Australian Magazine
Sports Car World, Apr 75
STEVE CROPLEY, lover of Renaults, still can't help wondering if the high
performance coupe deserves to carry a price tag $1548 higher than the TL.
But he enjoyed driving it anyway.
ROAD TESTERS get used to making excuses for a Renaults' lack of poke.
"Great for Frances autoroutes" or "holds high cruising speeds
but takes time to get there" are common ways of putting it, but to
be quite brutal about it, the cars usually don't have the power for serious
cut-and-thrusting or for pony car-style straight line exhilaration.
Given that, the prospect of driving a sporty Renault which can run mid-17
second quarter mile times and still has all the Regie Renault standard qualities
like fine ride, road holding and fuel economy, is enough to bring a feeling
of warmth and longing even to an ironclad testers heart.
Our feeling of longing reached advanced proportions because it took us months
to get our hands on the Renault rule-breaker, the five speed, fuel injected,
17TS coupe. And even then it was only for a couple of days because the rest
of the motoring Press was queued up behind us, champing at the bit.
At present, Renault has many more orders for injected 17�s than it
can handle, which is another reason for the delay in bringing you this test.
It seems 17TS�s are never going to be very thick on the ground in
Australia - present plans are to bring in only about 80 to 100 units a year.
It's a good policy, because the car's price of $6548 puts it above the Alfa
1.6 GT ($5830), the Fiat 124 Sport coupe ($5496), the two seat Datsun 260Z
($6354) the coming Torana LH hatchback coupe (probably around $5500) and
way above other good cars such as the Datsun 240K GL hardtop. By bringing
in only a few of the injected coupes, Renault can sell on exclusiveness.
Value buyers will find it hard to see an extra $1548 in the 17TS over the
lower-powered 17TL. The TS has a 40 cm3 bigger engine producing 89 kW (120
bhp) at 6000 rpm instead of 76 kW (102 bhp) at 5500 rpm, courtesy of the
Bosch electronic fuel injection; a compression increase from 9.25 to 10.25,
head modifications to improve breathing, a slightly hotter cam and an ignition
system that works better at high revs.
The TS has five forward cogs instead of four, plus a slicker gear change
action, heavier driveshafts and constant velocity joints taking the drive
to the 5.5 x 13 wheels and 166 HR 13 Michelin XAS tyres. The lowered-powered
15/17 coupes have smaller section Michelin ZX tyres running on 4 1/2 x 13
rims.
Apart from that, the only difference between 17TS and TL are a standard
radio, four-wheel disc brakes, heavier springs all round and the badge work
at the rear. Opinions on whether those items are worth $1548 differ, but
we think not.
The 17TS is otherwise the same little coupe as the rest, with Renault 16
basic mechanicals sitting on a Renault 12 floor pan. The all-alloy engine
sits out ahead of the front wheels and drives them through a transaxle.
The body is all steel unit construction and is quite big inside considering
its compact exterior dimensions. It is certainly roomier than a Fiat 124
Sport. The styling, done by Renault's own men, gives the car a hint of the
exotic which isn't matched by any of its competitors except for the Bertone-styled
Alfa 1.6 GT, but that body is 10 years old and nearing the end of its road.
Despite its modernity, the Renault 17 is not all that easy to see out of.
The roofline is low and I close to the driver's head, the A-pillars are
relatively thick and the black roof lining is no help either. Rear three-quarter
vision is restricted because even though you are supposed to be able to
see through the triangular fluted opening behind the C-pillar, you can't
really. The cheaper 15TS coupe, with its large rear window is much better
for rear three-quarter vision, even if it doesn't have quite such snappy
styling as the 17.
The styling devices used on the Renault coupes-knife edges and a low-line
wedge look at the front - are fashionable yet it is a shape which will look
good at the end of the eight or 10 years it's bound to last. The lines are
simple, yet delicate. Besides, the ladies love it . . .
The TS engine has been enlarged from the usual 1565 cm3 to 1605 cm3 with
an increase in bore from 77 mm to 78 mm. That was done apparently to prevent
privateers from racing the car in 1.6-litre "series production"
classes in Europe. The same kind of move was made by Fiat some years ago
with its 125 twin-cam model, which was taken to 1608 cm3.
Despite the slight bore increases the Renault engine is still well and truly
undersquare because the stroke is 84 mm. That probably accounts for its
low engine speed pulling power in all gears including the overdrive fifth.
The engine starts instantly, cold or hot, and idles rather noisily. In the
test car, the engine wasn't as responsive as we'd have liked, taking a fraction
of a second too long to react to a blip.
The pushrod four is strong from below 2000 rpm in the indirect gears (first,
second and third) but when the needle gets over 4300, the tacho needle fairly
flashes to the 6500 rpm redline. It is this last 2200 rpm urge which gives
the car its excellent acceleration times. With five gear ratios to play
with the driver has little trouble keeping the needle up over four all the
time. A rear wheel drive car with the same engine and body weight as the
17TS could conceivably have covered the quarter in the mid-16's because
it wouldn't have had the Renault's traction limitations off the line. We
found that popping the clutch at more than around 3200 rpm had the tacho
needle careering straight up to the redline and the wheels spinning hopelessly.
Takeoffs with 3000 rpm showing hauled the car off the line fairly cleanly,
but not very quickly. In the circumstances, the 0-100 km in a time of 11.2
seconds is very good indeed and nearly an Alfa 1.6 GT time.
It should be pointed out, however, that once over about 40 km/in, where
the vast majority of driving is done, the Renault - suffered no traction
disadvantage compared with its rear-wheel-drive competitors on dry roads.
On wet or dirt roads, gentle treatment was still needed, however.
Even though it has poke, the cars' forte is still covering large distances
at big cruising speeds. It�s not a nervous, darting car like an Alfa.
Its torquey, long stroke engine (149 Nm or 101 lb./ft at 4500 rpm) can maintain
its cruising revs up quite steep hills. The torque peak corresponds with
145 km/h (nearly 90 mph) and that's the reason why.
The engine couldn't ever be described as quiet. There seems to be quite
a lot of vibration transmitted to the body below 4000 and as you rev out
more it is replaced by a loud exhaust boom at 5000. Mind you, it's no trouble
to keep your cruising speed below 5000 rpm because that's a shade over 160
km/in (100 mph).
But for all the car's good cruising ability, we recall a trip across the
Hay Plain in central NSW in an "ordinary" Renault 15TS when the
car sat on 5200 rpm and an actual 152 km/h (95 mph) for hours. The more
powerful car doesn't top that by much yet it coats $1548 more . . .
The 17TS gear change is more precise and lighter in action than any of the
four-speed floor change Renaults, but it can't be compared with Italian
five-speeders Fiats, Alfas or the Lancia Betas. The gear lever is easy enough
to use, but still feels rather rubbery. The shift pattern is conventional
five speed for the forward ratios-the first four in an H pattern and fifth
across towards the driver and up to the dash. Reverse is right across to
the passenger's knee and back, instead of opposite fifth as on most other
five forwards cars.
The clutch is light, but it has to be moved an extraordinary distance for
each gear change. There is a movement of at least five centimetres before
the clutch even begins to disengage and about another 10 before the pedal
reaches full disengagement. To make matters worse, the pedal is miles off
the floor which means lifting your toot high to get it on to the pedal all
those big movements make smooth gear changing more difficult than in a car
with a heavy clutch action but a short travel, like the five speed Italians.
The fuel economy is excellent for a car that goes so well. We found that
hard driving, including acceleration and top speed runs, cut the consumption
to a minimum of 9.179 km/l (27.4 mpg) but mainly consumption was up around
9.7 km/l (29 mpg) and you can crack 10 km/1 (30 mpg) with gentle driving.
The brakes, ventilated discs at the front and solid discs behind, are well
on top of pulling the 17TS up without fade. Half a dozen crash stops from
100 km couldn't even affect the pedal height - but the discs seem over-servoed.
Mindless stamping on the pedals will lock the front brakes before the rears,
but even when the wheels are locked, the car stops straight.
The biggest brake problem is the location of the pedal, which like the clutch
is high off the floor in a position where your right foot must be consciously
lifted from the accelerator on to the brake. It takes more times than suits
the interests of primary safety.
The suspension is independent in front, by upper transverse links lower
wishbones and coil springs at the front. There is a solid axle at the rear,
suspended by coils and located by trailing links, an A-bracket and an anti-roll
bar. Despite the car's lack of an independent rear end, its ride is excellent
- partly because the non-independent wheels aren't being used to put power
on the ground...
The wheels have a good deal of travel and driving the 17TS is an unusual
experience for drivers of other low cars, because they invariably are used
to fairly firm suspensions. The Renault has a very short rear overhang so
there is no chance of grounding the car's rear in deep dips and spoon drains,
but because the mechanicals sit ahead of the front wheels, it is possible
to scrape the underside of the nose in steep driveways and gutters.
In normal running, the ride is quiet and supple, absorbing bumps just as
well as Renaults always have - despite the heavy duty springs in the TS.
If that is Renault�s engineers' idea of a firm suspension, we hope
they never cross the Channel and drive a Morgan. It may well be too much
for those delicate Gallic rear ends...
Drivers of local machinery naturally expect a car with supple suspension
not to handle, but WE all know that European builders can give us both road
holding and comfort these days. The 17TS, with its better roll resistance
and wider tyres, hangs on even better in corners than the standard coupes
do - and we've praised them regularly for their tenacity.
The 17TS can accept quick application of lock in tight corners better than
the skinny-wheeled 17TL and 15TS coupes can. It doesn't need as much care
to avoid the understeer plough as they do. Also there is less body roll
and sharper steering. But it is rather a slight to the standard coupes to
say so, because their road holding is really very good.
The TS steering, with 3.4 turns from lock to lock, is geared just right
for both city and tight out-of-town work. The padded-rim steering wheel
is on the small aide and sometimes it gets quite heavy in your hands at
low speed, but we wouldn't want to see it changed. It's too good when you're
motoring quickly.
The steering tells you loud and clear (if you didn't know already) that
it is a front-wheel-drive car you're in. There is quite a noticeable torque
reaction, particularly on the exit from bends under hard acceleration, which
can upset your line a little until you get used to it. On dirt under acceleration,
the wheel moves around quite a lot in your hands according to variations
in the amount of traction each driving wheel is getting on the loose surface.
The front wheel drive is a real visibility on dirt corrugations where the
wheels dance and the steering kickback reaches enormous proportions if you
feed in too much throttle. This can be minimised with gentle use of power,
but results in only gentle progress.
If it weren't for the resonance from the engine, the Renault would be extremely
quiet for a sports coupe. The ride is thump-free at all speeds, even over
the coarse "antiskid" bitumen roads which abound in Australia
and which cause constant high road noise in many cars. The Renault generates
very little wind noise - even up around the ton - though our test car had
a non-standard leak around the passenger a side B-pillar. Only the buzziness
of the engine below 4000 rpm and the exhaust boom are loud enough to intrude,
and even then 5000 rpm cruising is quite comfortable.
Clearly, the Renault with its cruising ease, its ride comfort and its 500
kilometre (310 mile) plus the tank holds 55 litres (12 gallons)-is one of
the best sporty distance gobblers available in this country.
The Renault's interior seems smaller than it is because of the low roofline
and the side windows, which slope inward quite sharply and seem to restrict
shoulder room. In fact driver and passenger do sit rather close together,
but there is plenty of fore/aft movement for the front seats and it is possible
to get an adult into the deep rear bench seat, provided he/she doesn't mind
the cramped headroom.
The seats are soft buckets mounted low on the floor and which you invariably
rake quite sharply. Your head is really not far off the road by Holden standards.
With the steering wheel not quite a full arm's reach away, you have to lean
forward slightly to snick the gear lever, close to your left knee, into
first. The terrible pedals we've already mentioned.
The seats support the occupants well everywhere and offer good lateral support
in corners. They have real, live, adjustable headrests, not the crummy kind
you find in Minis, Holdens and Toyota Corollas. They provide support for
your neck ALL the time, not just after you've been shunted up the rear end
by a truck and your head has snapped back half a foot into the top of your
tombstone seat. A Renault headrest is a comfort item; not just an add-on
which is there because the Design Rules say it has to be.
The controls are generally well placed-turn indicators, headlight switches,
flasher, horn and wind screen washer are all on stalks which can be used
without the driver taking his hands off the steering wheel. Even the rear
window demister switch and the heater fan are only centimetres away. On
the other hand, the radio is down near your ankle somewhere and it's only
because it as pushbutton station selection that the setup is tolerable.
The dashboard styling is certainly different, and seems either to appeal
strongly to people or to leave them absolutely cold. There are no fence
sitters.
Boot space, under the rear hatch, is quite generous, but as long as we live
we'll never understand why Renault didn't give its coupes a fold-down rear
seat, and double the luggage-carrying space. This deficiency, more than
outmoded styling or mechanicals, could be the factor which ends the 17's
life, because in the years to come, all the hatchback opposition will have
a folding rear seat.
Renaults are not really well assembled - strongly designed, yes, but not
finished well There were some pretty big gape between panels, glue globs
under the dash and more buzzes and vibes behind the instruments of the test
car than you could count. The rear hatchback seals let in a little water
too.
For all that, the 17TS is an "ownable" cat because its mechanicals
are well known by now to even the most outlying dealers - it's a 12 chassis
with a 16 engine remember. We feel also that a car whose suspension can
prevent most of the harsh Australian road shocks getting to its body has
to be a good car for Australia.
The 17TS has performance and comfort, good looks and it's always economical.
The issue is not whether the 17TS is a good driver's car so much as whether
it can justify its $1548 bigger price tag than the long-legged, good handling,
economical 17TL and the 15TS $300 below that.
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