Renault Vel Satis - Overview

Overview

The Vel Satis is distinguished by its unusual height (13 cm higher than a Safrane), which benefits interior space but results in proportions some viewed as being ungainly. In September 2002, CAR magazine described it as "ugly and very French." Design commentator Stephen Bayley decided that the problem with the car was that it was "not ugly enough." Renault's design chief Patrick Le Quement explained that the car was intended to have physical presence rather than aspiring to classical elegance which Audi, for example, did well enough. Renault's stated intention was to target less conformist, selective modern customers who were identified as "distancing themselves from the conventional saloon." The Vel Satis was an attempt to redefine the prestige car in French terms.

It had a five-star EuroNCAP safety rating and was available with a variety of engines:

• 4-cylinder, 16-valve, turbocharged 2.0-litre
• Nissan-sourced 24-valve, 3.5-litre V6
• 4-cylinder, 16-valve, 2.2-litre direct-injection turbodiesel
• Isuzu-sourced 24-valve 3.0-litre direct-injection turbodiesel

The Vel Satis shares its "platform" (chassis, powertrain, assembly process) with the Laguna and Espace IV and was produced on the same assembly line in Sandouville, France.

Reviews of the car were critical of its ride and its handling but noted the car was quiet under most conditions. "The gearbox is prone to considerable hunting in its quest to deliver power, at which point engine noise intrudes more than anticipated, and the change itself is by no means the smoothest in the class." The reviewer noted that the V6 diesel engine was better suited to the car's "lounge lizard pretensions" but that "all of which conspires to make the car's ride quality even more of a disappointment." The ride quality was described as feeling "over-tough at pottering speeds, but displays a tendency to disintegrate into chop and judder when confronted with anything other than the smoothest of surfaces."

Renault UK decided not to develop a right-hand-drive version of the facelifted 2005 year model Vel Satis, as sales of the model had been poor in the United Kingdom since launch. Although 3,500 sales were predicted, only a third of these were achieved.

This came only two years after the Avantime coupé/MPV, which was equally ambitious in its design, was discontinued by Renault.

The 2006 model year Vel Satis features a reprofiled front grille section with less chrome, giving it an appearance similar to more recent concept cars from the brand.

Renault cancelled the Vel Satis production on August 27, 2009. The newly-revealed 2011 Renault Latitude is considered a replacement in Europe and other nations because of its similar dimensions and class to the Vel Satis.