To the manor born with the new Renault Arkana

Published on 12 September, 2021

Overview

The poor old 6th Earl of Mayo came to a very grisly end in 1872, when he was assassinated by a Pathan convict while visiting a penal colony as part of his duties as Viceroy and Governor-General of India.

His lordship (Richard Bourke to his family) was then taken back to Ireland and buried at Johnstown, Co Kildare, in a grave he had chosen for himself.

The 6th Earl seemed a relatively good chap – both in his dealings in India, and when he was three times Chief Secretary of Ireland – and in fact was so respected that the UK government decided that a new Palmerstown House would be constructed (at public expense) for the Bourke/Mayo family.

It’s now a rather grand manor house and has survived fires, cyclones and the ownership of Jim Mansfield to have a Christy O’Connor Jnr-designed championship golf course attached. The Comer brothers now own it, and they have restored the house and its 700 acres to former glories, with 20 private bedrooms and some lovely function rooms.

So it was, as if to the manor born, I left Phibsborough last Monday morning – just as regulations eased – to scoot the 33 minutes down to Palmerstown House for what would be the first indoor motoring event for 18 months.

Suitably masked, with Covid passes checked and phone numbers taken, we were ushered into the grand hall to hear about the new Renault Arkana and then take heavily sanitised cars out on quick test drives.

If nothing else, it was worthwhile to see a lot of colleagues for the first time in aeons. However, whether it was the lovely weather, the warmth of the welcome, or the occasion, it was impossible not to be also impressed by the Renault Arkana.

The car follows premium models like Mercedes and Audi in having a ‘sportback’ or stylish flowing versions of more boxy SUV-like cars. This usually pays off in terms of economy and performance, and Renault claims that the Arkana is 25pc more efficient than most traditional SUVs.

The Arkana is bigger than the company’s Kadjar and offers very generous interior space, together with that high driving position so loved by SUV owners.

Despite the sloping roof, back headroom is good too and the variable height boot is impressive. The driving position was very easy to access, which is an important point for many older owners.

It is the company’s first purpose-built hybrid. While it is available with a mild- and full-hybrid engine, I found the latter was much smoother and confident than the former.

What I liked about the car, apart from its presence and room, was all the safety equipment on board right from the get-go in the entry-level Iconic edition.

However the middle S-Edition model is the one to go for, as it has everything you could want – apart from the hands-free parking system in the RS Line model and the red badging, stitching, double tailpipe and sports seats which make that model more boy-racer and dated than it should be.

The full-hybrid model comprises a very efficient 1.6 petrol engine, a 1.2kWh lithium-ion battery, and two electric motors. In a short spin I took, down the M7 and through picturesque Johnstown village, I really liked its response.

It had good torque while returning as little as 11g/km of CO2 and consumption of around 5l/100km. The mild-hybrid engine is slightly faster on the 0-100km sprint (9.8 seconds against 10.8) and has a much bigger top speed (203km/h against 171) but is not nearly as economical or clean.

Prices for the full hybrid are €1,500 more than the mild hybrid, with its 12 volt-starter generator and 1.3 petrol engine. The Arkana Hybrid Iconic is €30,490 on the road, the S-Edition €32,590 and the RS Line €35,190. There’s five years’ warranty and roadside assistance.

I think the Arkana will be a resounding success. It looks the part. The first bunch in the country have already sold out – and the very likeable Paddy Magee, country operations director for the Renault Group, said that, like all manufacturers, supply was the only thing holding them back.

Overall there is an incredible dearth of cars. The pandemic, and the shortage of chips plus other components are holding up global supply. Even in the second-hand market the supply of cars has shrunk by 25pc.

However, Renault Group product manager Jeremy Warnock said there are Arkana available to test drive at dealerships now, and they can be reserved for €99.

VW’s ID Life is on the way

The supply problems are particularly acute for electric cars and those using hybrid technology. That’s why there is a lot of greedy ogling of the lithium supplies in Afghanistan. But all is not set fair for EVs anyway. The massive demand they and data centres are going to put on electricity supply needs careful consideration.

Already coal power stations are having to be relit to cope with the recent lack of wind energy. Nevertheless the launch of electric cars continues apace – and Volkswagen used IAA Mobility 2021 in Munich last week to show off their fully electric ID Life family model for the small car (think Polo) segment.

The ID Life, which will be ready in 2025, will have front-wheel drive, an 0-100kmh of 6.9 seconds, and a range of 400kms.

Meanwhile on the same day Renault were showing us the Arkana at Palmerstown, the company was having an international launch of the all electric Megane in Munich.

EV panel discussion for Climate Action Week 

All of this makes Dublin’s first Climate Action Week 2021 very timely. It runs from tomorrow to September 19, with more than 70 online and in-person events. The aim is to share knowledge and highlight best practice on climate action.

My colleague Geraldine Herbert will be moderating an electric vehicle panel discussion this Friday from 7-8 pm. The event will cover a host of topics relating to EVs, including the different types, what’s currently on the market and what’s coming, the grants available, barriers and incentives to EV uptake, and more.

Speakers include Graham Brennan of SEAI, Simon Acton of the Irish EV Owners Association, and John Byrne of ESB ecars. All events are free to attend, but you must register at www.dublinclimateactionweek.ie