Used car running cost: Renault

 

With a model range which currently consists almost entirely of small- and mid-sized hatchbacks and compact SUV/Crossovers, today’s Renaults are known for their economy of operation. But how did they fare in the era when their range also included larger cars? We take a look back at their fairly recent history, to rate their older offerings in terms of their running costs.

Renault Espace

When the first Espace arrived in Europe in the early 1980s, it created massive waves in the market. Up until that point, passenger vans were primarily designed as commercial vehicles, which made the exotic, space-framed Espace a really unique offering in the European market. It took more than a decade for this futuristic passenger van to appear in South Africa, but when it did, the uptake was surprisingly slow.

This limited sales success currently impacts those few Espaces actually sold here, with spare parts being rather expensive and difficult to find, and almost no aftermarket support for the product. Even Renault seems to have forgotten that they sold these cars here. This is definitely not a passenger van for those on a limited budget, no matter how cheaply you can find them in the classifieds... 

Renault Laguna
This mid-sized fastback hatch was one of the models on offer when Renault returned to South Africa in the mid-1990s. Their engines were generally very fuel-efficient (especially the multi-valve units which appeared with the 1998 facelift), although the 3.0-litre V6 was quite a thirsty beast. This tradition of efficiency carried over to the second-generation Laguna, but by then, it also became known that the Laguna suffered from quirky electronic systems and fairly strenuous maintenance requirements.

The latter two factors pushed up the cost of running a Laguna, way beyond that of its competitors, which rather soured buyers to the nameplate and played a part in this model’s subsequent slow sales. After a brief re-appearance in third-generation Coupé form, the Laguna left our shores for good, eventually followed by the nameplate’s worldwide discontinuation.

Renault Scenic

As the smaller companion model to the Espace, the Scenic was a smash hit in the beginning. And why not? It offered most of the Megane’s great driving characteristics, but added a generous serving of practicality on top of the Megane’s proven fuel efficiency.

It’s easy to blame the rise of the SUV craze for the slow sales of the next generation of the Scenic, but it could also very well be attributed to the same disproportionately high running costs which hamstrung the Laguna and Megane. The reality is that the Scenic dates from the dark days before Renault SA started taking aftersales service seriously, and combined with expensive spare parts, this was enough to kill of this model in our market. High repair costs for the temperamental electronic systems merely sealed its fate – there are some disadvantages that not even excellent fuel efficiency can overcome.

Renault Megane

One of the other launch vehicles for Renault’s return to South Africa, the Megane got off to an excellent start. Sales were strong, as local buyers embraced this high-value, stylish Golf alternative. This success story continued with the second-generation Megane (the one with the big “booty”), with both hatchbacks and sedans finding plenty of happy buyers. However, it soon transpired that the Megane 2 suffered from the same expensive maintenance requirements and steep repair bills as the Laguna, leading to surprisingly high running costs in spite of its excellent fuel efficiency.

When the third-generation Megane arrived, public demand had tapered off quite considerably, and eventually, it was only the sportier (GT-line and RS) variants which sold in significant numbers. However, with that sportiness comes a greater thirst for fuel, which, combined with a reputation for fragility and expensive spare parts, turned the worthy Megane into a third-tier contender in its segment.

Renault Twingo

We never had the first-generation Twingo in South Africa (because it was only made in LHD format), but the second-generation car failed to make any serious impact when it finally arrived. Like the Scenic, the Twingo’s sales numbers were serious hurt by the indifferent attitude exhibited by the Renault dealerships of its day, and combining this with its relatively high sticker price, the little Twingo found few takers.

It’s quite sad, really: by all accounts, the Twingo was great fun to drive, especially in Gordini or RS specification, but the larger Clio was almost as much fun, a lot more spacious, and not much more expensive. Limited sales means limited aftersales support and expensive maintenance, so even though the Twingo is extremely light on fuel, its running costs are disproportionate to its size and power.

Renault Clio/Captur

Things finally started looking up when the Clio 2 arrived here, for this was a thoroughly modern supermini that carried very enticing pricetags and good build quality. In fact, it proved to be durable enough that we still see old Clios trundling along in the suburbs. In addition, the Clio 2 was very parsimonious (especially with the smaller engines), which combined with the generally reasonably-priced spare parts, turned the Clio into a force to be reckoned with. However, they’re old now, and spares support for this generation is dwindling, so an old Clio may well end up more expensive to run than a newer one.

The Clio 3 lost a little bit of that momentum, being more expensive and slightly thirstier, but it managed to maintain a good reputation and decent aftersales support, largely on the back of the RS derivatives’ sales success. The Clio 4 (current model) added even more-frugal downsized engines, and combined with Renault’s new-found commitment to aftersales service, this makes a Clio (and the related Captur) of almost every description a very affordable car to run over longer periods.

Renault Koleos and Kadjar

Neither of these SUV/Crossovers received the customer attention they really deserved, and that’s a real pity. When equipped with the appropriate diesel engines, both Koleos and Kadjar were amazingly frugal, and because they were largely based on Nissan X-Trail platforms (of two different generations), they weren’t too expensive to maintain, either.

Smart buyers will go out to grab one of the few remaining Kadjars in stock at some Renault dealers, before they disappear for good – this model has now been discontinued in our market. There are some great deals on those last Kadjars, which, combined with their low running costs, turn them into amazing high-value deals.

Renault Duster

An unsurprising smash hit on local soil, the Duster is as popular as it is because it’s affordable to buy as well as cheap to run. The first-generation Duster (which was recently replaced by an all-new model) was as simple as they could come, and shared many of its mechanical bits with its Logan/Sandero siblings. This made it really affordable to maintain, and because it was pretty light on fuel as well (especially with the 1.5-litre diesel), the Duster was surprisingly cheap to run.

Renault Sandero/Logan

The one was curvy and imported, the other one was boxy and locally-assembled (and still sort of lives on in the Nissan NP200), but what they had in common was low running costs. Take note that we’re talking about the first-generation Sandero here, as the current model (which is also very affordable to run) is in fact based on the latest Clio’s platform, and shares its downsized engine.

What made the first Sandero and Logan so affordable to run was the fact that spare parts were quite cheap, and, because they shared much with the popular NP200, easy to find as well. Combine that with great fuel economy and simple maintenance, and it’s easy to see why the Sandero became so popular with budget-conscious buyers.