sudonano
2.0 16v 140 X-Tronic (2014)
Bought new, Owned for 1 Year
Fuel Economy: 13.0 km/litre (7.7 L/100 km), RON95, Mileage: 1,000 km/month
This is a hugely spacious car. If you need a car that could potentially swallow your whole 'kampung' into the boot and your family in the back seat, this is it. Not sure how Renault's engineers did this in a C segment car, but it beats some of those D segment sedans that costs 3 times the price!
Comfort and serenity is also another big thing in this Fluence. It is supremely quiet and stable on the highway, with no apparent noise. The CVT and the 2.0l engine from Nissan is a good combo and makes this a very effortless drive. Also, because it picks up rather fluently (pun intended), you don't need to rev hard, making this a very efficient car. Seats are supportive and comfortable for long commutes too.
Visibility is quite good, and the standard reverse camera makes it a joy to park. Not that you need it, cause it is dead easy to park it, but new users of C segment cars will never have to worry about parking it.
For the price, you do get a lot for the money, from Satnav to keyless entry, 6 airbags and ESP, it is well kitted. Compared to say the Altis and the Civic, it seems like a fire sale. Plus, you get a full 5 year warranty with the car, and 5 year service. The service plan is actually quite attractive as you are also given a courtesy car if you have to leave it in for repairs for more than 48 hours. Not that you would need it as it has a good and reliable Nissan power train that is almost bulletproof. The fit and finish also is good considering it s a CKD car.
It handles pretty decently for the size and price, don't expect a hot hatch or a BMW M3 handling, but as a daily driver, it is nice and decent and not sloppy at all. It feels very European which is nice. The steering is light too and this makes it easy to move about in traffic.
It was a bit of a disappointment that Renault MY decided not to bring in the newer face of the Fluence with the larger Renault grille. Also, the rear is a bit weirdly stylised in my opinion, in the sense that it looks a bit generic and boring. In fact, that is one thing, the Fluence doesn't look French enough, as generally French cars look naughty, cheeky or cute. This looks quite grey and very sterile, almost Germanic. Not a bad thing though.
The lack of service centres may be an issue at first as Renault is still building up the dealer network, however it is most likely not going to be much of a hassle once the whole dealer network is opened up.
The XTronic CVT used needs some getting used too. If you floor it, it does sound strained and like a washing machine, but you will rarely need to do that, as there is adequate power for overtaking. In fact if you drive it sedately, you could possibly not even rev it more than 3000 rpm.
The steering is as dead as a piece of wood, a bit too light when on the speedway but again, this is not a performance car and is not trying to be one. As a second car or as a family car it is brilliant.
To Improve
Build up the dealer network, as that is very important.
Also, please bring in the new facelift grille as it looks so much nicer.
Yes, I would recommend this car