Renault Safrane

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Renault Safrane
The original 1992-1996 Renault Safrane The original 1992-1996 Renault Safrane
Manufacturer Renault
Production 1992–2000
Predecessor Renault 25
Successor Renault Vel Satis
Class Executive car
Body style(s) 5-door liftback
Layout Front engine, front-wheel drive / four-wheel drive

The Renault Safrane is an executive car designed and built by the French manufacturer Renault from 1992 to 2000. Throughout its lifespan it remained the most expensive and most luxurious Renault available. It was replaced by the Vel Satis, and to some extent by the short-lived two-door Avantime.

Contents

[edit] Background

The Safrane was launched in late 1992 as a 1993 model to replace the ageing Renault 25 in the full-size market segment. Its clean, aerodynamic styling was quite conservative and very typical of early 1990s car design, also quite reminiscent of the 25's.

All Safranes were five-door liftbacks with transversely mounted engines. Front-wheel drive and four-wheel drive versions were available, with a range of petrol or diesel engines and manual or automatic transmissions. All petrol engines were fuel-injected and were fitted with three-way catalytic converters, as required in Europe after 1993 for engines of all sizes. The Safrane was also the first Renault to be equipped with air bags.

[edit] History

The Safrane carried over the Renault 25's five-door hatchback design that had gained wide customer acceptance in France. Despite the traditional preference for sedan bodies in the executive car segment, Renault decided to compete on the base of added practicality of the rear tailgate and split-folding rear seat (not available from most sedan-bodied competitors), as well as originality. Given the preference for German sedans from Audi, BMW and Mercedes-Benz of many executive car buyers, this can be viewed as good marketing tactics, allowing Renault to draw the buyers looking for alternatives anyway, rather than compete head-on. Interestingly, the Safrane featured slightly (but visibly) different front ends in different front versions, in an attempt to emphasize the unique status of more upmarket models.

The Safrane's design was a deliberate effort to overcome the 25's main weaknesses - insufficient chassis stiffness and poor build quality. Renault was also keen to take noise reduction to best-in-class levels. These constraints resulted in a much heavier car than its predecessor (+200-300 kg / 440-660 lb.) due to a heavily reinforced chassis and the liberal use of sound-proofing materials.

At launch in 1992, the Safrane offered six engines including one diesel:

  • 2.0-liter, 8v I4, 107 bhp (80 kW/108 PS) (in markets such as France where engine size was a factor in yearly registration costs)
  • 2.2-liter, 8v Douvrin I4, 110 bhp (82 kW/112 PS) (in other markets)
  • 2.0-liter, 12v I4, 140 bhp (104 kW/142 PS) (only in markets such as Italy where engines above 2 liters are heavily taxed)
  • 2.2-liter, 12v Douvrin I4, 140 bhp (104 kW/142 PS) (in other markets)
  • 3.0-liter, 12v PRV V6, 170 bhp (127 kW/172 PS)
  • 2.1-liter, 8v I4 turbodiesel, 90 bhp (67 kW/91 PS)

The Safrane's launch was free of the grave build quality problems that ruined the Renault 25's career. Critics praised the car's comfortable and spacious interior, excellent noise insulation, and incisive handling. However, the manual transmission's cable-actuated shifter (a first on a Renault) drew heavy criticism for its rubbery, uncommunicative feeling that spoiled the driving experience - a significant issue in the European market where more than 80% of cars sold are manuals.

Critics would also conclude that the car's acceleration and fuel economy was not up to the competition's standards, pointing out towards the engine's relative lack of power and torque compared to the vehicle's weight. As a result, sales outside France (where national preference guaranteed good results) remained limited, and the Safrane did not break the Germans' lock on the executive car market.

In late 1993, a 115-bhp, 2.5-liter turbodiesel has been added to the range, increasing Safrane's attractiveness, yet it faced tough competition from the likes of Audi's 140 bhp (104 kW/142 PS) direct-injection diesel of the same size, introduced a few months later in the Audi 100.

[edit] Safrane Biturbo

In 1994, Renault launched the high-performance 'Biturbo' version available in RXE and baccara finition. This model featured a twin-turbo, 262 hp (195 kW) evolution of the 3.0-liter V6 of alpine A610, developed with the assistance of German tuning firm Hartgeand Irmcher, coupled with all wheel drive. However, it was only available with a manual transmission, as no automatic gearbox existed anywhere in the world for a transversely mounted engine of that horsepower with AWD. Given that automatic transmissions and V8 engines are strongly preferred in the price class where Biturbo competed, it is not surprising that less than 1000 Biturbos were sold.Production ended in September 1996.

[edit] Long Cours

In the same year, the French coachbuilder Heuliez presented the Long Cours, which was something like a station wagon version of the Safrane Biturbo in luxury Baccara trim.

[edit] Facelift

The Phase 2 Renault Safrane
The Phase 2 Renault Safrane

Renault gave the Safrane a major upgrade in 1996 in order to revive sales. The front and rear ends of the car were restyled in a much more modern fashion and the equipment levels upgraded. The concept that every trim level got a slightly different front end was retained. A redesign of the manual transmission's cable actuator solved the shift-quality issue, while a new Aisin Warner automatic transmission replaced the somewhat unreliable Renault unit.

The engine lineup was completely renewed:

The 4- and 5-cylinder petrol engines were Volvo designs and their inclusion in the Safrane lineup was a result of Renault's short-lived alliance with the Swedish carmaker in the early 1990s (the B41 was also fitted in some Lagunas). The V6 was an all-new PSA-Renault design and drew wide praise[citation needed] for its abundant low- and mid-range torque, even if the Germans offered 10-20 bhp more out of the same displacement. The turbodiesel was an all-new in-house design and was well received too.

It should be noted however that while the Volvo engine designs would externally appear to be a domestic Volvo, there are apparently minor differences which mean that normal Volvo parts or tools cannot be used. On the 5 cylinder 2.5 litre engine, the twin Camshaft wheels are different to those of the Volvo 850 and thus when changing the Timing belt normal Volvo locking tools can not be used. This can cause severe confusion for many mechanics who find a surprise when attempting maintenance. The 2.5 engine is also actually a 2.4 being 2435 cc. While sold by Renault as a 2.5, 2435 is defined as 2400 when rounded down according to engineering standards. To be officially recognised as 2.5 the engine would need to be 2460 cc at a minimum in order to be rounded up.

[edit] Questor

A rare 1998 Renault Safrane QuestorX
A rare 1998 Renault Safrane QuestorX

Along with the Phase 2 Safrane, Renault also offered a Safrane variant called the Questor which also relied on the Volvo powerplants mentioned above. The Questor differs with the front grill having an extended silver piece around the Renault diamond and also factory fitted satellite navigation which is a Phillips Carin 520 with infra-red remote control. While the Questor is plentiful in France (with extra accessories such as headlight jet washers) few are seen in the UK. The model in the above image is a rare UK model 1998 Safrane QuestorX 2.5 litre.

[edit] End of life and future of Renault's executive offerings

The modernisation did not bring about a significant breakthrough in sales results, and the model was finally discontinued in 2000, having sold less than the Renault 25 it had replaced. For 2001, it was replaced by the much more radically styled Vel Satis, accompanied by the original "tall 2-door" Avantime. The Vel Satis does not fare too well either, while the Avantime's design didn't find widespread acceptance in the marketplace and the model was quickly discontinued.

Renault's dismal performance in the executive car segment for the past fifteen years, combined with its successful takeover of Nissan, have led some industry observers to speculate whether the company will pull out of the segment altogether. The European launch of Nissan's Infiniti luxury brand, scheduled for 2008, points in that direction. However, French car magazine L'Auto-Journal reported in August 2007 that Renault is planning a successor to the Vel Satis, derived from the Samsung SM7.

[edit] External links

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« previous — Renault car timeline, 1980s–present
Type 1980s 1990s 2000s
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
City car Twingo Twingo II
Supermini 5 / 7 Super 5 Clio I Clio II / Thalia Clio III
Small family car 14 9 / 11 19 Mégane I Mégane II Mégane III
Large family car 18 21 Laguna I Laguna II Laguna III
Executive car 20 / 30 25 Safrane Vel Satis
Leisure activity vehicle Kangoo I Kangoo II
SUV Koleos
Mini MPV Modus
Compact MPV Scénic I Scénic II
Large MPV Espace I Espace II Espace III Espace IV
Coupé Fuego Avantime
Roadster Spider