The Renault Talisman has been around since 2016, but unlike the Peugeot 508, we have not discussed the French sedan in this section before. This year Renault has subtly renewed the Talisman; a good reason to take a closer look at the basic version.
Renault Talisman TCe 140 GPF Business Zen
€ 32,690
To see what has changed about the Talisman since the facelift, you will have to look twice. The shape of the sedan and Estate remained largely the same. The C-shaped headlights and rear lights are now arranged slightly differently and have dynamic indicators. Both front and rear, Renault has added more chrome to the Talisman and new colors and wheels are available. That is where the changes for the exterior end. In terms of equipment level, there are three options: the Business Zen, Business Intense and Business Initiale Paris. What is especially important for this section is that the Talisman has become a lot cheaper. In recent years, the dCi 120 Life at € 36,350 was the cheapest option on the price list of the petrol engines was the TCe 160 Limited, which is the entry-level with a starting price of € 36,650.
Now that is the TCe 140 GPF Business Zen, which has become just under € 4,000 cheaper than both previous entry-level players. For the estate you have to tick off € 1,200 extra. Incidentally, the diesels are now only available from the more expensive Business Intense: for the BluedCi 160 you pay at least € 46,590, which is considerably more. Okay, back to basics. The TCe 140 is a 1.3-liter four-cylinder turbo with 140 hp and 260 Nm of torque, you can switch with a manual six-speed gearbox. With this power you can pedal the Talisman from a standstill to 100 km / h in 10.2 seconds if desired. The top speed is 207 km / h. An automatic transmission is not available in combination with this power source. For that you have to be with the TCe 160, which has a seven-speed automatic transmission with double clutch on board. Incidentally, the 158 hp engine variant costs only € 1,500 more than the TCe 140.
No profit
Unfortunately, the Business Zen must immediately miss an important change of the facelift of the Talisman: the rear lights. They have simply stayed with the old, so it is not quickly clear to the outside world that you are driving the renewed Talisman. Only from the Business Intense are the new rear lights on it. Fortunately, you do not really see that you are dealing with a basic version. In the front bumper and grille, the Business Zen also has chrome trim parts and the frame of the side windows shines towards you. As standard, the Talisman rolls on 17-inch alloy wheels and is painted in the color ‘Blanc Glacier’. In addition, seven other exterior colors are available. The color ‘Blanc Nacré’, a pearl lacquer, is the most expensive option with an additional cost of € 995.
Fortunately, when parking the more than 4.8 meter long Fransoos, you will receive assistance from front and rear parking sensors as standard. The exterior mirrors can also be folded electrically and are heated. Furthermore, the Talisman has high beam assistance on board as standard. In terms of lighting, you will have to make do with the standard LED viewers. The Business Initiale Paris has adaptive matrix LED headlamps as standard, but these are not available on other trim levels.
Little to choose
In the configurator you are quickly done with the interior of the Talisman. In terms of upholstery, it can be anything, as long as it is black fabric. The trim parts are finished in an aluminum look as standard. The interior of the Talisman cannot be called very frivolous. Fortunately, the mood lighting in the dashboard and the cup holders still provides some life in the brewery. Although the workstation of the Talisman can be called austere in its basic version, it is not very sparse. For example, there is a digital set of instruments as standard and you can operate the Easy Link multimedia system via a 7-inch touchscreen. Navigation is included, the larger 10-inch touchscreen is only reserved for the more expensive versions. Furthermore, the smartphone can be charged wirelessly and there are also two USB connections in the back.
The interior stays warm thanks to separate automatic two-zone climate control. You can take a look back through a frameless, automatically dimming interior mirror. You can set the car’s driving modes via Multi Sense. In terms of safety systems, the Talisman is not sparse as standard, but also not very well equipped. Lane Departure Warning, Traffic Sign Recognition and a fatigue detection system are present, but Active Emergency Braking is only available from the Business Intense, for example. Cruise control is standard, but for Adaptive Cruise Control you can only go to the Business Initiale Paris.
It does not really testify to a lot of flexibility that these things are optionally not available on the Business Zen. In any case, we can be brief about the number of options available on this trim level, because there are only six: a space-saving spare wheel (€ 195), Emergency Call (€ 125), an electrically operated panoramic sliding / tilting roof (€ 1,227) , Blind Spot Warning (€ 195), Flank Protection (€ 195) and a rear view camera (€ 195). Yet the Talisman is not a scanty car in its basic trim, it is also nice that it is a lot cheaper than before.