Renault Rafale not quite up to speed

The Rafale is Renault's flagship SUV with the firm's E-Tech hybrid powertrain and a sporty coupe-derived body. Built to rival cars like the Peugeot 408, Audi Q5 and BMW X4, this offers sporty-looking characteristics and low CO2 emissions from its petrol-electric powertrain.

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WHAT'S NEW?

The Rafale is a completely new SUV that completes Renault's variety of jacked-up vehicles, sitting above the Symbioz, Austral, Arkana and Captur.

There will also be a performance-oriented plug-in hybrid model later this year, and mid- to high-spec cars come with 4Control four-wheel steering. But, is it any good?

WHAT'S UNDER THE BONNET?

The standard Rafale only comes with the choice of one powertrain mated to an electric motor, which produces 202bhp and 205Nm of torque. As it's large, it's heavy, so its powertrain takes the car from 0-60mph in 8.7 seconds but runs out of steam at 111mph.

Performance isn't its forte as the engine feels underpowered and too small be in such a large vehicle.

WHAT'S IT LIKE TO DRIVE?

The visibility out of the back is poor with a shallow rear window, tall rear headrests and thick C-pillars. The hybrid powertrain feels unpolished with the engine and electric motor transition feeling clumsy. The automatic gearbox is also hesitant under acceleration and performance is sluggish. Wind and road noise are also rather intrusive.