The Renault Arkana is due to hit South African showrooms in 2024 and we’ve had a preview of this new hybrid compact coupe SUV.
What is it?
It’s quite the looker! Renault is the latest brand to jump on the coupe-SUV bandwagon; that is why the Arkana’s sweeping exterior design is quite distinct from those of the French marque’s other models.
The Arkana sports Captur-like front-end styling and black cladding all round, but the similarities don’t stop there – the model rides on a tweaked version of the small crossover’s CMF-B HS platform.
Assembled in South Korea (in the same factory that produced the Koleos), the Arkana looks set to offer a long list of standard features, including a digital instrument cluster, portrait-style infotainment screen and advanced safety equipment. Based on our first impression, the cabin looks and feels quite upmarket.
Globally, the Arkana is offered with a choice of two engines: a 1.3-litre 4-cylinder turbopetrol motor with 113 kW and 270 Nm, and a 1.6-litre 4-cylinder petrol-electric hybrid, which is the derivative shown here.
How does this powertrain work?
We could explain how E-Tech works in detail, but for the sake of brevity, the Arkana Hybrid is propelled by a 70 kW petrol engine in combination with an electric motor, while a 2nd electric motor works as the starter, manages the regeneration and balances the transition between the engine and the other motor.
Combined outputs of 108 kW and 148 Nm are on offer and an automatic transmission drives the front wheels. The electric setup comprises a 36 kW motor and a 15 kW starter generator, and there’s a 1.2 kWh hybrid battery. There’s good news: the electric system is internal and doesn’t need an external charging source. The vehicle’s self-charging and will use braking and coasting to recoup energy.
There’s also a dedicated brake regeneration mode, which can be activated via the transmission lever. Renault claims the Arkana Hybrid can zip from 0 to 100 kph in 10.8 sec and reach a top speed of 172 kph.
Is it that efficient?
With Renault SA claiming a combined fuel consumption of just 5L/100 km and emissions of 108g of CO2/km (for the sake of comparison, the Toyota Corolla Cross Hybrid is said to consume 4.3 L/100 km and emit 98g/km), the Arkana Hybrid has all the makings of a stylish and efficient urban-based compact family car. Considering it has a 50-litre fuel tank, the E-Tech model has a theoretical range of 1000 km.
That sounds almost too good to be true for a petrol vehicle! We know that the Renault Duster (which also has a 50-litre tank) could travel about 1 000 km without needing to be refuelled, but that’s a turbodiesel.
To demonstrate the Arkana E-Tech Hybrid’s efficiency, Renault set up an endurance event at Zwartkops Raceway. The reason for choosing a circuit to host this challenge was twofold: firstly, the pair of Arkana units weren’t road-registered and secondly, the track was a controlled and consistent environment. To compare the hybrid and ICE-only technologies, a standard Renault Captur 1.3 EDC also took part.
The objective of the endurance event was simple… You have 8 hours to complete as many laps of Zwartkops as you can while consuming as little fuel as possible. The author was paired with Naresh Maharaj (Bizcommunity), Brendon Staniforth (Maroela Media) and Reuben van Niekerk (freelance).
The author was first on track and tried to make the indicated fuel consumption dip as low as possible. Unfortunately, his return of 4.6 L/100 km came with a drawback – his team fell behind on laps, so the other drivers increased the pace to make up the deficit, which came at the expense of consumption.
With over 250 laps run, the author’s team finished 2nd overall with an average of just over 7 L/100 km; they were disappointed, but relieved to have finished ahead of the conventionally-engined Captur!
In the real world, however, we expect the hybrid-powered Arkana to be even lighter on fuel, especially if you’re likely to spend the majority of your time commuting (or running errands) in the urban environment.
When will the Renault Arkana arrive in South Africa?
Has the Arkana E-Tech Hybrid piqued your interest? Do you want more local details about this sharp-looking, efficient coupe SUV? Sadly, we don’t have more info to share; the Arkana won’t go on sale in SA any time soon, mainly because of the unfavourable weak Rand/Euro exchange rate, Renault SA says.
To compound matters, because the French brand doesn’t have manufacturing operations in South Africa, it does not earn export credits that it could use to offset the duties levied on the vehicles it imports. And, don’t forget that electrified vehicles are subject to additional government taxation.
Right now, the Renault Arkana retails for £31 000 (United Kingdom) and €32,600 (France) to give you some idea of where it’s positioned elsewhere in the world. Remember these prices do not factor in the previously-mentioned additional taxes.
Renault South Africa is hoping to bring the Arkana to market in 2024. There’s also the option of a Captur with the same powertrain and that too is poised to arrive in Mzansi, market viability permitting, of course.
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