Manufacturer Renault Designer Alexis Martot | Also called Renault Samsung SM6 | |
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Production 2015–present (France)
2016–present (South Korea) Assembly Douai, France (Douai Renault Factory)
Busan, South Korea (Renault Samsung Motors) Class Mid-size car / Large family car (D) | ||
The Renault Talisman is a large family car manufactured by the French car manufacturer Renault. It is marketed in South Korea as the Renault Samsung SM6.
Contents
Renault executives stated that, like the new Espace V crossover, it will not be engineered for right-hand drive markets such as the United Kingdom, Ireland, Malta, Cyprus, Japan, Singapore, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Australia and New Zealand, due to the decline in the traditional saloon market.
Characteristics
The saloon version of the Talisman was first unveiled on 6 July 2015, at the Château de Chantilly by Renault's CEO Carlos Ghosn, with an estate version scheduled to be revealed at the 2015 Frankfurt Motor Show. The two versions were allegedly codenamed LFD (saloon) and KFD (estate). The car is based on the CMF-CD platform, jointly developed by Renault and Nissan, and is the second Renault car using it following the Espace. The use of the new platform is aimed at giving the Talisman a production volume advantage, that its predecessor (the Laguna) never achieved.
Design and technical details
The Talisman is slightly larger than the Laguna, with a lower centre of gravity. Renault focused on design, equipment and comfort with the aim of regaining market share in the large family car segment. Daimler personnel visited the car manufacturing site at Douai and gave input on quality control and perceived quality. According to Renault staff, they wanted to give the car the “fluid and emotional” aspect of smaller models from the company. They also tried to achieve a more "classic" styling than the used for its predecessor with the aim of gaining market share from the business fleets. The Talisman is the first mid-sized Renault saloon since the Renault 18 in the 1980s for which no hatchback body is available either as standard or as an option.
The car has five trim levels (Life, Zen, Business, Intens and Initiale Paris). It has a four wheel steering system (called 4Control) which is not available in the South Korean version. It also incorporates a system (Multi-Sense) which allows adjusting all car settings (on the cabin as well as mechanicals) between four pre-set options called Comfort, Sport, Eco and Neutral and a user-configurable option called Perso. As an optional, the Talisman has a new infotainment system with a 8.7-inch touchscreen introduced in the fifth-generation Espace, called R-Link 2 (S-Link in South Korea). The equipment also include adaptive cruise control, lane departure warning, traffic sign detection with excess speed warning and blind spot alert. The car scored a 5-star rating at the 2015 Euro NCAP tests.
Gearboxes are 6/7-speed dual-clutch automatic, 6-speed manual and CVT (the latter only available in a liquefied petroleum gas version sold in South Korea). Suspension is made of Pseudo McPherson struts on front and a semi-rigid axle on rear, with an optional active suspension system. Brakes are discs on both axles.
Engines
The Talisman is powered by a range of petrol and diesel engines in both Europe and South Korea. The diesel-engined versions were not initially sold in South Korea, while there is a liquefied petroleum gas version for the South Korean market only. In August 2016, a diesel version was introduced for the South Korean market.
Name
The use of the Talisman name is intended as a way of unifying Renault nomenclature across the world, as Renault already sells in China a similar car named Talisman. Renault said the name "conjures up notions of both protection and power. At the same time, Talisman is an easy word to pronounce and understand the world over".
Talisman Concept
The Renault Talisman is a concept executive car designed after the 1995 Renault Initiale Concept line by Renault chief designer Patrick le Quément and it was presented at the Frankfurt Motor Show in 2001. The first sketches were drawn in early 2000, and first referred as Renault Z12. There were 4 final 1/5 scale models and a judging team, led by Patrick le Quément selected this coupé.
The Talisman was designed as a 3-door 2+2 coupé with 4 comfortable seats but with only 2 gullwing doors and a coupé-style ending. It applies the "Touch Design" concept, where the principal objective is to make materials and controls soft and ergonomic. On June 20, 2001, the vehicle was named "Talisman", having previously referred as Renault Z12.
The equipment is formed by LCD screens instead of mirrors, GPS and even a Tag Heuer clock in the middle of the board. The board slides up giving access to a giant glovebox. The seats are coloured of dark red, and curiously, the seat belts are fixed at the opposite side of every car; in the left for the right seat and in the right for the left one. Four massive 380 mm (15.0 in) 6-pistons disc brakes are in charge of stopping the car. There are also twin metallic suitcases located in the trunk, and fixed to it.
The design of the Talisman was followed by the Mégane IV.