Renault Latitude sets the standard

It's the smell that comes from the ioniser built into the dashboard of its new flagship model, the $42,490 Latitude Luxe. The high-tech air freshener leads a long list of standard equipment that also runs to a massage seat for the driver in a car that takes the lead at Renault from the unloved - and unsuccessful - Laguna.

Renault has already re-positioned its Megane line-up with a major price cut and believes the Latitude move can work, thanks to the value that comes partly from a French car that's twinned with Nissan and built in Korea. "The brand has had some stigma in the past and we don't think that's warranted any more," says Justin Hocevar, managing director of Renault Australia.

"We believe we are delivering a car that's well suited to the market. It's a segment where rational decision making is king. Comfort and refinement are its real strong points," says Hocevar.