English Magazine
Motor, 2nd October 1971
Tony Curtis
If you are lucky enough to build cars - in a country as beautiful and varied
as France you don't have to look beyond your own borders for a venue to
show off new models to the Press. This is a fact of which Renault have long
been aware, traditionally choosing the Mediterranean coast for such occasions.
This year's locale was the hilly country behind Nice, an ideal place for
test driving complete with plenty of hot weather to test the ventilation,
and as deficiencies perhaps only the corresponding lack of cool air to try
the heating and lack of long straights on which to estimate maximum speed.
Renault's new 15-17 range consists, as explained last week, of four models,
too many to assess independently in less than 24 hours, so most of my remarks
apply to the most expensive version, the 17TS. Wwhich I drove for the bulk
of the available time. All models however, share essentially the same styling
which should prove an important factor in their success: most people, I
believe, will find these French coupes elegant, well-proportioned and good
looking. And unlike the merely pretty Caravelle of an earlier period, their
appearance is matched by good handling and reasonable performance. Personally,
I think I marginally prefer the appearance of the 17 to that of the 15 with
its long side-window. In defiance of my usual functionalistic principles
I find myself unable to work up any petulance about the louvres in the rear
quarters of the lm and 17TS, decorative gimmicks though they be. They don't
present much obstruction to three-quarter rear visibility and the extra
pillar in front of them does help to stiffen the structure of the car.
First impressions in the 17TS were of the fastish idle and fuel pump whine
often characteristic of injected engines. Fuel injection is a new departure
for Renault. The system they have chosen, for the 17TS unit only, is the
Bosch electronic Combustion in this high performance engine is said to be
critical, perhaps because the very high 10.25:1 compression ratio calls
for domed pistons which in turn create an unsatisfactory "orange peel"
combustion chamber shape in conjunction with the hemispherical head.
Nevertheless the engine will pull from just over 1000 rpm, developing some
vigour at 1500 rpm. But real power does not come in until nearly 4000 rpm,
so the effective power band is very narrow for a road going engine, and
the lack of pull below it most noticeable. This characteristic confirms
the 5500 rpm at which maximum torque is said to be developed a quoted engine
speed that at first I thought must be in error as it is so high and so close
to the 6000 rpm maximum power speed.
The 17TS is quite light at a little more than a ton and once "on the
cam" its engine hustles it along quickly enough. The engine of my own
car comfortably reached a one way 6000 rpm in top - about 114mph - on various
parts of the twisty and hilly Nice-Frejus motorway, so Renault's claimed
112 mph maximum seems a likely result of a proper two-way measurement. Like
other Renault engines this one is boomy but very smooth, so much so that
it is easily over-revved, especially as it is difficult to see the figures
on the recessed and hooded rev-counter when wearing sun glasses.
Unfortunately the five-speed gearbox, which is another bonus feature of
the 17TS, did not compensate for the lack of power below 4000 rpm even though
its ratios are closer than those of the four-speed transmission used for
the other models. In the mountains the choice was often between holding
very high revs in one gear and slogging without much pull in the one below,
and the power fall-off when changing up out of corners became very apparent.
In addition, the change of the five speed box was very spongy, notchy and
obstructive - particularly when changing down into second - while some care
was needed to avoid accidentally obtaining third instead of fifth.
Happily there was very little to criticize in the excellent handling and
road holding. Perhaps a little heavy at parking speeds or when cornering
really hard on a hairpin, the steering was nevertheless very good, being
reasonably direct and having good feel with only a trace of kickback on
bumps. As might be expected from a powerful frontwheel drive car the 17TS
was a strong understeerer, but was not easily made to plough straight on
except over loose surfaces, as the front tyres seemed to cog firmly into
the road. There was little change in attitude if the accelerator was released
in a corner, and roll was moderate so that sharp esses could be taken tidily
without excessive lurch. The ventilated discs proved their worth by failing
to fade on some fast downhill descents, but the braking system was just
a little unprogressive with too much response to the emergency or sharp
applications of the pedal which were occasionally necessary as it was impossible
to heal and toe.
The ride was up to the usual high Renault standard, and the heavily contoured
seat proved comfortable: a couple of hours' driving failed to induce any
aches or pains. Its range of fore-and-aft adjustment was enough to provide
ample legroom for tall drivers, and even when the seat was set nearly to
its rearmost position the legroom in the rear seat behind was - like the
headroom - quite good for a fastback coupe. It would be tolerable for a
moderate-sized adult. The boot is also of a very respectable size. My dislikes
were confined to the instruments, which as already mentioned I found too
deeply recessed, the wash-wipe stalk which is easily knocked accidentally
and the garish gold fleck in the cloth upholstery.
All this applies to the 17TS which is to sell in France at �1880 and
will perhaps be a little more in Britain when it becomes available next
Spring, and so will have to face stiff competition from cars like the Fiat
124 coupe 1600. The 17TL (costing �1500 in France) with a four-speed
gearbox and a more mildly tuned version of the 1565 cc engine may prove
better value, or better still the 15TS (�1345 in France) which lacks
the louvres but has the same engine and transmission. I also drove one of
these models in France, and found the engine far more torquey and responsive
than the 17TS unit, and the gear change considerably better. The maximum
speed for both the 15TS and the 17TL is claimed to be about 105 mph, but
on twisty roads I would judge the superior torque and gear change to more
than outweigh the higher top end power of the 17TS. I also drove the 15TL,
and found its 1289 cc engine to give very respectable performance. These
new Renaults should prove interesting newcomers to the motoring scene.
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