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-   -   Renault Fluence : Test Drive & Review (https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/official-new-car-reviews/101671-renault-fluence-test-drive-review-18.html)

In that aspect, I feel it’s quite ok for a Renault to be priced on par with the Skoda. As a brand, it’s quite up there with the Czech.
Yes, the 1.5L with the said power output is a quite on the lower side. But for those who are not much into power, and want a comfortable diesel car, the E4D should be a sensible option.
And for comparison, most of the features on offer in the E4D (for this price) are available only in the Laura L&K trim.

Globally maybe yes. But definitely not in India. The average Indian buyer associate Skoda mostly with the Octavias, Lauras and Superbs, essentially big premium sedans. Renault on the other hand hasn't yet been fully able to rid itself of its association with Logan, in the public mind. Big difference.
People who are a little more well informed, will probably compare the company history (in India), dealer network and other owners' experience while making a decision.

I was not saying that Laura is superior. When you consider that they are priced almost equally, Laura offers more to the driver.

When I was in the process of purchasing a new car, I had almost finalized on the Fluence. The build quality and ride quality were just amazing. However, the power was a let down. And for the price of 17.8 L OTR Bangalore, I felt that I deserve more than a 1.5 L engine. For the same price, the Laura was offering a much more powerful engine and more importatnly an AT. I think buyers in this segment are increasingly moving towards AT.

All I am trying to convey is that though the Fluence is an excellent car, the pricing somehow doesn't seem right.

Actually Laura is definitely superior. It has a 2L engine, and it has a DSG that it optionally offers.

Renault - or any French brand - can not come close to to VW. They have hardly established themselves here. And now, they have a poor product, definitely under-powered, and priced horribly.

Come on Renault, it is the same 1.5L engine which runs on Mahindra Verito! You can slap on a VGT, but that doesn't change the basic fact. Give it a good engine it really deserves at this price.

True, with the discounted price, the Advantage edition sounds like an excellent option in this segment. Are you getting a 2011 model?

Thanks Zipdrive. Did you manage to get any discounts on the March ’12 model?

Note: Answering in the Fluence thread, so that we are not hijacking Ramesh’s ownership thread :)

Thanks for moving this vb-san. My bad - i should not have hijacked Ramesh's thread.

Its a 2012 Model. I am not sure if I will go for this. I am looking at a chauffer driven diesel car and my top 3 is (1) Fluence (2) Sunny (3) Ertiga. Sunny & Ertiga comes around the same cost, while Fluence E2 is about 4 lacs more.

Well yes, its indeed pricey compared to the Sunny. But it’s a much bigger car, and should be pretty good in safety as well.

The Fluence back seat is a pretty comfortable place. I have not sat in the Sunny, but again... back seat seems to be the USP of the Nissan as well :).

Hello everyone, i bought a Fluence E2 last month. I was looking for a large, comfortable and economical self driven sedan with a budget around 15 lakhs. The Fluence E2 - 'advantage edition' seemed good value given that I'm not very keen on the beige "premium" looks.

Mine is a March'12 manufactured car, and the turbo lag seems to be much more muted compared to the test drive car. Gotta find out from Renault if mine has the "improved" VGT.

I've already taken the car for a 1300km round trip to Ooty and Yercaud. Highway road manners are excellent. Plenty of power in the highways to overtake and keep up with fast moving traffic. I'm hoping to start an ownership thread soon :)

I booked a Fluence E2 Diesel this week. I have personally had a Laura LnK AT earlier and have a Jetta TL in the family now. I booked the car mainly because I couldn't find a better VFM Diesel Car.

My options and why I didnt choose them.
1. Toyota Corolla D: Underpowered and too staid. Taxi image.
2. Laura: Too long in the tooth, cramped rear, terrible A.S.S
3. Jetta: Too pricey, interiors a let down. (already have one :p)
4. Cruze: Too cramped in the rear, facelift imminent

I quite liked the quirkiness of the Fluence and the fact that it stands out on the road. Even though my car isnt delivered yet my interaction with Renault Customer Care has been good, though the Dealer hasnt been great.
The car is underpowered but extremely comfortable. The car looks huge and has a real presence on the road.

I am planning to replace my Civic 1.8V and test drove a few cars this weekend. My views are :

1. Toyota Corolla 1.8 GL: Not powerful enough, not stylish enough not roomy enough in the back + Taxi image. Its a 3 in 5 point scale in everything.
2. Laura 1.8 TSI Ambition: Loved the power and the drive, Hated cramped rear, No leather and other goodys, famous for its terrible A.S.S
3. Jetta: Good presence, Good rear seat, good drive, Interior and equipments were a let down, Feels you are paying too much for only the 'Brand'
4. Fluence Petrol AT - loved the space inside, equipments, audio, nice to drive in city, managable on highway, good ground clearence
5. Fluence Diesel E4D - same interior specs as petrol but 1.5 lit & MT. Surprisingly, found the drive good within city. Did not feel like a diesel and felt very smooth to drive in traffic and overtaking at low speeds (50 - 70 kmph). Good handling.

I could not take the diesel Fluence to highway. Would be nice to know how it drives on highway - overtaking scenario. I do Bangalore- Chennai, Bangalore - Salem etc frequently.

Am liked the Fluence. Also I do not mind either a Petrol or a Diesel engine.

Would request for views of this forum....thanks

The Fluence E4D model with the engine upgrade is pretty tractable, but cant be compared with the Jetta or the Cruze for tht matter. The Jetta, Laura TSI and the Cruze have a real punch which you might miss in the Fluence D. I havent driven the petrol Fluence sadly. Highways in the Fluence with the updated engine are decent, but requires down shifts occasionally.

MG1558, I took my new Fluence E2 diesel to a trip to Ooty and Yercaud from Chennai. Even without the engine upgrade the diesel is very easy on the highways. Tackling uneven roadsurface at highspeeds is a piece of cake e.g. We just sailed thru the patch work between Ranipet and Kanchipuram

Overtaking has not been a problem at all, it cruises effortlessly at 120kmph on 6th gear @ 2400rpm.

Hi,

Here is my take on this car. I have purchased the E2 version late in November 2011 for approx. 16 lakhs on road in Bangalore. This included following additions from the following additions from the dealer free of cost:

1. 2 years extended warranty
2. 4 years or 40000 km complete maintenance package
3. Reverse Sensor
4. Floor Mats
5. Dicky tray (costing about 4K)

In addition to it, I got V-Kool tints installed on all 4 sides - all within permissible limits as per the SC ruling :)

As of date I have covered about 6.5K kms including one trip from Bangalore to Mumbai & back in about 50 hours. Experiences so far has been as under:

Pros:
1. Great looker - based on continued stares & envious looks I still get after 5 months. clap:
2. Good dealer & service experince - Very courteous, prompt & have attention to detail.
3. Good city & great highway performance. Overtaking a breeze as soon as you get used to the gearing ratios. Max speed in city about 100 kmph & 172 kmph on highway
4. Brilliant steering - light, soft & responsive :thumbs up
5. Great braking - makes me feel very confident to go 150+ with a fully loaded car having family & kids
6. ABS & ESP - have personally seen / felt both in action and is worth the extra money.
7. Solid build - the door has a beautiful thunk. The gaps thruout is even.
8. Very low NVH - cabin noise minimum, we don't feel that the car is travelling at 150+ unless we see the speedo
9. Very comfortable with odles of legroom & width
10. Fuel economy of about 13 to 14 kmpl. The max I have seen is 18 kmpl

Cons:
1. Low rev torque is grossly inadequate. It is difficult to climb up a ramp in 2nd if the car is below 20 kmph :Frustrati
2. Audio does not have USB - inadequate for a 16L car stupid:
3. While ground clearance is good, the bigger wheelbase causes the bottom to scratch in case of a tall & short bumper.
4. Driver seating for a tall guy was a problem for me - it could be because I am 6'1" tall or the fact that I used to drive a Safari earlier.
5. Glove box grossly small
6. Controls based for a LH drive car

In all, excellent package which I would recommend all, specially at the lower priced E2 version, which I believe is being offered to clear the stocks in the factory, which in turn is moving slowly after the launch of E4.

Indeed good to know as the Hyderabad dealer service is a big disappointment.

Dear all, Any team mate who can address as to why Fluence is not in display in any of the Hyderabad showrooms and only Koleos and Pulse being promoted. The dealer states that we are not maintaining stocks of Fluence any more. Surprised to see this happen so early even after the reduction in price of E2. Was the reduction in price intended to clear stocks and close the model?

I just checked with my sales person in Renault - This was his version:

Renault was still selling the FY11 models in the E2 space for about ~15 lakhs on road in Bangalore. All these models are likely to be finished by May 15th after which they will launch the FY12 models. They are also launching a big marketing campaign from May 16th, for which Renault has supposed paid a bomb.

The new prices of E2 is likely to be about 16.48 L on road at Bangalore. So if you do get a E2 now - go for it :)