Test drive by Renault Modus 2005 - 2008 Minivan

All photos Renault Modus 2005 - 2008

Renault Modus

Divide cars into male and female? Nonsense and useless waste of time! There are neither those nor others. But no one canceled the male and female views on the car: we look at the same thing, but with diametrically opposite angles.

Philip Berezin

The division of machines into classes is a highly conditional thing, which (I note, running forward) also proves modus. No, it is by no means useless, and it helps to somehow structure the car mass, which is becoming more and more different. But no matter how you try, there are a lot of exceptions that do not fit into traditional letter segments. Moreover, recently, many compact models with all kinds of chips have appeared: all -wheel drive, with increased road clearance, with unique possibilities of transformation of the salon, etc.

The manufacturer himself, who does not love, by the way, to divide his model range into classes and released more than one car on a joint platform with the Nissan platform, defines Modus as all in one. He, they say, is large and small, and urban and suburban - in short, universal.

I don’t want to argue somehow. Indeed, with a very modest length, less than 380 cm, this car surprises with its capacity. Five people of medium height are in the cabin, not squeezing each other with elbows and shoulders. Just amazing!

The dimensions, of course, do not allow you to take place completely. The driver and front passenger should sit at full load, like schoolchildren at a desk: their backs are vertically evenly, their legs are bent at the knees. But this circumstance does not constrain at all, especially since even if I had the opportunity to push my back, I would refuse it. Sitting at Modus is not too convenient to sit.

The abandonment of the traditional dashboard - no dials, on a small screen, digital and sticks - it seems to me entirely justified. From a perfectly visible road (only the right side mirror, which, no matter how you try, partially blocks the plastic strip that shares the lateral glass) nothing distracts nothing. Of course, finding the tachometer scale on such a display is not easy, but if engine speeds are vital for you, you are unlikely to choose Modus.

After all, this is not an extreme car at all. It is possible to control it with a spark only when the speed exceeds 100 km/h. Acceleration will still not be fast, but the Frenchman’s maneuverability, and the softness of the suspension, which allows to overcome urban road irregularities, without reducing speed, will be appropriate. The rolls are too big, but this is a fee for the aforementioned softness.

How to describe the class belonging of Modus in a few words? I find it difficult to do it. Outside, it resembles a reduced Scenic. But the words are compact station wagon, compact single-coater or even microminiven (it is called differently) does not give ideas about this car. It seems to be toy, but the small size of Modus provides practicality, safety (this is the first 5-star compact EURONCAP), obvious coziness-attractiveness and unpretentiousness in management, which someone will categorically do not suit.

In the recent past, several manufacturers at once presented such models: Peugeot showed the 1007th, and Opel even earlier than Meriva. They differ from each other in size and aesthetics, but they have much more in common. And at prices, by the way, new kids have much ahead of traditional compacts. But who said that small means cheap?

So before us, obviously, the niche model is more suitable for the fair sex

Alexander Korobchenko

They say the first impression is the most true ... When I looked at Renault Modus, a smile formed on my face. I suspect, as naive-free as the muzzle of the French compact. The central air intake in the bumper is a grinning mouth, emphasized yellow (hello to the traffic police officers) turning point in the corners of the Far -Glaz - eyelashes, and the branded rhombus Renault took the place of the nose. And all this was smiling, especially, against the background of a nearby serious and even harsh Renault Symbol.

I sit inside and amazed at the opened view: due to the high windshield and widely arranged side sides, the review is as if you were looking at the screen of the plasma panel spread out throughout the wall. It is spacious here, especially the height of the salon is especially pleasing. Even the seat upwards and my meter to eighty did not lead to their heads on the ceiling. Not bad for a compact close to A-segment! I am looking for a dashboard and do not find it in the usual place. Funny, she was transferred to the center of the torpedo. On its small electronic monitor, all the necessary devices are located, including the line of radio parameters, large speedometer numbers and the screen of the selected gear. The speedometer, by the way, has a step of three to four km/h, and with slow driving with closed gas and it even shows 0 km/h. Where is your seriousness, Modus?

I turn the ignition key, and a 1.6 -liter sixteen -plane - by the way, the most powerful in the gamut - I gave signs of life for a second. And again silence. It stalled, or what? And did not think. Even if you talk in a whisper, the motor is not heard. But it is worth increasing the supply of fuel, and the noise increases significantly, disproportionately for idle. They did not save on noise insulation, and the motor cannot be called quiet. In all senses

I translate the machine gun selector into Drive mode. The car started immediately as soon as the brake pedal rose up. I open the gas, and Modus briskly rushed forward, easily pressing me in the back of a soft (even too soft) seat. Switching occur smoothly and almost imperceptibly. Sometimes it even seems that the transfer here is one, and not four - only fuel is supplied with barely tangible interruptions. This is if you thrust smoothly and add an effort gradually. But if you feel the floor under the right pedal, Renault will become mischievous and pleasantly surprise the unexpected injection of adrenaline. Now the programs are switched with jerks (just as when switching down), and the maximum turns are off for six thousand - just then the limit of its 115 horses is achieved at the modus.
The suspension was beyond praise: this was confirmed by the first tram rails, which decided to take. Shock absorbers swallowed them with exorbitant appetite, without noise and shaking. But it is worth choosing more pits (for example, outside the city), and the suspension stroke is not enough. The modus begins to swing from side to side and voice the holes with deaf characteristic blows. However, his element is a city.

The electronic brake brains independently recognize the force when using the widest of the pedals. That is, if you put it half, the car itself will slow down to a complete stop, gradually increasing the force on each of the calipers. And the steering wheel turned out to be cotton, and not only at low speeds: at a faster pace, he also reacted with delay. Not crime, but it was possible to make it more quickly.

And Modus hinted to me that there was nothing to do with my shoes behind his steering wheel. I'm trying to move my leg from the accelerator to the brake - it does not come out. The foot rested on the right side on the central console, and the left - on the bottom of the left pedal. And this is only the forty -second size not the widest winter shoes. But these are trifles. Men talked in 180 cm modes in a curiosity - a small neat female leg should be pressed on his pedals.

So the smiling of compact Renault can please the male eye, but only in the role of its beloved transport. And in my garage it will not be. The car should cause pride, not a smile.

Sophia Vechedomova

I liked him. He has such outstanding forms if I had such a car, they would talk about me, as once about the owners of Renault Kangoo: she has such a pretty funny machine.

The creator of Modus thought a lot about women. A fairly large mirror is embedded in the visor: so that the lady does not suffer, twisting the rear -view mirror in search of the desired angle. And - what a lovely - a mirror is also on the second visor: so that a passenger girlfriend does not suffer. There are no cigarette lighter (as well as an ashtray) - right, smoking is harmful, especially for women! And their gentlemen with bad habits will have to show gallantry and tolerate.

The machine made it possible to experience all the joy of communicating with an automatic checkpoint! Of course, this is exactly what is needed here! The brake pedal also brought me a lot of interesting minutes: I am a big fan of braking sharply, and she was very sensitive. Therefore, at the first traffic light, a colleague who was sitting in the back seat awake me. By the way, as practice has shown, three passengers can feel completely comfortable behind - especially if they take thick winter clothes.

The dashboard was surprised - because it, in fact, is not. All indicators of the vehicle of the car are reduced to a single round sensor. It looks good. The numbers showing the speed shine coarsely - after all, this is the main indicator on the road. But the gasoline level sensor upset me. As all men know at least from advertising, the main female breakdown is when gasoline ends. To be honest, something like this is. Two times, good knights with cans of cans have already saved me on the road. And now I would like that, when approaching the dangerous threshold, the scoreboard shimmers with all the colors of the rainbow and, preferably, spoke in a human voice: dear, gasoline ends!. Modus offers the option easier - when there is little gasoline, a red light begins to flash on a bright orange scoreboard, which you cannot immediately see.

Well, of course, I could not help but try to do my branded female trick: to move the chair back and forth while driving. What for? Yes, in fact, sometimes heels interfere with sitting at the usual distance, and it is usually found usually after the car was touched by everything I succeeded - it is easy to find a long lever, the chair moves smoothly. Adjustments of the driver's seat are very good: for any growth.

I would also like to note the wide - I would even say, the widest - a review in the car. It is clearly visible not only those who are ahead, but also those who are overtaking: volumetric glasses allow you to trust side vision. I was pleased with the size of the trunk - the number of things that will fit in it will satisfy the most demanding coquette that goes to the prestigious resort. I think it will even be convenient to go in it, lying in the pose of the embryo. And if you fold the rear seats, then you can even carry such large goods that the average girl will not think about. What suggests that a car may like not only a lady, but also a completely brutal city driver. And in the end, the cigarette lighter has where to attach, there is a nest between the seats!

So the car can be liked not only by the lady, but also by a completely brutal city driver. And in the end, the cigarette lighter has where to attach, there is a nest between the seats!

Prices for Modus begin at $ 16,669. In this amount, a car with a manual transmission is estimated at a 75-horsepower engine. The database has a driver’s seat, ABS, central castle, headlight washing, fog, heating the front seats. A version with a 100-horsepower 1.4-liter engine costs from $ 18,169, on the test there was a car with a 1.6-liter 115-horsepower engine and automatic transmission (price-from $ 20,879).