Renault is bringing a completely new model to Europe: the Arkana. The Arkana is a brand new coupé-SUV with a sporty character according to Renault. The new model will arrive at dealers in the second half of next year.
Renault launched the Arkana in Russia in the middle of last year, a coupé-SUV with a slick appearance, a sloping roofline and … an old technical basis. The Russian Arkana is in fact on the B0 platform, a base used mainly by Dacia that is used by the first and second generations of the Duster, among others. The design of the car already suggested that Renault would eventually sell the model in other markets. That has now been confirmed. Renault will bring the Arkana to the Netherlands from the second half of next year, but under the skin there is really modern technology.
Always hybrid, always RS Line
What’s up with that? Well now. The Russian Renault Arkana was brought to the South Korean market by Renault Samsung Motors as XM3 at the beginning of this year. A striking platform change took place, as the Samsung XM3 is on the CMF-B platform, well-known from cars like the Renault Clio and Captur. That’s good news, it enables the arrival of a modern electrified powertrain! The Renault Arkana that is coming to the Netherlands also features the CMF-B platform and is only coming to our country with a hybrid powertrain for the time being. The Arkana E-Tech has the same hybrid powertrain as the Renault Clio E-Tech, and that means that a naturally aspirated 1.6 works together with an electric motor, good for a system power of 160 hp. In other markets, the Arkana will also be available with 140 hp and 160 hp TCe’s. It is not inconceivable that the Arkana will eventually also be available with the plug-in hybrid powertrain of the Captur E-Tech.
Renault Arkana
The Arkana will therefore only be available in our country with the E-Tech hybrid powertrain and there is also little to choose from when it comes to versions. Renault only mentions the RS Line version, a sporty dressed variant complete with flashy-looking bumpers and a nice-looking interior. Inside, we not only find a carbon-look finish strip, but also red accents, a black headliner, a leather-covered steering wheel and aluminum pedals. The Arkana will be available with a 7 or 9-inch infotainment screen. Depending on the version, behind the wheel is a digital set of instruments available in various formats. The luggage space of the Arkana E-Tech coming to the Netherlands is 438 liters. The regular petrol versions are slightly larger with 513 liters, but they are not coming to our country.
Renault Arkana
Kadjar over
The Arkana is 4.57 meters long, 1.57 meters high and has a wheelbase of 2.72 meters. This makes it slightly longer than the Russian Arkana, which extends over a distance of 5.55 meters. If we put the European Arkana next to the new Captur, it is striking that the Arkana is 34 centimeters longer. That makes the Coupé-SUV even 12 centimeters longer than the Kadjar! The wheelbase of the Arkana is also greater than that of the Kadjar (2.65 meters). The ground clearance of the Arkana is 19 centimeters.
Incidentally, the Arkana is not the only SUV-like that is slightly different in Russia than in the markets outside it. For example, Renault has the Kaptur on the price list in Russia. Indeed, with a K. That Kaptur resembles the previous generation Captur that Renault sold in Europe, but, like the Russian Arkana, is on the cheaper A0 platform.
The Renault Arkana will soon run side by side with the aforementioned Samsung XM3 of the band in Busan, South Korea.