Renault 25

Introduction

Introduced in late 1983 for a March 1984 start of sales, the Renault 25 was a large step forward in nearly every aspect from the Renault 20 / Renault 30 range it was replacing. Its five-door liftback body was penned by designers Gaston Juchet and Robert Opron of Citroën SM fame, and the unconventional style (the wraparound rear window was its most famous feature) was aimed at giving the car a notchback look in order to overcome customer preference outside France for formal sedans in the segment.

The 25 was one of the first cars designed from the start for aerodynamic efficiency; its drag coefficient (C_d) was 0.31, a key factor in improving fuel economy. The TS model briefly held the unofficial title of "world's most aerodynamic mass-production car" with a C_d of 0.28, and at its launch the 25 was easily the best in its class for fuel economy.

All Renault 25 models were front-wheel drive, with four cylinder (2-litre and 2.2-litre petrol injection or 2.1 litre diesel) and six-cylinder (2,849 cc and 2,458 cc turbo injection) engines mounted longitudinally forward of the front axle. The 25's performance was above average for its class, with the V6 Turbo specification a match for the Mercedes-Benz E-Class and BMW 5 Series.

The 25 was praised for its ride comfort and spirited handling (despite slight understeer, and torque steer on V6 Turbo models). A newly designed manual transmission drew unanimous praise for its precision and smoothness (although the détente spring on 5th gear could cause mis-selection of 3rd gear), and though the futuristic interior designed by Italian designer Marcello Gandini (of Lamborghini fame) was controversial, the 25 was highly regarded for its quiet, spacious and well-lit passenger compartment.

Equipment levels were high and set new standards for French cars, the 25 including among other features, an express-up and down feature on the driver's power window, voice alerts (covering items such as improperly shut doors/bonnet/boot – oil pressure, engine temperature/charging circuit and blown bulbs), and one of the world's first remote stereo controls, mounted to the right of the steering column (controlling volume +/-, station search, station select (jog wheel) in radio mode & Volume +/-, mute and track advance (if supported)). For the first time since World War II, Renault had a realistic chance of breaking into the full-size market segment outside France.

Automatic transmission

The Renault 25's least durable part was the automatic transmission. As a result, most 25s remaining are the 5-speed manual and few automatics have survived. Three automatic transmissions were used on R25: MJ3, 4141, both 3-speed, and a new four speed AR4, later used on the Renault Safrane as AD4/AD8. Due to the poor quality and design of the ATF cooler, especially on the later AR4, these versions have gained a poor reputation for reliability. A leaking ATF cooler could lead to gearbox failure with little or no physical warning, except for ATF stains beneath the vehicle to which not all drivers paid attention or not quickly enough.

The first transmissions started failing within a few years, while the model was still in production. Renault then prepared a package that was to replace the original poor-quality cooler regardless of vehicle age and mileage. However, the cooler location in front of the right wheel could not be changed. As a result Renault 25 Automatics with the AR4 transmission are rare today.

Facelift

The car underwent a facelift in 1988, with a new front end, taillights, interior materials, and front suspension. Essentially, every panel was changed on the facelifted car, with the intent to smooth the styling. The new version also featured more powerful engines, the 2.2i engine being dropped and replaced by a 12v version of the 2.0i engine which produced 140 bhp.

There were an small number of run out post facelift cars fitted with the 2.2i engine to use up stocks, these were rated at the normal 123 bhp for that engine. In February 1992, production ended, to make way for the Renault Safrane.

Eagle Premier/Dodge Monaco

The Renault 25 was the base of the American-market Renault Premier. The Premier featured a body by Ital Design of Turin, Italy, and using the Renault 25 chassis although the suspension was derived from the Renault Medallion (Renault 21). The interior was designed by American Motors while the rest of the car was styled by Giorgetto Giugiaro.

In January 1988, when launched, the model was branded as Eagle Premier, subsequent to Renault selling its 47% stake in American Motors (AMC) to Chrysler in 1987. From 1990 to 1992, Chrysler also sold an rebadged version as Dodge Monaco.

Renault 25 Limousine

An extended wheelbase version of the initial Renault 25, called the Renault 25 Limousine, was offered. It was 22.7 centimetres (8.9 in) longer than the standard car and was available in two variants. The standard 25 Limousine had the same rear bench seat of the standard-wheelbase model whereas the Executive version had two individual seats with electric adjustment. The limousine (only available as 2.7 V6 for RHD) was dropped from the range of Renault UK, within two years of its introduction in 1985, but continued in other European markets.

Coach builders, such as Boonaker, provided bulletproof variants as well as fitting 2.5 V6 Turbo engines. For an time, the President of France used an armoured limousine variant of the Renault 25, with some special modifications. Not least of these were two extra fuel injectors fitted into the sill mouldings on either side of the car at the 'B' Pillar position.

These were directly connected to the engine fuel system through a switch in the passenger compartment that would, if the engine was running, simultaneously pulse high pressure jets of neat petrol and ignite them as a deterrent. Since the fuel injection system runs at high pressure this would have been a quite effective flamethrower but somewhat dangerous for innocent bystanders. The system was later removed for this reason.

Trim levels

French market specifications:

Engines

(French-market specifications unless indicated otherwise. All hp metric.)

Petrol engines

Diesel engines

Australia and the UK

The 25 was also exported to Australia. Introduced in 1985, it was priced at A$35,000 without cruise control. It had a disc-drum brake setup, rather than a 4-wheel-discs as on the Renault 8.

The R25 was exported to the UK from early 1984, where its hatchback bodystyle helped it to stand out compared with conventional saloons.

GTX in the UK was equivalent to Level 3 in the above list & used the 123 hp 2.2i engine. For the facelift versions the equivalent to the GTX was the TXI, with the 2.0 12v engine of 140 hp. The 12v head from the 2.0 engine was latterly used in the J7T 2.2i engine in Safrane. The 2.2 engines in the Safrane are effectively a long stroke version of the 2.0 engine – which gave better torque but was less free revving.

For the UK the pre facelift range included TS, Monaco (being a special edition with metallic brown paint, Monaco badging on boot and C-Pillar insert panels, Leather interior and some other changes from the TS spec), GTX, V6 & V6 Turbo.

The facelift cars were TX (2.0 12v/2.2i special order), TXI (2.0i 12v/2.2i special order), V6, V6 Turbo for a short period and Baccara (2.9i V6/2.4i V6 Turbo) which was the top of the range. The 2.2i (123hp) engine in the phase 2 cars was only available 'while stocks last', and is very rare vehicle. The lower compression 108hp 2.2 was never sold in the UK.

There were also Renault 5 (1.4, 1.7), Clio 1 (1.4) and Clio 1A (1.4/1.8/1.8 RSI tune) Baccara models, all with extremely high specifications generally including leather interior and full electrics packages. In the case of the R5 cars they are most commonly found in a gunmetal grey metallic.