Renault's new answer to the D-segment battle #1
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Renault's new answer to the D-segment battle #1
It is the first time since 1965 that Renault won't have a large hatchback in its line-up #2
Even if it does resemble the Nissan Altima from some angles, it is actually based on the smaller CMF platform (which underpins vehicles like the Nissan Qashqai) #3
There is, of course, an estate version too #4
Together with the new Espace, the Talisman débuts the new super-luxury Initiale Paris trim level #5
There are three diesel engines available (110bhp, 130bhp and 160bhp) and two petrols (150bhp and 200bhp). All have four cylinders and are turbocharged #6
Because this is the car I take to my private jet's hangar.
Watch out, boy, I've got fax coming your way! The internet tells me so.
[url="http://jalopnik.com/ludacris-still-drives-his-93-acura-from-before-he-was-804134178"]Ludacris Still Drives His '93 Acura From Before He Was Famous[/url]
[quote=Some Jalopnik Commenter]Interesting that it's parked in front of his jet. I used to work as a line guy at an FBO in Atlanta and most people with private jet access, whether their own jet or a NetJets account, have dumpy/old beaters for their airport cars. Who wants to leave a $250,000 Bentley in a parking lot for two weeks? ... [Most] people with money and sense roll incognito. That guy getting onto a G-V or Global Express is more likely to have shown up in a '98 Corolla than a brand new Jaaaaaaag.[/quote]
FBO is fixed-base operator. They're where you find the secondary and tertiary support guys at airports who aren't necessarily direct airport, airline, or government/security employees.
I do agree that the juxtaposition is not a flattering one for the Renault; car advertising and press releases long ago reach peak-aspiration. I realize that a lot of advertising, is, by design, meaningless drivel meant to part the unwashed masses from their hard-earned Euroes, but this is ridiculous. To suggest any kinship between a "D-segment" Renault and aviation is either absurd or incorrect. This attitude is endemic. Buying a Morgan Three-Wheeler does not mean turn trip to get groceries into barnstorming in a Stearman, hitting boost in your Saab is not equivalent to going full-reheat in a Viper (née Fighting Falcon), suggesting that antebellum European racers were an adequate hero proxy for the wartime pilots of ten years prior is contemptible, and the [i]original[/i] Mustang had independent rear suspension because it only had one tailwheel...
It isn't just aviation; I would hazard that Denalis are conspcuously-absent from that mountain's slopes and Chevy Monte Carlos in that principality's streets. At least Hyundai aimed low with the Tucson... However, I think that the parallels drawn with aviation so often ring false. The glamor, prestige, and speed of aircraft is obvious and facile marketing fodder, but I agree that Renault, and others, need to calm it down.
I don't think aviation has been as (truly) related with cars as it was in the inter-war years. In fact most of the racing drivers from that era were war-time pilots looking for something exciting to do while [I]not being on war[/I].
In any case picturing a large Renault estate is as meaningful to its customer base as picturing an SUV climbing the Kilimanjaro. Press pictures and advertising in general is mostly preposterous these days; the actual product and its merits are irrelevant; what really matters is selling an idea.
EDIT By the way, a Talisman Estate will most probably never see the light of private jet runway/hangar for two reasons. One, the aeroplane is nowhere near as popular/common in Europe as it is in the US and two this car is an Europe-only affair.