rafale is an all-new nameplate aimed at the large Coupé SUV segment.
Renault have been rolling out their Renaulution plan over the last few months and the latest development is an all-new product in unfamiliar territory. The French company has shown a new D-segment coupé SUV called the Rafale and, no surprises here, it’s electrified like so many new Renault products.
The Renault Rafale is being positioned as the company’s flagship product. It’s designed using the new visual language from Gilles Vidal, Renault’s Head of Design.
The new design language is characterised by chiselled shapes, generous curves, and faceted black surfaces.
The name of the vehicle itself comes from the French word for ‘gust of wind’, which is a nod to clean energy as well as Renault’s history in aviation.
The Renault Rafale is 4.71m long, 1.86m wide and 1.61m tall with a wheelbase of 2.74m. The rear windscreen is at a 17-degree tilt, which allowed designers to drop the rear wiper altogether.
Up front, the Rafale features a new radiator grille design around the new Renault diamond logo. The new grille is made up of a constellation of small diamonds in a 3D space. The company says it used AI in a parametric modelling software application to come up with the complex grille design. It also features a unique lighting effect.
Powering the Renault Rafale is either a 200hp E-Tech hybrid powertrain or a 300hp E-Tech 4Control 4X4 hybrid powertrain. Renault claim the base powertrain has the longest range and lowest CO2 emissions in its segment.
The Rafale is built on the modular CMF-CD platform which features multi-link rear suspension and rear-wheel steering, which turns with or in opposition to the front wheels depending on context. At low speeds, this shortens the turning radius to just 10.4 metres while at medium speeds, the car is more stable in turns.
The Rafale also adds Vehicle Motion Control 2, which governs the rear wheels and anticipates loss of friction effectively. The Rafale also has specific springs, shock absorber and roll-bar settings for optimum comfort.
The Renault Rafale will debut two new colours for the brand – White Pearl and Alpine Blue. Alpine White has a satin-matte look and is resistant to UV rays and carwash rollers. Alpine Blue here comes in a shade deeper than it is on the Alpine A110.
