AnthonyG Posted December 19, 2011 Share Posted December 19, 2011 Autocar or AutoExpress claimed that the Wind was designed with the UK market in mind, due to our love of convertibles and coupe cabriolets. I think that's bollocks, surely Renault UK would have told them to come up with a better name than that if we were the biggest market? I also read recently that the Laguna name will die worldwide when the 3rd generation ends. In some markets you can buy something called the Fluence (sp?) which appears to be a booted Laguna. I guess that replaces it going forward. Out of the four getting dumped, only the Espace surprises me. But then you see a lot more Galaxys and the new VW/Seat thing then you do Espaces. The S-Max, which is very common, is not much smaller either. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luxobarges_Are_Us Posted December 19, 2011 Share Posted December 19, 2011 I am pretty sure the Flatulence is a Megane derivative. Doesn't matter, though, because the Megane is big enough/too big, as are all of its competitors. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AnthonyG Posted December 19, 2011 Share Posted December 19, 2011 . It has the potential to be another ‘Fuego’ type of car. The difference is that the Fuego was pretty successful over here, at least in the first couple of years. There weren't many FWD coupes around in the early 1980s, and it was cheaper than the Scirocco, and was probably nicer to drive than a basic Capri 1.6 or other RWD coupe. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Timewaster Posted December 19, 2011 Share Posted December 19, 2011 PROTON sell $u3K all cars......... Well, I love my SAVVY But you haven't bought a new one lately have you? For us to bemoan the death of the Espace is irrelevant to Renault as none of us are likely to buy one. It reminds me of all the wailing and gnashing of teeth from the Land Rover "Lets off road!" brigade at the dc100 concept.Not one of them has ever bought a new Land Rover, and therefore LR aren't going to listen to them. Incidently, in 1979 Renault was the biggest car importer into the UK. I read that at the weekend. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
406V6 Posted December 19, 2011 Share Posted December 19, 2011 Renault are paying the price for building cars whose engineering was total s**t. A work colleague had one of those fat ass Meganes. When a headlamp bulb blew he couldn't get to it to change it. It ended up going to the dealer who charged £120 to dismantle the front of the car to get to the bulbs. Ker-ching. Then there were the Lagunas with gearbox that self-destructed and the older Meganes with an engine that just stopped working (camshaft problem) even in my colleague's low mileage example. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Felly Magic Posted December 19, 2011 Share Posted December 19, 2011 Does anyone remember the Clio bonnet catch affair? That ended up on Watchdog, and a mate of mine unknowingly bought a Clio that this happened to. Turns out when he'd done some digging, the car had been written off due to the damage sustained when the catch failed. Not long after he found this out, the engine went BANG. In the end he'd had his fill of that car (53 plate) and sent it over the bridge, and swore blind never to own a Renault again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bren Posted December 19, 2011 Share Posted December 19, 2011 I have owned a MK1 Laguna auto and a R5 GT turbo (most under - rated hot hatch ever). Auto box on the laguna was a nightmare - had it repaired and got rid before it went again. As for the turbo, well, clutch, turbo were among the myriad of things replaced. Both were nice cars but lacklustre engineering and lack of attention to detail affected them both big time. It's survival of the fittest, unfortunately renault are out of shape at the mo. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cort16 Posted December 19, 2011 Share Posted December 19, 2011 Luxo I'm pretty sure the little fart is based on the twingo. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mash Posted December 19, 2011 Share Posted December 19, 2011 I think Renault and Nissan have seriously lost their way. All these crossover bullshit vehicles are doing my head in - how many more almost identical niche vehicles can the Nissan range cope with? I quite liked the Mk2 Laguna and the last Primera from a styling point of view, it's a shame they've been dogged with issues and/or poor sales. Also, has anyone actually seen a K13 Micra outside of a showroom??? No, me neither. Koleos and Juke are both ugly as sin in my humble opinion, dark days indeed for two once great manufacturers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rusty Pelican Posted December 19, 2011 Share Posted December 19, 2011 Renault are paying the price for building cars whose engineering was total s**t. + 1 , they really do fall apart , blow up and have no build quality whatsover .Stepdaughter has a Cleo 172 , its had a new engine , rust repairs , drivers door nearly fell off when the hinge pin snapped , eats tyres , eats exhausts and just feels really tinny and crap , its only done 80,000 FFS .Step son had a Laguna , less said the better but surfise to say it went fron a £12K newish car to a £120 frag in 8 years Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RENOMAD Posted December 19, 2011 Share Posted December 19, 2011 I work in a Renault Garage and I will be the first to admit that the range from 2001 to 2008 is best forgotten, but to be fair to Renault, they have worked massively to get the cars more reliable. The Laguna 3 has been much better than the previous car, if much duller, and the Megane 3 has been a dream compared to the fat arse version..Unfortunately people are slow to forget the problems that they have had, and that coupled with the Recession mean that the newer cars havn't enjoyed the success that they should have had. Reading all the above,,,,,I re-quote myself. All the above negative comments relate to previous generation cars Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trigger Posted December 19, 2011 Share Posted December 19, 2011 I bought a brand new Renault Clio (I know, it was a moment of weakness) back in 2004, when it arrived all the cogs and guts for the climate control unit was missing so i had to return it back to the garage, my dad also managed to dent the bonnet the day i got it just by closing it due to the thin metal. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CIH Posted December 19, 2011 Share Posted December 19, 2011 Renault are paying the price for building cars whose engineering was total s**t. A work colleague had one of those fat ass Meganes. When a headlamp bulb blew he couldn't get to it to change it. It ended up going to the dealer who charged £120 to dismantle the front of the car to get to the bulbs. Ker-ching. Then there were the Lagunas with gearbox that self-destructed and the older Meganes with an engine that just stopped working (camshaft problem) even in my colleague's low mileage example. With a little pratice I had bulb changes down to like 10 minutes going through the wheel arch access panel. PITA, tho. I think Renault and Nissan have seriously lost their way. All these crossover bullshit vehicles are doing my head in - how many more almost identical niche vehicles can the Nissan range cope with? I quite liked the Mk2 Laguna and the last Primera from a styling point of view, it's a shame they've been dogged with issues and/or poor sales. Also, has anyone actually seen a K13 Micra outside of a showroom??? No, me neither. Koleos and Juke are both ugly as sin in my humble opinion, dark days indeed for two once great manufacturers. LOL, even as a Nissan sympathiser I have to ask when did Nissan ever make cars that weren't atleast a little ugly ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luxobarges_Are_Us Posted December 19, 2011 Share Posted December 19, 2011 Luxo I'm pretty sure the little fart is based on the twingo. Wouldn't surprise me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cavcraft Posted December 19, 2011 Share Posted December 19, 2011 Renault are paying the price for building cars whose engineering was total s**t. A work colleague had one of those fat ass Meganes. When a headlamp bulb blew he couldn't get to it to change it. It ended up going to the dealer who charged £120 to dismantle the front of the car to get to the bulbs. Ker-ching. Then there were the Lagunas with gearbox that self-destructed and the older Meganes with an engine that just stopped working (camshaft problem) even in my colleague's low mileage example. To be fair to Renault here they're not alone. Went to change the headlights on my Mk4 Astra and it's a bumper off job just to sodding well do that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr Lobster Posted December 19, 2011 Share Posted December 19, 2011 Not a big surprise really, none are big sellers, Wind (which is Twingo based) just hasn't sold at all. Surprises me that Renault are putting so much faith in the electric Fluence though which is possibly Europes blandest car. Really can't see that being the saviour of many Renault dealers somehow. Laguna must be one of the worst depreciating cars out there so fleets will have run away from that and private buyers wouldn't be common anyway even without the poor reputation. Whilst there are a lot of issues with newer Renaults they're not all bad. My Kangoo (car) has 103k on and drives like a car with quarter of that mileage, does almost 50mpg and is a pretty decent thing considering that it was very cheap. Turbo has a very faint whistle but thats not a big issue and whilst it did NOM NOM NOM an alternator belt the other week I'm still pretty pleased with it and it certainly feels more solid than the Berlingo I had a year or two back. That they are also binning the Kangoo car and Trafic 6 seater is a shame as they're pretty good - but not big sellers. You can sort of see the reasoning in trying to sell more crossover type stuff - the Juke is pig ugly but must be one of the few new cars with a waiting list at present, residuals are really good and people really do like them. Fuck only knows why. They look even worse with the headlights on as well. Roll on 2012, might be tempted by a new Dacia Logan Estate... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Renault18 Posted December 20, 2011 Share Posted December 20, 2011 As a Renault enthusiast who has covered big mileages in loads of different Renaults, I think that this is a sad situation. However, Renault have entirely brought this on themselves. Look at the numbers of fat-arse Meganes on the road - there's loads of them. It was a really popular car - because it was different - but Renault shot themselves in the foot by building some quite important pieces, specifically anything that was meant work, down to the lowest price. I'm driving round in a late example of the previous model - because it's a far better car. It was the same with the Laguna II. They made a not unattractive car with a seemingly quality finish about as attractive to the public as herpes - again, because all the bits that made it work, were low quality. I think that it's these two cars (apart from the fact that money's tight at the moment)that has landed Renault where they are - shit does indeed stick. I've also read a comment that if Renault (like certain others) could just be themselves and not "aim high" at competing with BMW/Audi etc, then they'd probably do a lot better. Let's face it, if you're spending big money on a quality car, the way of the world dictates that brand is all-important - and Renault are not going to stand a chance here. Years ago, Renault used to take chances and made cars that people remember for the right reasons and often with genuinely good memories - 5 Gordini Turbo, 5 GTTurbo, (even a 9 Turbo), 11 Turbo, Fuego turbo, 21 Turbo, 25 Turbo - and the one which most people comment on - the 18 Turbo. The thing is that most of these actually worked and made people want another - and when they didn't work, real dealers actually gave a toss and sorted them. I hope too that Dacia works - the numbers in France suggest they have the potential to do well over here. I also hope that Renault do a satisfaction survey of owners BEFORE closing 1/3 of their dealerships over here, as that's the other reason that Renault are where they are. I'd love to have my say about the cnuts at Arnold Clarke and Lookers in the hope that they'll burn in hell . . . although, as Renault are planning on culling most of their own retail outlets who do have some form of vested interest in being polite and courteous, I'm not so sure. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Talbotman Posted December 20, 2011 Share Posted December 20, 2011 To be perfecly honest..i dont know why any manufacturer bothers to make any upper medium saloon cars any more. The great unwashed public and media seem to think that bmws and audis seem to co exist in a perfect twilight world of their own,it no wonder they cant shift lagunas etc. The espace has been well overdue for the chop anyway and to be perfectly honest the era of the large 7 seat mpv has been taken over by the Grand scenics and zafiras of this world.Suprised that their axing the wind there are quite a few running around my neck of the woods. Ditching the Kangoo Mpv i would say is a mistake but then you cant sell cars unless you advertise them, and i cant remember seeing a proper advert for Renault cars in the press for quite a while. I bet your bottom dollar that if you asked somebody in the street to point at the latest meganne hatch they'd still think it would be the "shakin its ass model" the same with a laguna 2. The last phase of renault models have been so horrendously bland stylistically that you really do have think twice to see that they are actually Renaults. Ask joe public of what Renault now makes and it will be Twingo Clio and Scenic so i can understand the reasoning of the cull,but with the koreans coming up with seamless editions of models with 7 year warrantys for the private punter you do have to think whats going to happen long term. Renaults unique selling point in the past was its smooth ride tidy handling and comfort with a dash of quirky european style,you do have to ask yourself what does it stand for now? Yep they make racy cup versions of its hatches - but that doesnt translate in to any motorsport success other than some very tenuous F1 engines. But it seems that for now after all the issues with electrics and duff dci engines of the past decade - the name Renault seems to be tarnished with the whif of an unreliable brush? Whether that is wholely justified who knows...or whether any Audi owners with lunched tiptronic gearboxes and coilpacks, Bmw owners with faulty idrive units and active steering modules would say any different...........but hopefully over the next few years can see the error of its recent ways and come up with some fresh innovative and exiting cars to take the fight to all its international competition. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luxobarges_Are_Us Posted December 20, 2011 Share Posted December 20, 2011 To be perfecly honest..i dont know why any manufacturer bothers to make any upper medium saloon cars any more. The great unwashed public and media seem to think that bmws and audis seem to co exist in a perfect twilight world of their own,it no wonder they cant shift lagunas etc. It's not just that. The size of today's "small family car" is more than big enough to accommodate four adults (or two adults and two big teenagers) and their stuff. Therefore, unless you regularly carry 5 big passengers and/or serious amounts of specialised gear (e.g. ski, surf), a C-segment car is all that you'll ever need. Nearly everyone buying anything bigger is doing it for 'prestige' or because they feel the need to spend the entire company car allowance, and that's why you don't see many Insigniae/Mondeos/Lagunas/C5s/Passats. In addition to Nissan getting rid of the Primera, Mitsubishi have long killed off the Galant, FIAT haven't replaced the Croma (which had only been an estate to begin with), Saab and Volvo aren't selling anything because large family cars used to be their core market, Peugeot have replaced the 407 by bringing over a car primarily designed for the Chinese market, and Kia didn't rush to introduce the Optima before the Magentis got the axe. It's a dying segment, and I can see why... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vinylseats Posted December 20, 2011 Author Share Posted December 20, 2011 Dacia "no haggle" pricing Dacia won't offer any discounts on its Sandero and Duster models when the budget brand arrives in the UK next December Renault’s Romanian budget brand Dacia will launch in Britain with the sub-£7k new Sandero supermini and sub-£10k Duster crossover in December – and no discounts will be offered on the pair, even to fleet customers. Renault’s UK MD Thierry Sybord explained: “The pricing is very aggressive so there will be no deals at all.†The arrival of Dacia comes as part of Renault’s major restructuring plan. The dealer network will be cut by a third, and all 135 of the remaining franchises at the start of 2013 will sell Dacias alongside Renaults. Renault is confident Dacia can play a significant role in boosting sales figures, which have fallen from around 126,000 in 2006 to roughly 75,000 this year. “If we’d had Dacia in the market, the situation would not be as it is now,†said Sybord. And he added that there was no risk of Dacia treading on Renault’s toes, with the latter set to move upmarket. “Dacia works because most customers are new or come from the used car market,†he stressed.http://www.autoexpress.co.uk/news/autoexpressnews/276487/dacia_no_haggle_pricing.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
M'coli Posted December 20, 2011 Share Posted December 20, 2011 It's not just that. The size of today's "small family car" is more than big enough to accommodate four adults (or two adults and two big teenagers) and their stuff.This is true - but it won't carry a designer pushchair. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cavcraft Posted December 20, 2011 Share Posted December 20, 2011 It's not just that. The size of today's "small family car" is more than big enough to accommodate four adults (or two adults and two big teenagers) and their stuff.This is true - but it won't carry a designer pushchair. This.How do people with Ford Focus hatchbacks and small kids/babies get on? There isn't enough room to swing a cat in the boot of them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trigger Posted December 20, 2011 Share Posted December 20, 2011 Most of my friends who have had babies have now had to upgrade from their Astra's and Focuses to Vauxhall Zafira's and Scenic's. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vinylseats Posted December 20, 2011 Author Share Posted December 20, 2011 I always think of Renaults as flimsy but mega cheap to run. I've had two post 2001 diesel Clios and never had a major problem with them - having covered many miles of the UK's roads in them! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Reverend Bluejeans Posted December 20, 2011 Share Posted December 20, 2011 Renault ballsed it up for themselves. The old 'shakin that ass' Megane was a very good looking car - so different to the Rolf, Focarse and Astra and they did some good colours. They drove quite well and I can see why they sold well. "I know Pierre - let's replace this popular and distinctive car with something utterly dismal!" The current Reno range has about as much allure as a static caravan. I honestly couldn't tell you what the latest Megane looks like but the Laguna is a dreadful looking thing - proven shit quality and it's dull. I'm amazed they found 3200 idiots. Everyone knows someone with a Renault disaster story and it's come round to bite them on the arse. Oh, and good luck with the no discount Dacia rubbish. Kia and Hyundai must be really worried. Not. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RENOMAD Posted December 20, 2011 Share Posted December 20, 2011 Most of my friends who have had babies have now had to upgrade from their Astra's and Focuses to Vauxhall Zafira's and Scenic's. Over here everybody rushed out the buy Qashqai when they came out and paid full retail to get them in what ever shit colour they could get at the time,,,,,couple of months down the line realised that they were actually less practical than a Focus as the boot is tiny. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Reverend Bluejeans Posted December 20, 2011 Share Posted December 20, 2011 Does anyone remember the Clio bonnet catch affair? . Saw one today on the East bound M18 around 8.30 am , a metallic blue one with the bonnet glued to the screen. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cavcraft Posted December 20, 2011 Share Posted December 20, 2011 Mate of mine bought a brand new fat arse Megane 1.4. He had it three months before getting rid as it was 'fucking rubbish and shit on fuel'. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Felly Magic Posted December 20, 2011 Share Posted December 20, 2011 Clearly one that didn't get recalled then. It's another case of Renner sweeping problems under the carpet, and not valuing people's lives. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Reverend Bluejeans Posted December 20, 2011 Share Posted December 20, 2011 Nissan have seriously lost their way. Far from it. They realised (as Renault are doing now) that the game is over for bland saloons and Hatches. Ze Germans have that market all sewn up. Ford and GM can't compete with the 3 Series and Merc C Class for sales and the fleet market is what keeps them going-and they're genuinely good cars. What fleet manager would touch a Renault? I despised the Juke when it came out - well, more the advert than the car which I have to admit I have grudgingly grown to like*. But I've grown accustomed to it now............because they've sold many thousands of them. And that's what it's all about, building a product that people want to buy. "Renault" and "Want" are not really compatible are they? *Wouldn't buy one though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now