The New Renault Arkana Arrives In Australia

The all-new Renault Arkana has arrived in Australia, further bolstering the strong start the brand has had since coming under the umbrella of the Ateco Group. 

Already a proven success in Europe with well over 20,000 orders taken since March this year, the all-new Arkana is a no-compromise, new generation SUV coupé, and a distinctive addition to the Renault range in Australia.

“All-new Arkana is the latest release from an exciting new product roll-out over the next five years from Renault,” said Glen Sealey, GM, Renault Australia.

“Arkana combines sleek styling and the SUV way of life for a dynamic drive without compromising on comfort or space. On style, size, safety features – and a luxury fit and finish – we see Arkana competing more with premium players, like the Audi Q3 Sportback, as well as the more traditional competitors.”

EXTERIOR

The all-new Arkana reflects Renault’s culture of modernity and innovation. The seductive design and streamlined silhouette combine with a purposeful SUV stance to allow for greater road presence and enhanced practicality.

At the front, the grille is bordered by distinctive LED Pure Vision lighting and signature C-shaped LED daytime running lights, delivering an instantly recognisable profile. At the rear the sweeping tail-light design extends inwards to meet the Renault diamond, adding an extra touch of refinement.

Arkana arrives in Australia with three variants to choose from, Zen, Intens and R.S. Line, and a range of seven vibrant colours, including new additions to the colour palette Zanzibar Blue and an exclusive R.S. Line colour, Valencia Orange.

Each variant comes standard with dual chrome exhaust tips, distinctive alloy wheel designs and, depending on the version, chrome, gloss black or gun-metal grey exterior design accents.

The top-of-the-range R.S. Line – arriving January 2022 – offers an even sportier look. A gun-metal grey F1-style horizontal blade stretches the width of front bumper and is off-set with a honeycomb grille and gun-metal skid plates. Chrome highlights are replaced with gloss black and gun-metal grey for a sportier, edgier appearance.

A fully-opening sunroof is optional on the Intens and standard on the R.S Line; and both these variants can also be specified with a contrasting black roof.

INTERIOR 

Inside, the all-new Arkana doesn’t compromise sporty flair for comfort. As you’d expect from Renault, both driver and passengers are well catered for with premium leather and suede upholstery in the Intens and R.S. Line. The driver and front passenger in these versions also enjoy electrically adjustable, heated and ventilated seats

The smart cockpit features Renault’s Easy Link multimedia system, accessed via a driver-focused floating 9.3” portrait or 7” landscape central touchscreen. Also, depending on the variant, a range of driver display screens come standard from 4.2” to 7”. A fully-digital 10.25” instrument cluster is available as an option on Intens and R.S. Line making for one of the largest display screen areas in the class.

Arkana brings modernity to life with its impressive Arkamys Auditorium Sound, Apple CarPlay® and Android Auto® smartphone replication, four USB ports and wireless phone charging for the R.S. Line.

With its high centre console and over 26-litres of cabin storage, Arkana offers a spacious, relaxing interior for the driver and all passengers onboard. The climate-controlled air-conditioning, air purifier and rear air vents as standard across the range ensures everyone can breathe easy.

Arkana also gives maximum comfort to all passengers thanks to the angle of the rear seats allowing plenty of legroom as well as generous space at the shoulder and ceiling height. Three adults can sit comfortably in the back.

Boot volume is an expansive 485 litres – even rivalling SUVs in larger segments, with a greater level of modularity thanks to the split-level floor giving the choice of easy loading with the flat bottom, or maximising space with a deeper boot.

POWERTRAIN AND DRIVING 

All-new Arkana arrives in Australia with the responsive 1.3-litre, turbocharged 4-cylinder petrol engine also found in Captur, but re-mapped to deliver power and torque at 115kW at 5,500rpm and 262Nm at 2,250rpm to provide a thrilling drive.

A 7-speed efficient dual clutch (EDC) gearbox allows for a smooth, responsive drive, while the aerodynamic design of the Arkana paired with the engine delivers impressive fuel consumption: just 6.0 litres per 100km on the combined cycle, with 137g of CO₂ emitted per km.

Renault’s renowned multi-sense system continues in Arkana on Intens and R.S. Line with three customisable driver modes and choice of eight ambient lighting colours, allowing the driver to transform their driving experience.

Eco mode helps to take fuel consumption and CO₂ emissions to the lowest level by reducing the engine responsiveness to acceleration. Sport mode provides greater driving precision through sharper acceleration and firmer steering. And finally, My Sense allows the next level of personalisation by customising the steering flexibility, interior ambient lighting and instrument panel layout.

TECHNOLOGY 

All-new Arkana is based on the CMF-B, or common module family B-segment platform, the same as the recently-launched Renault Captur.

The shared commonality of this platform allows for the latest version of Renault’s Easy Drive driver support system.

As a result, Arkana is loaded with driver assistance systems standard across the range including active emergency braking with cyclist and pedestrian detection, lane keep assist, traffic sign recognition, adaptive cruise control with stop & go function, blind spot warning, easy park assist, and automatic high-low beam headlights.

The Easy Park Assist system comes as standard, allowing for hands-free parking, as well as parking sensors in the front, rear, and side of the vehicle. Rear cross traffic alert, which detects other vehicles as you reverse out of a parking space or driveway, comes standard on Intens and R.S. Line. Arkana naturally comes with the full complement of airbags: front and rear curtain airbags, and front and side chest airbags for the driver and front passenger.

The all-new Arkana is a technological tour de force. It’s no surprise it has received a 5-star ANCAP safety rating.

OWNERSHIP

The all-new Arkana is backed by Renault’s 5 Year Easy Life Ownership package. That’s 5 Years unlimited kilometre warranty, 5 capped price services with an impressive 30,000km service interval between each, and 5 years Roadside Assistance when you service with an official Renault dealer.

COMPETITVE SET

The all-new Arkana legitimately competes with premium products like the Audi Q3 Sportback and BMW X2 thanks to its cutting-edge design, luxury finishes and comprehensive specification levels. Other key competitors in the mainstream market include the likes of Mazda CX-30 and Volkswagen T-Roc.

GRADE WALK 

The all-new Arkana range starts with Zen at $33,990, followed by Intens at $37,490 and rounded out by the top-of-the-range R.S. Line at $40,990 – all before options and on road costs.

The Zen variants includes the following specification as standard:

• Renault Easy Drive – includes Active Emergency Braking with Pedestrian & Cyclist Detection; Forward Collision Warning; Safe Distance Warning, Lane Departure Warning; Lane Keep Assist; Traffic Sign Recognition, Cruise Control with Speed Limiter
• Adaptive Cruise Control with Stop & Go
• Easy Park Assist
• Front, rear and side parking sensors with rear view camera
• Electric parking brake
• LED Pure Vision headlights
• 7” landscape multimedia touchscreen
• 4.2” digital driver display screen
• Heated leather steering wheel
• Black leatherette upholstery
• Climate control air conditioning with air purifier
• Arkamys Auditorium Sound System with Bluetooth® phone pairing
• Apple Carplay® and Android Auto®
• 17” two-tone alloy wheels

Intens adds the following:

• Rear Cross Traffic Alert
• Over-Speed Prevention
• Electric parking brake with auto-hold
• 9.3” Easy Link touchscreen with navigation system
• 7” digital driver display
• Satellite navigation
• Multi sense with 3 driving modes, 8 interior lighting options
• Leather and suede upholstery
• Heated and ventilated, electric adjustable front seats
• 18” two-tone alloy wheels

And finally, the R.S. Line flagship – now open for ordering with expected deliveries from January 2022 – adds the following to the equipment found in the Intens:

• Sunroof
• Heated, perforated leather steering wheel
• Frameless auto-dimming mirror
• Wireless smartphone charger
• Black leather and suede upholstery with red stitching
• Gloss carbon-look interior trim
• Rear privacy glass
• 18” two-tone alloy wheels with red accent
• Gloss black trim on door mirrors, air deflectors, window trim
• Front bumper with F1-inspired design blade
• Lower door protection, and front and rear skid plates in gun metal

MANUFACTURING 

The All-New Arkana is manufactured at the Renault Group’s biggest production site in Asia – the Busan plant in South Korea. The advanced facility is capable of manufacturing eight models simultaneously, now building models for global export following several years building solely for the local market.

In 1995, Samsung Motors Inc was founded, and the Busan plant was constructed, with production of the Samsung SM5 beginning in 1998. In 2000, the Samsung group was acquired by Renault. Production of Samsung vehicles continued, with Renault badged models including the Latitude, Talisman, Koleos and Fluence ZE also constructed here.

In 2018, the site built the three-millionth vehicle since 2000, and production of the electric Twizy started the following year in 2019. In 2019, the site produced 80,287 engines and more than 163,000 vehicles. In 2020, production of the Arkana (SM3 in other markets) began, with the model exported to global markets.

SUMMARY

The all-new Renault Arkana is a seductive and distinctive SUV coupé with a sporty and stylish design. With uncompromising spaciousness and comfort, customisable technology, innovative safety features and the reassurance of Renault’s 5 Year Easy Life package, the all-new Renault Arkana is an SUV coupé like no other.

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