Renault Symbol test drive since 2008 sedan
Presentation Renault Symbol: And from the third window ...
Turkey is visible. More precisely, the surroundings of the Primorsky city of Bodrum, where the test drive of the new Renault Simvol was held. Maxim Sachkov looked at it and looked at it. Photo by the author. My acquaintance with the new symbol at the Moscow car dealership, where its debut took place, was a fleeting one. He looked in a cursory gaze, sat inside, looked into the trunk. I will save questions to the Turkish presentation, I thought, the benefit of waiting for a short time.
On the way to independence
Much has become obvious after the test trip, and the press conference finally placed everything on the shelves. A new symbol joint development of Renault engineers from France, Turkey and Romania. We used the previous, perfectly proven chassis of the second-generation clio model and put it in a new body, this phrase at a press conference was key. The car took the best qualities from the old symbol and became more attractive outwardly, and an additional third side window improved visibility.
The third window really had to come in handy. Perhaps it is really a little better visible (although the previous symbol had normal visibility), but more importantly, something else: due to additional glass and the changed body of the feed, now does not seem a foreign body. And in general, the new symbol looks quite harmonious, which can not be said about the previous model sheet from Clio by increasing the trunk.
But who came up with these door handles?! They were painted as if for another car, and not for the car at all. It would be better if they borrowed from the predecessor let the banged, but tested by time.
Sitting in the passenger seat, he had already begun to grumble, and I did not touch the place, carefully looking for differences from the old symbol in the cabin. Found the edging of the main devices! And the set of equipment in expensive trim levels has become richer. The work of a pair of additional pillows that protect the driver and front passenger, fortunately, did not have to evaluate. But the climatic installation, when there is far beyond thirty degrees, a low bow. With a kind word, he also remembered the one who turned on the heating of the seat (also an innovation). Having finally boiled (in the literal sense), I also fell upon the manufacturers who carefully hid the desired button, in addition, having forgotten to equip it with indication. I remembered everything
While the body is trying to get in the seat with short pillows and backs, hands rummage in search of adjustment in height. He raised the chair, however, for this he had to stand up himself. Now it is much more convenient, only my head practically rests on the ceiling, but I am far from basketball. The symbol has matured, but its inner world remained the same.
The sixteen-valve 1.4-liter engine is surprisingly quietly gaining momentum, almost inaudibly passes from the step to the step of the machine. By the way, the 98-horsepower engine remained alone with the former 75-horsepower units of the same volume of symbols to us will not be supplied. It is possible that later an alternative will appear (for example, 1.6 liter or diesel gasoline with a volume of 1.6 liters), but so far these are only plans. And the extra cubes and strength would not hurt you to go faster, but the car immediately sour. At the same time, the machine also gives misfires: then he will think, then, on the contrary, he encourages reduced gears without need.
With mechanics, the motor looks much more lively, even starting to start on winding paths. A little knocks down only fuzzy inclusion of gears. But only the highway begins to go into the mountains, there are not enough horses again, you have to constantly stick a lowered and carefully measure the distance for overtaking. And although the developers assure that they played the chassis settings, the character of the symbol has not changed. The car is still ready to please the driver and passengers with the first transparent handling, and the rest of the comfortable and omnivorous suspension. Only the brakes became revelation. Previously, the pedal was French soft, and now you have to make a good effort to besiege the Turkish horse.
Soon, not only Turkish landscapes will swim outside the new symbol. They plan to sell a car in the countries of Central and Eastern Europe, the Middle East, Africa and, of course, Russia. We have at a price from 371,000 to 483,000 rubles. Not cheap, especially if you recall that five years ago the cost was one and a half times lower. And now for this money you can’t even buy Logan. Although how to compare it with a symbol of even a third window! _X0008_
On the shore of Turkish
The new symbol was developed in 26 months. It was possible to withstand such a harsh time thanks to modern computer technologies and the second generation of the chassis borrowed from Clio. The costs along with investment in production amounted to about 100 million euros. The car is produced at the Oyak-Renault factory in the Turkish city of Bursa. Here on the same line with a symbol is collected hatchbacks and universals of Clio (third generation), as well as Megan with a sedan body. The maximum capacity of the plant in three -shift operation is 360 thousand cars per year. The main market sales markets are in the immediate vicinity of the enterprise, which allows reducing overhead costs. More than 80% of sales falls on Russia, Turkey, Romania and Algeria.
Renault Symbol got rid of its main problem of unattractive appearance. Most other shortcomings (and advantages) have inherited.
Source: The magazine "Driving"
