Renault MODUS 1.4 16v
If Style, Safety And Space Are At All Important To You, Renaults Modus Has To Go On Your Supermini MPV Short List. Andy Enright Takes A Look At The 1.4-litre 16v Version
Right about now,
Renault are the hot ticket as far as innovation, safety and pinpoint accurate market targeting are concerned. You may point to cars like the Vel Satis and the Avantime and mock their paltry sales, but knowing that these cars exist and what they represent is a victory of sorts for Renaults marketing men, spreading the image of the French company as a bold and progressive organisation that refuses to follow trends. Thats true up to a point. In the Modus, Renault have had the opportunity to sit back and learn a few lessons from some of their cleverer rivals.
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It may come as something of a surprise to learn that one of the smartest companies when it comes to marketing are
Vauxhall. In designing a series of utility vehicles which in turn allowed their regular range to become edgier and more exciting, Vauxhall have set a template that
Renault seem keen to follow and, in the case of the Modus, improve upon. Of course, senior Renault suits would argue that they have been doing this for years with their Espace and Scenic ranges of MPV style vehicles and that the Modus is just the logical extension of this product philosophy, but there are clear parallels between the way the next generation Clio is being made more exciting and desirable and the way in which the launch of Meriva and Zafira models have allowed Vauxhall to turn Corsas and Astras from the dullest of ditch water into real lookers. Theres more to this game than just giving your volume sellers a little room for expression, however, and Renault has shown that their MPV models can be sales hits in their own right.
The Modus is no exception, and the fact that it has become the first supermini-sized vehicle to win a full five stars on the Euro-NCAP safety tests will do its sales prospects no harm at all. The seventh such Renault to achieve this coveted ranking, the Modus will doubtless prove hugely popular with young families who place safety near the top of the priority list when it comes to choosing a new car.
"The opposition are going to have to up their game quite considerably to stay in touch with this tot"
The 1.4-litre 16v model we examine here is the mid-range model in a trio of petrol engines that opens with a 1.2 and is topped off by a 1.6-litre powerplant.
Developing 98bhp, its peppy rather than what youd call quick, but it will notch off the sprint to 60mph in a respectable 11.4 seconds and top out at 110mph. Clever use of gearing means that the Modus is sprightly off the line without being too noisy on longer journeys. A carbon dioxide emissions figure of 161g/km isnt bad for this sort of car and neither is the combined fuel consumption figure of over 42mpg.
Prices start from £10,050 for the Expression and range up to £11,600 for the Privilege trim level which makes the Modus look good value against the duller Vauxhall Meriva and many will prefer its styling to the rather eccentric
Peugeot 1007. The cars face looks friendly and the big circular rear lights and sharp creases on the flanks give it a very appealing air.The best part is that it looks cohesively Renault without the gawkiness that afflicts many short, tall cars. The interior is exceptionally airy, the huge amount of glass up top and the low waistline brightening the cabin.
The driving position feels more like a
mini-MPV than a conventional hatch and the centrally mounted instrument panel allows the designers to make a feature of the smooth sweep of the fascia, again giving a clean, minimalist look. The sunroof system is unusual. The rear panel is fixed while the forward one can be operated by a one-touch switch. In addition to the usual tilt position, there are also three possible slide positions.
The manual roof offers two side-by-side panels which can be tilted or removed completely and stowed in a bag behind the rear bench
seat. Renault dubs this sliding rear bench the Triptic and it features a folding centre section. With a sliding range of 170mm, the rear of the car can be optimised for passengers, luggage or a compromise between the two. In two seat configuration, it can be set to any one of four positions whilst in three-seat mode, two positions are available.
It can also be folded down to form a completely flat floor area. The novelties dont stop there either. The Modus rear hatch can open much like a conventional hatchback (that is, hinged at the top) or the lower section can open using hinges at the bottom, thus making it easy to access the luggage bay in cramped conditions. Should you ever get a puncture in the Modus, youll appreciate the sheer amount of design ingenuity in the way Renault have engineered the spare wheel system.
No car in this class can cut it these days without generous safety provision and the Modus adopts a belt and braces philosophy. It benefits from Bosch 8.0 anti-lock brakes with brakeforce distribution and emergency brake assist as standard. Buyers can also opt for a new-generation ESP electronic stability control with ASR traction control and an automatic tyre pressure monitor is also available.
Passive safety is impressive, reflecting Renaults strategy and expertise in this area. The Modus structure includes numerous strengthened crumple zones, designed to work in harmony with the restraint mechanisms of Renault's third-generation System for Restraint and Protection (SRP3). Other safety features of the Modus are its six airbags including two adaptive front airbags and front safety belts with load limiters and double pretensioners. The Renault Modus 1.4-litre 16-valve could well be the biggest seller of all the petrol engined Modus derivatives.
One things for sure. The opposition are going to have to up their game quite considerably to stay in touch with this tot.
FACTS AT A GLANCE
CAR: Renault Modus 1.4-litre 16-valve
PRICES: £10,050 - £11,600 - on the road
INSURANCE GROUP: 4E [est]
CO2 EMISSIONS: 161/km
PERFORMANCE: Max Speed 110mph / 0-62mph 11.4s
FUEL CONSUMPTION: [1.2 16V] (Combined) 42.2mpg
STANDARD SAFETY FEATURES: Twin front/side airbags, ABS, brakeforce distribution WILL IT FIT IN YOUR GARAGE ?: Length/Width/Height: 3792/1960/1589mm
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