Australian, Motor Manual, November 1976
Renault Australia's limited market flagship, the Renault 17, is a car with a little bit of everything. It has the image of one of those sexy Parisian delights, the looks of a Le-pseudo-sports Japanese, the driving position of an Alfa Romeo, the handling of a sports car, the practicality of a family sedan and the performance of a dozen other small cars in the world.
The Renault 17 is very un-Renault, very un-French. To look at it, to drive it you wonder about its heritage. The 17 is too conventional to convince you that it comes from the maker of such �weirdos� as the Renault 16. It is too pleasant to look at first off - French cars are supposed to grow on you, aren't they? But the 17 just does not strike you like other Froggies have. It�s not a love-hate relationship when you test it, more you tend to say to yourself that here is an attractive car that appears comfortable and sprightly enough to have you loosening up the string backs. Along with their most austere brother, the 15, Renault 17�s have always been in rather short demand in Australia. The import quota system dropped availability to an all time low last year and early this year, and the situation has only recently been partially relieved by a new shipment of slightly updated models.
The 1976 version is little changed from earlier models, but what has emerged is a better car. Of course, there is the inevitable price rise - the 17TL test car rose from around $7350 to $824, plus $325 for a set of optional Dunlop mag wheels and $220 for the Astor radio/cassette player. It is a lot of money for a car that is certainly not outstanding, particularly when it is compared with its price competitors, principally the Lancia Beta coupe and Alfetta GT.
The latest 17TL differs from its superceded brethren by gaining the high-backed front seats now common throughout the Renault-Peugeot range in Australia, minor control and radio speaker rearrangement to the dash, up-rated carpeting and trim, and extra sound deadening material for quieter high speed cruising.
But the big march forward for the 17TL is the change made to the front suspension. By up-rating the front springs to make them stiffer Renault has eradicated the major fault we found with the earlier models: sloppy handling. By stiffening the springs, a huge slab of front body roil has disappeared giving the driving wheels extra bite and the steering increased precision. The front of the TL matches the high performance Gordini version, as well as having the added benefit of raising the front ride height to make the car a better proposition on rough roads than before.
We remember the 17TL as disappointing in the handling and road-holding department. It was very washy at the front and for a so-called sports coupe understeered to a level that was disconcerting to say the least. To drive it with any sort of extended enthusiasm meant you had either rubber-lined trousers or very long and rubbery arms. The difference between it and the latest TL is chalk and cheese stuff. With the front tied down more accurately, handling is transformed instead of wallowing while pushing through corners; it is now a point-and-plant affair.
It is really a delight to drive. You can throw it around or practice needle-eye accuracy with a degree of confidence rarely encountered. Certainly, rapid transit would be the order of the day on a twisting mountain run. And braking is every bit as good, the vented disc/rear drum combination pulling up the 17 quickly with no deviation despite all the engine weight forward of the wheels.
Drop inside the 17-that's what you do because it�s a fairly low-to-ground car-and it's French again. The dash design is unmistakably Renault. Fussy, ornate and old fashioned. Four pods set in a hood that stands out of the sloping dashboard look like the beginnings of a miniature Sydney Opera House. While the speedo and tacho in the centre are easily read, The ancillary gauges on each side are hard to read during the day as the angle of sunlight through the side windows flares on the dial glass. Controls are well placed. The lights, horn, and indicators operate from the familiar column stalks, but the wipers are worked from a lever on the right of the dash. Despite its positioning, it is within easy finger reach. Rocker switches to the left control fan, rear window demister, hazard flashers, and power windows. Yep, the 17 gets a touch of class with fingertip window operation.
They�re a lot of fun to play with, but it is annoying (sometimes frustrating) -that they could only be operated when the ignition was on. Driving position is best described as apelike. It has the driver adopting the classic Italian out-stretched arms, bent knees position, which is not helped at all by the oddly placed pedals. The conversion from left to right hand drive has mucked up the pedal placement.
The clutch and brake are much higher than the throttle, yet all three are grouped uncomfortably close together. Added to this there is precious little room to put your left foot when it's not on the clutch because of the way the firewall bulges out at that point. Of course, next to the throttle you could almost have a barn dance. The seating problem seems to stem from the fact that while they have plenty of fore and aft movement. Adjustment of the reclining back is restricted by poor headroom. And for a tall driver like myself, you've almost got recline in the dentist chair position to avoid bashing of your head on the roof. That is a criticism of the placement of the seats and the inner dimensions of the 17. Not of the seats themselves. They are excellent, providing plenty of support and comfort where it counted-back and thighs
The soft rim steering wheel is comfortable, although it could be smaller and its high rake does nothing to help the driving position. The hatchback rear gives plenty of Friday night shopping space, which is just as well since the area behind the front seats is suitable for children only. Visibility is not one of the 17's strong points. The louvered rear quarter windows makes parking a headache, as they are very restrictive, while the steep rake of the rear window means what you see in the mirror isn't panoramic by any means. Ventilation through a wide vent in the centre of the dash near the base of the window is poor. The airflow is minimal and cannot be directed towards occupants.
Performance of the 17 is only adequate. Powered by a slightly modified version of the Renault 16TS engine. It lacks the snap of the Beta or Alfetta. To get it moving, you really have to stir things along with the electronic tacho hovering almost constantly around 4000 rpm. Off the line the 17 tends to bog down a bit, but once in its stride trains along impressively. The engine is very smooth, and delights in high-speed touring. Let It loose on the highway an it will plant Itself comfortably on and over the legal limit with so little effort that you wonder if it's the same engine that got you started.
Control over the engine through the four-speed floor shift is good although the gear lever is a touch too far from the driver and the shift fairly long. Funnily enough, changes are pretty rapid, but nowhere near sports car stuff. Of course, the 17 at the moment is in the happy position of not having to wear the full detoxing regalia. Renault have yet to begin using ADR 27a engines in its cars in Australia as prior to July 1 it stockpiled a few months worth of production, while imports like the 17 were held under quota before being released. So for the moment, it has escaped the ravages of emission gear.
Fuel consumption on test was not startling. We averaged around 10.7-l/100 km (26.4 mpg). But by the same token we tended to rev the car out to make the most of its performance, so a less enthusiastic but smooth driver would probably find 1O litre per 100 km (28 mpg) would be nearer the mark.
Overall, the Renault 17TL is an inviting car. Its lack of Frenchness'
seems to have fallen in its favor, and if you look at it solely with the
idea of getting yourself a performance exotic you will be disappointed You
must accept it for what it is, not what it would be.
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