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Renault Talisman unveiled, Australian launch ruled out – UPDATE

The all-new Renault Talisman has been revealed in Europe overnight, debuting as a replacement for both the Laguna and Latitude models.


Don't expect to see the Talisman here, however, with production confirmed for left-hand-drive markets only.

Speaking with CarAdvice this morning, Renault Australia communications manager Emily Fadeyev said that with a final shipment of Latitude sedans now on their way to dealers, the company will soon exit the local midsized sedan market.

But, despite a general decline in sales for the midsized family car market (SUVs aside), Australian buyers are not short on options in this segment.

Obvious contenders for your dollar include Toyota's newly overhauled Camry, along with Ford's new Mondeo and the recently updated Mazda6. There's also Honda's new Accord, Kia's Optima, the Hyundai i40 and the Volkswagen Passat, among others.

An all-new version of the Optima will land later this year, and a new Passat - revealed in June last year - will launch here sometime in 2016.

As for Renault, we can expect the French carmaker's focus in Australia to revolve around models like the light Clio hatch and Captur SUV, along with the all-new Megane that will be revealed later this year and the recently spied replacement for the Koleos.


Talisman: the basics

The new Talisman measures 4.85 metres long, 1.87m wide, 1.46m tall and sits on a wheelbase that measures 2.81 metres in length.

Beneath the skin, the Talisman is built upon the Common Module Family shared between Renault and Nissan. The architecture already underpins vehicles ranging from the Nissan Qashqai and Renault Kadjar through to the Nissan X-Trail and Renault Espace.

At launch, buyers can choose between two petrol and three diesel engines, all of which are aided by at least one turbocharger.

On the petrol side of the ledger there's a motor with 110kW of power, while the other boasts 147kW. Both engines are available exclusively with a seven-speed dual-clutch transmission.

Kicking off the diesel lineup is a 81kW 1.4-litre motor that can be mated with either a six-speed manual or six-speed dual-clutch transmission. Under the EU fuel cycle, this engine drinks an estimated 3.6L/100km.

Next up is a 96kW 1.6-litre engine, which is also available with either a six-speed manual or six-speed dual-clutch gearbox.

At the top of the diesel pile is a version of the 1.6-litre motor. Equipped with a two turbochargers, this engine churns out 118kW of power and is tied exclusively to a seven-speed dual-clutch transmission.

Renault says that the new Talisman has a co-efficient of drag of 0.27, and weighs 200 kilograms less than the closely related Espace people mover.

Top-spec variants of the new Talisman will be equipped with full LED headlights, tail-lights that stay on permanently, active dampers, four-wheel steering, and a variety of driving modes (Comfort, Sport, Eco, Neutral and Perso).

On the inside, high grade Talismans will feature a capacitive touchscreen in either landscape 7.0-inch format or the portrait 8.7-inch form (seen below).

Other available tech includes a configurable digital instrument screen, colour head-up display with pop-up screen, ventilated front seats with 10-way electric adjustment and massaging function, semi-autonomous parking, and a range of advanced driving aids.

Depending on the grade, the Talisman rides on alloy wheels that between 16 and 19 inches in diameter.

Renault promises a boot capacity of 608 litres (VDA standard). Cargo carrying capacity can be increased by utilising either the ski port or 60/40 split-fold rear seats, although a figure for the expanded storage has not been confirmed.

The new Talisman will have its first public outing later this year at the Frankfurt motor show, which takes place in mid-September. A wagon version will also debut at the show.

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