Renault Rafale E-Tech 4WD 300hp Plug-in Hybrid (2024 - )

If you’re familiar with the shape of the BMW X6, you’ll instantly be able to guess the shape of the Renault Rafale.

Yes, it’s an SUV - another one from Renault, which is becoming synonymous with larger vehicles instead of being known for hatchbacks.

Indeed, the automaker now only makes a couple of family hatchbacks – and even one of them, the Megane, has been given SUV styling.

The Rafale is Renault’s answer to the BMW X6, which came along around 15 years ago. It began a trend of chopping a bit of an SUV’s roof off to create a coupe effect. The French firm is currently one of the few non-premium brands to market a car like this.

Two powertrains are now offered. Until now, the Rafale has only been available as a full hybrid - a 1.2-litre turbocharged petrol with 200PS and front-wheel drive.

But now a plug-in hybrid (PHEV) has joined the ranks, producing 300PS. It has the same engine with three electric motors and offers all-wheel drive.

The trim levels differ depending on your powertrain, so let’s focus on the PHEV.

The Techno Esprit Alpine trim gets 20-inch alloys, a 12.0-inch infotainment touchscreen with Google native services including SatNav, Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, digital radio, a 12.3-inch digital instrument display and a 9.3-inch head-up display.

You also get Alcantara upholstery, heated front seats and steering wheel, six-way electrically adjustable front seats with two-way lumbar adjustment and driver massage function, dual-zone air conditioning, and a hands-free powered boot lid.

The Atelier Alpine trim, as driven here, gets 21-inch alloys and adds a 12-speaker Harman Kardon premium audio system, 360-degree surround view 3D camera, Alpine tuning, and bespoke suspension.
 

As we said earlier, the Rafale’s SUV-cum-coupe shape follows that of the BMW X6. You can also add the Mercedes-Benz GLE Coupe and the Audi Q4 Sportback e-Tron into the mix, but only so far as looks. In reality, the Mazda CX60, Volvo XC60 and Toyota RAV4 are more suitable opponents to the new Renault.

The front of the Gallic car is chiselled and angular, with the bodywork sprawling out at the corners and a large grille dominating the front end.

Prominent creases, cladding, and an aggressive sloping roofline become apparent from the sides. The rear end features modest spoilers on the roof and the boot lid; the latter built into the car's natural shape. Arguably, it looks sexiest from behind.

Inside, the cabin quality feels good, with lots of premium materials and plush surfaces, thanks to the Alcantara upholstery.

It is somewhat minimalist in design, although the infotainment screen and digital instrument displays instantly grab your attention, with the former sitting in a portrait orientation.

The infotainment system is lovely to use. Google designs it, so Google Maps is native to the car. This means that directions can be displayed on the digital instrument screen, unlike most vehicles, which must make do with smartphone mirroring.

Both Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are still included. Mind you, the latter is largely pointless, given that the car's infotainment runs from an Android system, which provides access to plenty more of Google’s clever apps.

Thankfully, Renault has left a row of physical buttons beneath the screen to operate the air conditioning controls, resisting the temptation to entomb the climate settings into the touchscreen.

It is a respectable, solidly made cabin that won't trouble premium marques - but all feels far superior to most direct competitors.
 

As we mentioned earlier, the full hybrid has been the only powertrain offered until now. But it’s the Rafale E-Tech 4WD 300hp PHEV we are concentrating on. It rains on the parade of the former significantly, boasting a 0-62mph time of 6.4 seconds. The plug-in's top speed is 111mph.

When you move away, the accelerator releases a burst of torque, and the car generally starts without the engine, which cuts in and out seamlessly when required. If anything, it feels a tad overpowered for what’s required to make progress, and overtaking on dual-carriageways and motorways is effortless.

The handling isn’t helped by the steering, though. The Rafale has a system known as 4Control, which provides four-wheel steering, so even the back wheels turn slightly too. Renault’s intention is that this helps with cornering - and it does – plus, the turning circle is reduced by 1.2 metres. Four-wheel drive is also there to hold your hand. However, Renault's 4Control Advanced four-wheel steering system makes the car’s ability to turn too sensitive, and it soon gets in the way of normal driving.
We found ourselves making adjustments to the wheel to keep it in a straight line. Its sensitivity can be tweaked, but this must be done manually so you can effectively choose decent cornering and skittish behaviour on straights or lacklustre cornering and respectable stability in a straight line.

The car's ability to handle a corner at speed could be better, despite Renault's big deal about the bespoke, tuned suspension provided by its sportscar brand, Alpine. There is quite a lot of lean through the bends – perhaps to be expected in a car like this – but some foes can do better here. Take things steady, and you'll be fine, though.

We had hoped that the wallowing handling would indicate a soft suspension setup, which makes for an absorbing ride - that's usually the case. But the ride remains firm, not helped by large alloy wheels. Although it’s not uncomfortable, most competitors can offer a better ride. At least this Renault is serene to drive, especially in all-electric mode. It wafts along nicely, lapping up motorway miles, and even when the engine is running, it’s mostly quiet.
 

Finding a comfy driving position is easy in the Rafale, given that both trims come with electric adjustment in the front seats. The driver's chair also has a lumbar and massage function.
The seats are very supportive, while the adjustable lumbar support is a welcome feature which some rivals charge extra for or, even worse, don’t offer at all.
The driving position doesn't feel quite as high as you might imagine, but Renault keeps the windscreen pillars as thin as possible to aid front visibility. However, rearward views could be better partly due to the sloping roofline. The tapering rear side windows create a much thicker rear pillar, which heavily obscures over-the-shoulder visibility.

Thankfully, front and rear parking sensors are included as standard, along with a rear-view camera on the lower trim and a 360-degree surround-view camera on the top-of-the-range version.

There is a charitable amount of space up front with plenty of room to get comfortable, while the cabin is more than adequate in width.

The good news is that, despite the heavily sloping roof, there’s still a sensible amount of headroom in the rear seats. Only the tallest adults will struggle, while legroom remains plentiful.

You will also find lots of storage in the cabin, including generously sized door bins and two cubbies in the centre console, one of which houses the wireless charging pad.

The boot space measures 539 litres. There is barely a loading lip, and cargo capacity swells to 1,826 litres if you fold the rear seats - which also divide in a convenient 40/20/40 split.

The PHEV returns up to 403.5mpg, emitting just 15g/km of CO2 in the Atelier Alpine trim, as driven.

Its 22kWh battery can provide an all-electric range of up to 59 miles in Atelier Alpine guise and 65 miles in the Techno Esprit Alpine grade.

This PHEV is a no-brainer if you’re after a company car, given that the rates for Benefit in Kind tax favour ultra-low emissions vehicles. Mind you, you’ll do even better if you choose an all-electric car. Therefore, Renault’s Scenic and Megane, both of which are exclusively battery-operated nowadays, might be worth looking at.

Renault could perform better reliability-wise. Recent customer satisfaction surveys placed it in the bottom half of the league tables. Peace of mind comes in the form of a three-year, 60,000-mile warranty. However, note that you get unlimited mileage for the first 24 months.
 

The Renault Rafale E-Tech 4WD 300hp plug-in hybrid is a strong contender, offering plenty of quality and a generous standard equipment list.

While the top-of-the-range Atelier Alpine trim is cool, we don’t think it’s worth the price jump over the Techno Esprit Alpine trim, so we’d pick the latter on balance.

Despite the sloping roofline, it has a nice, spacious interior with impressive legroom and headroom.

However, despite Alpine’s tuning, some competitors provide a more engaging driving experience and a more supple ride.

That may not be a dealbreaker, though. Once you've sat inside this Renault, you'll likely want it to be yours - minor flaws and all.