2012 Renault Latitude Reviews

Things changed when the Renault Latitude landed in Australia last year.For the first time, the French maker had a car that didn't sit alongside 'quirky' in every sentence, or hang its future on a hatchback tail borrowed from J-Lo. The Latitude looks and drives like a run-of-the-mill mid-sized family sedan, not something oddball from France, and Renault Australia also managed to end its earlier battles against high-priced hopefuls with a bottom line from $36,990. The Carsguide crew has spent more than 2000 kilometres with a Latitude to compile a local report card, with solid Bs in most areas but a "Must do better" bottom line because of the classy competition in faces in Australia.VALUEThe basic Latitude has everything you need for family motoring, and a few surprising bonuses. The leather seats and side blinds are great for child-friendly motoring and a satnav system with built-in speed zone alerts, thanks to TomTom programming, works for everyone. The pricing plan works because the Latitude, despite its Renault badge, is a global hybrid. It picks up a mechanical package from Nissan and is built by Samsung in Korea.But, to put it into perspective, the Latitude has the same bottom line as the classy and well equipped Kia Optima Platinum and costs more than a basic Honda Accord Euro. In a mid-sized class that's loaded with contenders, and class, the Latitude is still struggling to win friends and only 208 cars were delivered through the first 11 months of 2011, compared with 17,637 for the Toyota Camry.TECHNOLOGYThere is nothing special about the Latitude, although the long-termer comes with the solid diesel engine and six-speed automatic that gives it great economy and long legs for touring. The chassis picks up Maxima bits and that shows with good handling and ride comfort that's good, but not as great as we remember from cars such as the Laguna.DESIGNThe Latitude is very conservative by Renault standards, and doesn't really sit all that way in a family of cars that is dominated by chic little Megane models. But there is nothing wrong with the shape or space, or the boot, or the dashboard layout and controls.SAFETYRenault was one of the world's first carmakers to commit to five-star ANCAP safety and, without including a big crash in the test program, there is nothing to fault. The car sits well on the road, the brakes are strong, and you know it has an ESP safety net for bad weather or some sort of silliness by someone else.DRIVINGLiving with the Latitude is easy, and enjoyable. It's no sports car, but it gets along nicely, works well for a family, and will puddle to the mall or handle a long country run. The diesel engine has plenty of shove, even with bicycles on the back end and fun stuff filling the boot, and is averaging around 8.2 litres/ 100km despite spending most of its time in the city and 'burbs. The car is quiet, the aircon works well, and the headlamps are good, but the seats are a major disappointment. They lack support and cushioning, which means the Latitude starts down the list for any trip over two hours. The biggest shortcoming in the Latitude is nothing to do with the car, but its position and its opposition. It just doesn't have enough zing or attitude - whether that's the bland styling or the lack of 'Renaultness' - in a class where there is lots of class. Our current favourites include the Ford Mondeo, the new Camry and - for value - the Skoda Octavia. So the Renault is doing the job, and still has some time left to impress, but it's not the first choice for a mid-sized winner.VERDICTThe Latitude is good, but not great. In a class with standouts like the Ford Mondeo, and even the new Toyota Camry, it's going to be a slow burn - at best - in Australia.

There's something about Renault that is not quite getting the Australian public's attention. Although that may slowly be changing. The Clio and Megane side of the French brand's catalogue, as well as the Koleos SUV, are finding some favour but the larger vehicles have historically are yet to make a big impact. The Laguna was a low-key model in sales terms for the brand here but the car maker would be hoping the Latitude gives the sales figures more altitude.VALUEWe're in the top-spec petrol V6 model that has so far this year proven the most popular - the Luxe, priced at $42,490 (one of the few models that charges the same money for the turbodiesel), the Latitude has a features list that suggests a higher pricetag might be expected.The Luxe flagship (which represents over 90 per cent of sales since April) has a 10-speaker Bose surround sound system, filtered tri-zone climate control with ioniser and a "fragrance diffuser," TomTom satellite navigation, Bluetooth phone and audio link, the obligatory (for Renault) key card with auto-locking doors and keyless go, power-adjustable front seats with heaters, the driver gets a massaging function as well, reach and rake adjustable leather-wrapped steering wheel, a switch-operated electric parking brake, power-adjustable folding heated exterior rearvision mirrors, leather trim, 18in alloy wheels (including a full-sized spare) and a two-pane glass sunroof.TECHNOLOGYThe Latitude's petrol V6 has come from the Nissan Maxima - with the six-speed auto in place of the CVT - so not a cutting edge drivetrain, but perhaps proven might be an appropriate adjective. The Latitude does get some interesting features that are far from common - the air ioniser, fragrance diffuser and air filtering  system within the tri-zone climate control.The Luxe employs a Samsung air ioniser which Renault says produces active hydrogen atoms and negative oxygen ions to counter positive ions which can lead to stress and fatigue, according to the French car maker.The system can also produce scents (from a choice of six and in varying degrees) via the climate control system. The Latitude also has the brand's auto-locking function, which comes into effect if the driver walks away from the vehicle and doesn't use the manual lock button on the keycard.The car then locks itself and can be opened keylessly; lock it manually and it requires a button-push to unlock the car. The nicest (for the driver at least) feature is a massage function for the driver's seat, which uses five rollers within the driver's seat backrest to massage the driver - just the thing to reduce stress behind the wheel ... "cut me off, I don't care."DESIGNSomething of a Renault staple, the Latitude seems to have had a bypass on the design styling front - given that it shares plenty with the Nissan Maxima perhaps that's no surprise. It's no monstrosity but it's not going to win any design awards either, but Renault calls it generously-proportioned and elegant. The Latitude's cabin is not built for taller folk - seat adjustment range and headroom suggest occupants under 190cm would be well looked after, but above that the dimensions will start to struggle. Four adults within normal height ranges would be easily accommodated in head and leg room, with a 477-litre boot also able to swallow a decent load as well.SAFETYThis brand made a name for itself with active safety and the Korean-built Latitude follows that path - anti-lock brakes with brakeforce distribution and emergency brake assist (which kicks the hazard lights into action), stability and traction control (with an understeer control function), dual front, side and curtain airbags.Also on the list are seatbelt pretensioners and load-limiters on the front seats, lap-sash seatbelts for all seating positions, parking radar front and rear, a cruise control with speed limiter function, automatic windscreen wipers, automatic headlights, anti-dazzle rearvision mirror, a reversing camera and a tyre pressure monitoring system.DRIVINGA Maxima with a Korean dad and a French accent would be a cynic's view of the Latitude. The conservative exterior won't win any beauty contests and the interior takes the low-key line as well, but it's comfortable and well-equipped. The Nissan-sourced V6 was last experienced with a CVT directing outputs to the front wheels - the V6 is a smooth, if not overly powerful unit that requires a solid amount of force on the right pedal to get things underway with purpose.A relaxed gait is this car's forte - an attitude easily adopted with ionised air, soothing tunes on the excellent Bose sound system and the massager working nicely on the vertebrae.The serenity is ruined to a small degree by the six-speed auto, which has a tendency to roughen up the mood with sharp shifts without provocation.Nasty Australian bitumen - especially the oft-repaired roads with lots of little imperfections - don't always agree with the 18in wheel/tyre package, but aside from that the ride quality is good.The Latitude can be hustled along a little to maintain a brisk pace on a country road, turning in with more intent than first expected and able to corner with reasonable dexterity, but it's no super-tourer road-racer. Seating front and rear looks inviting and are comfortable if a little small in area (in the front), but the rear half of the cabin is a little tighter than you'd expect from the generous exterior dimensions. The highset rear bench and the falling roofline conspire to keep headroom at a premium for taller adults - children dwell easily and are fond of the door-mounted and rear window blinds. Satellite navigation is controlled by an iDrive-like set-up, which is easier to use and much better than the remote-control system offered in the smaller Renaults.VERDICTThis multi-cultural UN style Renault sedan should easily eclipse its Laguna predecessor for sales volumes, thanks to a sharp pricetag that belies an extensive features list and a smooth petrol V6 drivetrain that's only let down by the auto's sporadic clunks. With German, Japanese and French product all wading into the mid-size battleground, the medium car buyer is becoming spoilt for choice. The Latitude falls more into the cruiser category.

If you think Renault's mid-sized Latitude looks familiar, you are right. It's basically a Nissan Maxima with a Renault nose, tail and interior, built in Korea by Samsung.Renault is not expecting a rush to the Latitude, perhaps a few hundred a year, but it does serve as a replacement for the discontinued Laguna, albeit with less panache.Smaller inside but as long outside as a Commodore or Falcon, the Latitude is classed as mid-sized while the Maxima is classed as a large car.PRICES AND ENGINESKeen pricing, lavish equipment and a diesel engine priced the same as the V6 petrol version are the big attractions. There are two models, the entry level at $36,990 and the Luxe at $42,490. The 2.5-litre V6 engine comes from the base Maxima and produces 133kW and 235Nm and has a combined fuel use of 9.7 litres/100km.The two-litre turbo diesel is similar to that in the Renault Koleos and Nissan X-Trail manual. It produces the same 127kW, but torque is up 20Nm to 380Nm. Combined fuel use is 6.5 litres/100km. Both engines drive the front wheels through six-speed automatic transmissions.DRIVINGDynamically, the Latitude is competent rather than inspiring. The V6 is smooth and frugal, but needs plenty of revs to keep it on the boil and the transmission is set to change up early, which has it hunting between ratios more than is desirable. This makes the diesel the better option. After some lag the relatively quiet diesel gets into stride and provides strong and linear thrust.Handling is balanced and secure enough at moderate speeds, but the insensitive steering and a tendency to push at the front near the limit don't inspire spirited driving. Ride is compliant and composed on big bumps, but it can be lumpy and busy on minor irritations.The interior is tasteful, well-equipped and with clear main instruments and multiple seat adjustment, but it is offset by the sombre trim and complicated audio and navigation controls.WeekltTimesNow