- Takes its name from a record-breaking aircraft

- Gets a strong hybrid engine along with a 4x4 powertrain

What is the Renault Rafale?

Renault has introduced an all-new flagship offering, called the Rafale. It’s a D-segment coupe SUV, which is positioned alongside the Espace MPV. The Rafale is based on a new platform and makes use of Renault’s newest design direction.

Styling and Platform of the Rafale

The name ‘Rafale’ takes its inspiration from the French aeronautical heritage. The Caudron-Renault Rafale was a touring monoplane, which flew at a record-breaking 445kmph in 1934. Coming back to the coupe-SUV, the design of the new Rafale has been penned down by the new Renault design head, Gilles Vidal.

Based on the alliance’s CMF-CD platform, the Rafale not only looks handsome but also manages to pull off the coupe-SUV body style really well. Its design highlights include large 20-inch alloy wheels, a flamboyant duck-tail boot lip, black cladding all around, and a sharper-looking fascia with a new Renault grille and headlamp signature.

Renault Rafale interiors:

On the inside, the Rafale carries the most advanced cabin design seen in a Renault. The modern dashboard has an all-digital, 12.3-inch, horizontally stacked driver’s display. And the vertically-stacked 12-inch infotainment screen is integrated into the same panel giving a seamless appearance to the cockpit. Renault is also offering their latest ADAS with the Rafale.

Other highlights inside the cabin include the Alpine-sourced sports seats wrapped in recycled Alcantara material, along with a large, fixed glass roof. It also gets a 9.3-inch heads-up display and wireless smartphone integration. Renault claims the second-row headroom stands at 800mm, which is just 92mm less than the Espace. Further, the boot space is rated at 647litre.

Renault Rafale powertrain

Under the hood, the Rafale offers a hybrid powertrain. It uses a 1.2-litre, three-cylinder, turbo-petrol engine with a pair of electric motors. The combined output is 200bhp, which is identical to the Espace. With motors on the rear axle, the higher variant also gets an AWD setup. A more powerful, 300bhp, plug-in hybrid is also on the cards, and that will come at a later date.

When will the Renault Rafale come to India?

The all-new Renault Rafale will be produced at the alliance’s Palencia plant in Spain. Following that, it will first go on sale in the European market. However, the Rafale is unlikely to hit Indian shores.