The Arkana is neither here nor there... It looks interesting but seems to be a compromise. At least this hybrid has a good consumption. Thanks for the review!
At 185km/h the motor sound like a washmaschine...i would like to buy arkana but is a new project and i wait 2 more years to see if there are eventual fabrication error.
The seats... The other option is to have electric memory seats and link them to the mirrors. VW group cars do this really well. If two people of different heights sit in on different days, all the driver has to do is press a button for the doors and mirrors, adjust the rear view mirror and drive away, instead of fiddling with everythjing for the first five minutes which is annoying and can be dangerous. It's a real safety feature and well worth the money.
Thanks for another balanced thorough review👍 I have been looking at this car alongside the Honda HRV and the Toyota CRV. I like the styling of this car slightly more over the Honda/Toyota and the interior (for me) wins out. I found the seats very comfortable (although I thought the Toyota also had good seats). I thought the Honda had great rear passenger space but very small storage space in the boot. The Arkana felt better for rear passenger and boot space over the Toyota. Above all I just enjoyed the drive Arkana and thought the infotainment system was great. Ultimately it has come down to the Honda/Renault… Going to have a final test drive in each today, have found your reviews on both cars really helpful. Cheers👍
@@fordgalaxie3726 I really like the Honda, the most out of the three cars, I think on balance, great rear passenger space and classy interior - I still like the exterior styling of Arkana and better boot size… but ultimately I actually went for a bigger car altogether!! I ended up in a Hyundai Tucson hybrid - I’m really pleased with the car done about 5000 miles now extremely comfortable, lots of creature comforts as standard and getting decent mpg - around 50mpg despite quite a lot of motorway driving. Cheers
Thank you for your reviews. In my opinion, Arcana e-tech is a great alternative to Toyota Prius or C-HR, Kia Niro (hev), Honda HR-V, for those people who want a hybrid but with high ground clearance. I ordered a Arcana (hybrid) to replace Kadjar (2019).
Let's be honest how many times you are moving your seats and how many times you open the trunk? Not sure what they wanted to show here - luxury seats but no electric tailgate, it's really strange.
At the first glance Arkana=Mégane Grandcoupe (instead of sedan is liftback) + 1 inch lift + automatic transmission + some bells and whistles as standard to make this car more premium.
People who have back problems, like my self, are changing seating position all the time, and the electric seats makes it really easy. I would ill advise any one to get manual seat adjustments.
Few lacks: -Plug in hybrid would have been more efficient. -only one climate control knob -No electric boot -materials dont feel as good as in the Kadjar.
Did you have any noise from the brakes? I have an e-tech hybrid RS line model and since purchase I keep getting an intermittent hi pitched groan from either brakes or suspension
The clio 4 can tow more weight.... Anyway I am disappointed that Renault want to release this car in South Africa as their 1st hybrid in 2024. I'd prefer a Koleos(If they make a hybrid soon) or Austral hybrid.
Picked up my Arkana only 2 weeks ago, the alarm kept going off randomly its now lying in carpark at show room, 5 days for new alarm, on 5th day today, I'm waiting.
Probably not a quick fix with chip shortage etc. BTW, a few years ago my friend had an issue with their car alarm going off every time it picked up CB radio transmission from a nearby taxi stop. That alarm of yours going off at random - it is in one particular location or anywhere? Could there some sort of radio interference in your area?
Why arent more companies making these Hybrids. We are obvisously not ready for electric, especially for small cars, the hybrid is a great solution. Most can drive around city centres in electric mode only. Ford binning the fiesta because not clever enough to engineer a hybrid
Given our car permit structure the Arkana is going to cost a huge bomb when it comes to our part of the world (Singapore), where Asian models have improved greatly - think the new Kia Sportage and Honda HR-V/Vezel - and still command much better resale value. It just had to get a few key things wrong in French fashion, such as legroom and storage in the glovebox and centre console (we're very particular about these!) Also, it doesn't seem to have the traditional French strengths such as cushy suspension and a silent interior. And the dashboard looks like it was designed by an intern - there are cars from 2000 that have nicer dashes. No, don't think I'll be seeing many of them on our roads.
That's a very strange take on horsepower... 145hp for a car with the "RS" badge and furious look, but at the same time can act only like a corolla... i seriously don't know what is in their mind. With the success of the Megane RS generations, I would assume it should at least get 240hp for standard trim and 300hp for the top range. And no plugin version? com'on... Renault seems to decide every little thing slightly wrong so to make it a big failure.
Tried it and it left me disappointed, the design is ok, but the inside space especially in the back is underwhelming, as for performance it feels seriously underpowered, I think I will spend my 30K elsewhere thx for the video 👍
Renault.... they used to be in Canada but failed because their cars sucked. Is this still the case? Honestly, design wise, it's very difficult designing a SUV with a fast back without making it look silly or like a hunchback. This one is ok but I just don't get it. If you are buying a SUV, you want space for luggage and the passengers so why bother with a coupe? Thanks for the review Marek!! Always bringing sunshine into my life.
Renault had their downs... and downs :) If you recall some of my older Renault reviews, even their press cars were crap. But since around the new Clio they have been improving, and I hope the same goes for customer cars. A fellow UA-camr is waiting for delivery of his Arkana (which is a Samsung something BTW), and we'll see if he's satisfied.
@@MarekDrives The coolest French cars, visually, have always been the Citroens. We never see them in Canada but when I visit Europe I love seeing the old 2CVs, CXs, SMs, DSs.... even the C6 was slick. Not sure about them now. I'd also look for those awesome Lancia Delta Integrales....
Some of these cars probably still live in California. In Europe most of them decayed. Maybe not the C6. I think it's about to hit rock bottom, and will start appreciating soon. When new it was priced like the 5 Series BMW. Crazy.
I managed to take the vehicle for a test drive recently and unfortunately I was disappointed in it ..... As it runs, it's okay, agree with your observations, the soundproofing is quite correct, but steering its playstation, on small potholes already the boot lid had a rattle, but i found a strange thing: sitting in the car on the back seat, the colleague closed the front door meanwhile the whole B-pillar was visibly shaken, then the same phenomenon from the outside: closing the front door, on the already closed rear door you could clearly see waves on the door panel . I have nothing wrong with the brand, I like good cars, for me it doesn't matter who makes it, but here the infotaitment was more important, while they forget to put together a good thing mechanically. Also on minor road faults, the front driver's door whimpered, rubber on the rubber 😥😥😥😥 leading to average torsional rigidity. How will be after few years, if the new car already makes it.....? I didn’t want to critises the brand, I like the car from the outside, but it’s far far away from my current 2-year-old Japanese car, which costs the same. All to the eye, but unfortunately there’s no massiveness on the go, no pleasant weighting on the controls either, so I was disappointed. If he had made a better impression on me, I might have bought it, but now its clear that others still make real rugged cars. Its just in 2 years a had the time to know well my car, and obviosly this too has his own 'diseases' 🤣🤣🤣, but after Arkana adventure I did not feel that it would be superior, that it would be worth changing😥😥😥. Greetings from Katowice.
I've seen some badly screwed together Renaults. This one was fine. However I based on my experience with the Kadjar or the Talisman I am willing to believe they still may have quality issues. Especially early on in the production run.
This is the first "X6" shaped car from an affordable brand, right? When I saw it on the street I thought it's all right, as I assumed it is priced around where the Megane range tops out. But, noooo! This car is way more expensive, it actually gets insanely close to an Espace. Arkana makes no sense to me now. Plus, it shares its name with an indicted Serbian war criminal ua-cam.com/video/ZQI2qMoDzlw/v-deo.html Let that sink in LOL!
Sorry, I didn't get that :) Several people I met from the former Yugoslavia were very touchy on the war subject, so I tread carefully. Granted, it was some time ago, when the war was still very fresh for everyone.
@@MarekDrives Well, you did a great job, as always. Me, being a former Yugoslavian from the former Yugoslavia, I felt a bit more comfortable joking. A while back we had a really interesting situation when Ford Kuga was introduced. Kuga meaning the plague in ex Yu 🙃
The review quite all right, as usual. The car ...horrible. Inside, outside, all this thing about mild hybrid, full hybrid, half hybrid...engines. Builders seem to have lost their bearings. They are gone mad, about so strange designs, the whole world looks like it's going mad with the climatic crisis, the global warming, and the only responsible for it is the car. Nobody is talking about electric motors for lorries, tractors, ships, planes, tanks...I am not that old, and people around are looking at me like I belong to a bygone world. And maybe they are right. A world where the cars were cars with real engines and so good looks, so beautiful designs. I sympathise with a lot of the things you say every Friday. That's why I've used your shoulder to cry on. Sorry about that, Marek. Thanks. See you next week. 👍
The engines are ... ridiculously ... underpowered - considerind the "big" appearence of the car. It's like a 2 meters & 120 kg man ... with a 10 cm [ 4 letters] & peanut size balls. 😏
I find this style SOOO annoying. What possesses people to buy a car that looks as daft as this? Either buy a proper van (SUV as some call them these days) or a proper saloon/sedan/estate. I'm a Volvo man through and through, but the new C40 or whatever they call that hideous monstrosity turns me right off the brand.
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Marek jestes mój nowy expert to view car reviews! Carwow is too silly, you're the man! Love from Sweden! //mr komar
I’ve been dying for the Mercedes GLE Coupe but it’s so ridiculously expensive 😢 this could be a much cheaper option
The Arkana is neither here nor there...
It looks interesting but seems to be a compromise.
At least this hybrid has a good consumption.
Thanks for the review!
At 185km/h the motor sound like a washmaschine...i would like to buy arkana but is a new project and i wait 2 more years to see if there are eventual fabrication error.
@@Mark-kr5bx full hybrid is not intended for 185 km
The seats... The other option is to have electric memory seats and link them to the mirrors. VW group cars do this really well. If two people of different heights sit in on different days, all the driver has to do is press a button for the doors and mirrors, adjust the rear view mirror and drive away, instead of fiddling with everythjing for the first five minutes which is annoying and can be dangerous. It's a real safety feature and well worth the money.
Instead of electric seats I would prefer electric tailgate. Luxury to me is not to touch dirt on the car anymore LOL
This car is 10k€ less than VW group alternatives
Vw t-roc has electric memory seats😂 oh come on. It is expensive than arcana and its interior plastic 🤦🏻
Świetny angielski jak na kogoś, kto nie edukował się w czasach obowiązkowego angielskiego w Polsce. Przyjemnie się słucha 😁
Nauka PO angielsku bardzo pomaga.
Thanks for another balanced thorough review👍 I have been looking at this car alongside the Honda HRV and the Toyota CRV. I like the styling of this car slightly more over the Honda/Toyota and the interior (for me) wins out. I found the seats very comfortable (although I thought the Toyota also had good seats). I thought the Honda had great rear passenger space but very small storage space in the boot. The Arkana felt better for rear passenger and boot space over the Toyota. Above all I just enjoyed the drive Arkana and thought the infotainment system was great. Ultimately it has come down to the Honda/Renault… Going to have a final test drive in each today, have found your reviews on both cars really helpful. Cheers👍
Arkana looks nice, but the quality of the interior, the rear leg room and the concept of the i-MMD brought me to the HR-V. Which one did you choose?
@@fordgalaxie3726 I really like the Honda, the most out of the three cars, I think on balance, great rear passenger space and classy interior - I still like the exterior styling of Arkana and better boot size… but ultimately I actually went for a bigger car altogether!! I ended up in a Hyundai Tucson hybrid - I’m really pleased with the car done about 5000 miles now extremely comfortable, lots of creature comforts as standard and getting decent mpg - around 50mpg despite quite a lot of motorway driving.
Cheers
Go for the Renault Arkana
Thank you for your reviews.
In my opinion, Arcana e-tech
is a great alternative to Toyota Prius or C-HR, Kia Niro (hev), Honda HR-V, for those people who want a hybrid but with high ground clearance.
I ordered a Arcana (hybrid) to replace Kadjar (2019).
Let's be honest how many times you are moving your seats and how many times you open the trunk? Not sure what they wanted to show here - luxury seats but no electric tailgate, it's really strange.
Great review Marek. Saw one the other day locally. Getting a lot of looks from pedestrian and motorists alike. I reckon it will sell well for them.
I’ll wait to see what the new kadjar is going to look like , it has to be bigger then the Arkana ,
At the first glance Arkana=Mégane Grandcoupe (instead of sedan is liftback) + 1 inch lift + automatic transmission + some bells and whistles as standard to make this car more premium.
People who have back problems, like my self, are changing seating position all the time, and the electric seats makes it really easy. I would ill advise any one to get manual seat adjustments.
I would suggest seeing a good physiotherapist and possibly doing some some exercises for the back. Been there, done that. Works like a charm.
Great review as always. I like the Arkana quite a lot -- it's interesting, but doesn't look terribly practical. Nice looking machine though.
Fair enough! Though I will say I've seen much less practical cars in this segment :)
@@MarekDrives There you go then, looks and a degree of practicality. It's a bit different, which I like - which your review showed very well!
Lovely car and a great review.
Definitely not a car for me, but a very good review!
Why not for you?
Looks amazing for the price !
I absolutely love the looks, but it desperately needs AWD and a powerful diesel drivetrain.
Why does Renoult keep these long taillights that have long excess reflector in inner sides of the back?
Nice but I cant wait new eMegane. That was really pleasant surprise from Munich.
Yeah me too
Great reviews 👌👍
Prefer the kadjar in my opinion but fantastic review all the same as your reviews are always👍
Fair enough! Although the Kadjar I reviewed a few years ago was a complete dog. ua-cam.com/video/6O4BxZ9zxgo/v-deo.html
@@MarekDrives I’ve got a new Kadjar 1.3 Gt line and can’t fault it lovely quiet drive. Thanks again for your great reviews.
Just brought ours waiting on it to be built
Fingers crossed it arrives soon!
Few lacks:
-Plug in hybrid would have been more efficient.
-only one climate control knob
-No electric boot
-materials dont feel as good as in the Kadjar.
Do you know if there are any tether points / luggage clips in the boot?
Nope. Nothing to secure luggage.
love it
how fast is the qi charging speed?
You didn't mention the visibility from the rear
I'm sure it's horrible like the X6
This body type is horrendous
It's not as terrible, as one might expect.
You should never rely on rear window for vision, that’s why you have door mirrors.
@@stevenmoran4060 and you also need to look at the roof mirror to see what's behind
Did you have any noise from the brakes? I have an e-tech hybrid RS line model and since purchase I keep getting an intermittent hi pitched groan from either brakes or suspension
I'd have the authorized dealer look at it. No problems with this one.
The clio 4 can tow more weight....
Anyway I am disappointed that Renault want to release this car in South Africa as their 1st hybrid in 2024. I'd prefer a Koleos(If they make a hybrid soon) or Austral hybrid.
To expensive, as you said drop electric seats and cut price
One on order 1.6 HB
The sound that shifter makes at 5:58 is terrible.
At least it works :)
Picked up my Arkana only 2 weeks ago, the alarm kept going off randomly its now lying in carpark at show room, 5 days for new alarm, on 5th day today, I'm waiting.
Factory alarm or aftermarket?
@@MarekDrives Factory alarm,
Probably not a quick fix with chip shortage etc.
BTW, a few years ago my friend had an issue with their car alarm going off every time it picked up CB radio transmission from a nearby taxi stop. That alarm of yours going off at random - it is in one particular location or anywhere? Could there some sort of radio interference in your area?
@@MarekDrives it was going off at place of work, home driveway and went off in showroom were I purchased it.
Looks nice. Arkana or citroen C4?
I like the Arkana looks, but I think I'd go with the C4 for comfort and practicality.
Why arent more companies making these Hybrids. We are obvisously not ready for electric, especially for small cars, the hybrid is a great solution. Most can drive around city centres in electric mode only.
Ford binning the fiesta because not clever enough to engineer a hybrid
The power trains are too weak, they can use stronger power trains from the Renault-Nissan inventory ...
They don't have much left here in Europe.
Given our car permit structure the Arkana is going to cost a huge bomb when it comes to our part of the world (Singapore), where Asian models have improved greatly - think the new Kia Sportage and Honda HR-V/Vezel - and still command much better resale value. It just had to get a few key things wrong in French fashion, such as legroom and storage in the glovebox and centre console (we're very particular about these!) Also, it doesn't seem to have the traditional French strengths such as cushy suspension and a silent interior. And the dashboard looks like it was designed by an intern - there are cars from 2000 that have nicer dashes. No, don't think I'll be seeing many of them on our roads.
That's a very strange take on horsepower... 145hp for a car with the "RS" badge and furious look, but at the same time can act only like a corolla... i seriously don't know what is in their mind. With the success of the Megane RS generations, I would assume it should at least get 240hp for standard trim and 300hp for the top range. And no plugin version? com'on... Renault seems to decide every little thing slightly wrong so to make it a big failure.
RS-Line is just a styling package. Like AMG Line, S line, M Pack, R-Line, etc.
megane conquest?
Yes, that's the one.
French cars are ok, especially some last Peugeot models (design wize), but they do feel very flimsy!
Tried it and it left me disappointed, the design is ok, but the inside space especially in the back is underwhelming, as for performance it feels seriously underpowered, I think I will spend my 30K elsewhere thx for the video 👍
Fair enough!
Most cars these days are more show than go :(
A koleos would be better and nice if it was hybrid
Reno x4
The xm3
Renault.... they used to be in Canada but failed because their cars sucked. Is this still the case? Honestly, design wise, it's very difficult designing a SUV with a fast back without making it look silly or like a hunchback. This one is ok but I just don't get it. If you are buying a SUV, you want space for luggage and the passengers so why bother with a coupe? Thanks for the review Marek!! Always bringing sunshine into my life.
Renault had their downs... and downs :) If you recall some of my older Renault reviews, even their press cars were crap. But since around the new Clio they have been improving, and I hope the same goes for customer cars. A fellow UA-camr is waiting for delivery of his Arkana (which is a Samsung something BTW), and we'll see if he's satisfied.
@@MarekDrives The coolest French cars, visually, have always been the Citroens. We never see them in Canada but when I visit Europe I love seeing the old 2CVs, CXs, SMs, DSs.... even the C6 was slick. Not sure about them now. I'd also look for those awesome Lancia Delta Integrales....
Some of these cars probably still live in California. In Europe most of them decayed. Maybe not the C6. I think it's about to hit rock bottom, and will start appreciating soon. When new it was priced like the 5 Series BMW. Crazy.
Using Renault Duster, clocked over 30,000km no hints of reliability issues so far
I managed to take the vehicle for a test drive recently and unfortunately I was disappointed in it ..... As it runs, it's okay, agree with your observations, the soundproofing is quite correct, but steering its playstation, on small potholes already the boot lid had a rattle, but i found a strange thing: sitting in the car on the back seat, the colleague closed the front door meanwhile the whole B-pillar was visibly shaken, then the same phenomenon from the outside: closing the front door, on the already closed rear door you could clearly see waves on the door panel .
I have nothing wrong with the brand, I like good cars, for me it doesn't matter who makes it, but here the infotaitment was more important, while they forget to put together a good thing mechanically. Also on minor road faults, the front driver's door whimpered, rubber on the rubber 😥😥😥😥 leading to average torsional rigidity. How will be after few years, if the new car already makes it.....?
I didn’t want to critises the brand, I like the car from the outside, but it’s far far away from my current 2-year-old Japanese car, which costs the same. All to the eye, but unfortunately there’s no massiveness on the go, no pleasant weighting on the controls either, so I was disappointed.
If he had made a better impression on me, I might have bought it, but now its clear that others still make real rugged cars.
Its just in 2 years a had the time to know well my car, and obviosly this too has his own 'diseases' 🤣🤣🤣, but after Arkana adventure I did not feel that it would be superior, that it would be worth changing😥😥😥.
Greetings from Katowice.
I've seen some badly screwed together Renaults. This one was fine. However I based on my experience with the Kadjar or the Talisman I am willing to believe they still may have quality issues. Especially early on in the production run.
I love coupe SUVs I hope they dominate more such that more companies make em which increases innovation and brings down price
This is the first "X6" shaped car from an affordable brand, right? When I saw it on the street I thought it's all right, as I assumed it is priced around where the Megane range tops out. But, noooo! This car is way more expensive, it actually gets insanely close to an Espace. Arkana makes no sense to me now. Plus, it shares its name with an indicted Serbian war criminal ua-cam.com/video/ZQI2qMoDzlw/v-deo.html Let that sink in LOL!
Yes, I heard that war criminal story. Still, arcana as a word is generally inoffensive.
@@MarekDrives I wanted to make a joke that the car is criminally priced, but I guess it was a stretch 😁 I’ll do better in the future 😂
Sorry, I didn't get that :)
Several people I met from the former Yugoslavia were very touchy on the war subject, so I tread carefully. Granted, it was some time ago, when the war was still very fresh for everyone.
@@MarekDrives Well, you did a great job, as always. Me, being a former Yugoslavian from the former Yugoslavia, I felt a bit more comfortable joking. A while back we had a really interesting situation when Ford Kuga was introduced. Kuga meaning the plague in ex Yu 🙃
ROTFL
We have to pronounce Škoda as Skoda, rather than Shkoda, because the latter in Polish means it's a pity, it's a shame :)
I think you look more unusual than this car
Negative view and its just your opinion. Check out 9 out of 10 other reviews.
Give it a miss...
The review quite all right, as usual. The car ...horrible. Inside, outside, all this thing about mild hybrid, full hybrid, half hybrid...engines. Builders seem to have lost their bearings. They are gone mad, about so strange designs, the whole world looks like it's going mad with the climatic crisis, the global warming, and the only responsible for it is the car. Nobody is talking about electric motors for lorries, tractors, ships, planes, tanks...I am not that old, and people around are looking at me like I belong to a bygone world. And maybe they are right. A world where the cars were cars with real engines and so good looks, so beautiful designs. I sympathise with a lot of the things you say every Friday. That's why I've used your shoulder to cry on. Sorry about that, Marek. Thanks. See you next week. 👍
There, there... 🫂
The engines are ... ridiculously ... underpowered - considerind the "big" appearence of the car. It's like a 2 meters & 120 kg man ... with a 10 cm [ 4 letters] & peanut size balls. 😏
The Renault Arkana belongs in uncool.
Like a lot of these cars it seems utterly pointless. Factor in the growing list of great EVs and it seems Renault has wasted its time.
I find this style SOOO annoying. What possesses people to buy a car that looks as daft as this? Either buy a proper van (SUV as some call them these days) or a proper saloon/sedan/estate. I'm a Volvo man through and through, but the new C40 or whatever they call that hideous monstrosity turns me right off the brand.
Yeah, the C40 is a car nobody asked for :)
It's an astonishingly ugly car, like all SUVs. It just looks like a Renault Laguna with stilts.
this man is a little weird
You have to be to make a UA-cam channel. Normal people have office day jobs :)
stupid car. soooo french
Dont buy this, same factory as Jeep wich is low quality
You are probably referring to Fiat 500X, which is made along with the Renegade. Renault is not part of the Stellantis group.
Love how the Internet prompts some to loudly voice incorrect 'facts'.