The Rafale is the SUV that is assumed to be the Renault’s new top of the rangeso it is not surprising that he is the one who presents the latest version of the hybrid engine from the French manufacturerwhat promises low consumptionone very generous autonomy in electric mode and, as expected, a respectable acceleration ability – Or would this Rafale E-Tech 4×4 PHEV not have been the model? The most powerful brand in recent decades.equaling the 300 HP provided by the Mégane RS Trophy-R sports hatchback, which achieved the record on the Nürburgring circuit.
After having already announced a more affordable version of the Rafale, with a 200 HP hybrid engine, identical to the one already circulating in the Austral and Espace, Renault now presents a more muscular version of the top-of-the-range SUV. with coupe air, with a Plug-in hybrid mechanics (PHEV) with 300 HP. And this, by mounting a second electric motor on the rear axle, now benefits not only from greater power, but also from 4×4 all-wheel drive.
The technique that gives power and economy to the Rafale
In essence, this new E-Tech engine maintains the arguments already known and proven by the Austral, which is based on a supercharged engine with a displacement of 1.2 liters and three cylinders, which now guarantees 150 HP (instead of the 131 HP previous) and a power of 230 Nm (instead of the 205 Nm of the previous version). To this gasoline engine, now powered by a variable geometry turbocharger and operating according to the Miller cycle, to make it more efficient, Renault added an electric motor similar to that of the Austral and the Espace. With a power of 68 HP, this engine helps the combustion engine to reduce consumption and increase the power level. There is also another motor that, as in the Austral and Espace, provides 34 HP and its mission is not only to generate energy during braking and deceleration, but also to modulate the electrical changes. It is installed at the front, inside the gearbox, designed in collaboration with Renault Sport, which runs the F1 and WEC teams, whose technicians equipped it with 15 speeds, including three mechanical and five electric.
The novelty of this Rafale E-Tech 4×4 is the inclusion of a second direct-action electric motor in the locomotion of the SUV., which according to Renault offers 136 HP, to bring the total power to the announced 300 HP. But this PHEV version has more trump cards up its sleeve, since it mounts a battery with 22 kWh capacity (rechargeable at 7.4 kW), which will be enough to promise a Autonomy in 100% electric mode “up to 100 km”according to the manufacturer.
Active suspension uses a predictive camera to anticipate the state of the road ahead of the vehicle.
This PHEV mechanics mixes a combustion unit with other electric ones that allow the SUV of more than 4.7 meters in length to claim its place. more than 1000 km of total autonomy, ensured by the energy stored in the battery and the tank with 55 liters of gasoline. The French manufacturer did not reveal the maximum speed, but said that the acceleration capacity will correspond to 6.4 seconds to go from 0 to 100 km/h (only 1 second slower than the Mégane RS Trophy-R), in addition to the WLTP consumption being 0.7 l/100 kilometers. It also details that, once the battery capacity is exhausted – that is, with the model operating only as a hybrid -, the 300 HP Rafale achieves a consumption of 5.8 l/100 km.
The 300 HP Rafale E-Tech 4×4 will begin to be delivered to European customers since autumn 2024, in two different versions, the Esprit Alpine and the Atelier Alpine, both benefiting from the 4Control system, which allows the rear wheels to be turned to facilitate maneuvers at low speeds (turning them in the opposite direction to the front ones) and, on the other hand, to maximize the efficiency of behavior at high speeds (turning them in the opposite direction to the front ones). the same direction). Both versions also feature the latest navigation and information software, which uses the efficient Android Automotive from Googlewhich combines the well-known voice command system.
The Atelier Alpine version was the one that required the most attention from Alpine engineers, who were in charge of optimizing specific driving modes for Agility Control, in addition to recalibrating braking, stability and trajectory control. The biggest novelty here is the introduction of active suspension, with Comfort, Dynamique and Sport modes, which adapt the hardness of the suspension and the 4Control system. It is controlled by a predictive camera installed on the windshield, which “sees” the road ahead, detecting speed bumps, potholes and obstacles, adapting to the conditions to make suspension operation more effective.
Source: Observadora
