Why do French manufacturers not care?
Discussion
Doofus said:
C70R said:
What? That's insane.
I know, right? Why do Swedisn/Chinese manufacturers not care?The XC40 hasn't been facelifted yet.
So it's not "buried" anywhere. It literally takes two clicks on the left-hand steering wheel d-pad to switch between the two.
C70R said:
The point is that I can technically do it on both.
On the Volvo, it's a button, located exactly where you'd expect, under my right thumb. It requires a simple, satisfying click.
On the Renault, it's done by locating this ridiculous audio control block, attached to the steering column at 4-5 o'clock. You then have to feel around the back of the block, find the scrolling wheel, and move it in the direction you wanted (which isn't obvious). What's that? You only wanted the next track? Oh, sorry, you went over a pothole so we've skipped three tracks for you.
It's just unforgiveably sh*t. It's like they just couldn't be bothered.
And it shouldn't take a genius to work out which of the above took less money to develop.
I have a feeling that that is a Renault DNA/design feature. Renault owners expect it to be there, like the footbrake parking brake in Mercs, or the Hofmeister kink in BMW's. It's all probably cheap, and the marketing feedback question will go something along the lines of do you like the audio controls Yes? or It's ok?On the Volvo, it's a button, located exactly where you'd expect, under my right thumb. It requires a simple, satisfying click.
On the Renault, it's done by locating this ridiculous audio control block, attached to the steering column at 4-5 o'clock. You then have to feel around the back of the block, find the scrolling wheel, and move it in the direction you wanted (which isn't obvious). What's that? You only wanted the next track? Oh, sorry, you went over a pothole so we've skipped three tracks for you.
It's just unforgiveably sh*t. It's like they just couldn't be bothered.
And it shouldn't take a genius to work out which of the above took less money to develop.
C70R said:
Doofus said:
C70R said:
What? That's insane.
I know, right? Why do Swedisn/Chinese manufacturers not care?The XC40 hasn't been facelifted yet.
So it's not "buried" anywhere. It literally takes two clicks on the left-hand steering wheel d-pad to switch between the two.
What was even more horrid on the P8 is that there's no way to show the predicated battery range on the dash and only shows the %. The only way to know the remaining range is to ask the Android Auto infotainment with a voice command. Talk about HMI and UI design...
I had a Renault Kadjar hire car for a few days, I wanted to dislike it, but didn't. It was comfortable, quiet and well equipped.
The only complaint I had was the key, it didn't have a keyring attachment and was an awkward credit card shape (but too fat to go in my wallet)
I did however have a Renault Captur hire car, and that was crap. It was well equipped, but uncomfortable and noisy, i had back ache after an hour of driving. It's the first, and so far only time I've asked if I can change to a different hire car.
The only complaint I had was the key, it didn't have a keyring attachment and was an awkward credit card shape (but too fat to go in my wallet)
I did however have a Renault Captur hire car, and that was crap. It was well equipped, but uncomfortable and noisy, i had back ache after an hour of driving. It's the first, and so far only time I've asked if I can change to a different hire car.
HelldogBE said:
C70R said:
Doofus said:
C70R said:
What? That's insane.
I know, right? Why do Swedisn/Chinese manufacturers not care?The XC40 hasn't been facelifted yet.
So it's not "buried" anywhere. It literally takes two clicks on the left-hand steering wheel d-pad to switch between the two.
What was even more horrid on the P8 is that there's no way to show the predicated battery range on the dash and only shows the %. The only way to know the remaining range is to ask the Android Auto infotainment with a voice command. Talk about HMI and UI design...
My phev shows % and range for the battery in the cluster...
carlove said:
I had a Renault Kadjar hire car for a few days, I wanted to dislike it, but didn't. It was comfortable, quiet and well equipped.
The only complaint I had was the key, it didn't have a keyring attachment and was an awkward credit card shape (but too fat to go in my wallet)
I did however have a Renault Captur hire car, and that was crap. It was well equipped, but uncomfortable and noisy, i had back ache after an hour of driving. It's the first, and so far only time I've asked if I can change to a different hire car.
The key is horrible. They've had variants of it for a few years.The only complaint I had was the key, it didn't have a keyring attachment and was an awkward credit card shape (but too fat to go in my wallet)
I did however have a Renault Captur hire car, and that was crap. It was well equipped, but uncomfortable and noisy, i had back ache after an hour of driving. It's the first, and so far only time I've asked if I can change to a different hire car.
I assume your experience of the Captur was similar to my experience of a hire Juke (same platform). Absolutely horrible, terrible position and quite easily the worst car I've driven - nothing likeable about it at all.
I've had a few Renault's (All RS so slightly higher trim than standard) and to be honest I've been quite impressed with the trim on recent ones. The Megane 280 is a pretty nice place to sit - my only gripe being the touchscreen controls for the AC.
The media controls are easily accessible and I've never had an issue with the limiter and cruise control being near the handbrake, I know where they are - so what's the problem?
This sounds like more like not being accustomed to where things are than anything. I've had a load of hire cars over the years and I never know where anything is - it's never obvious since different manufacturers use different methods.
craigjm said:
The key and volume control mentioned are used on the alpine a110 too which is a shame
Are you speaking from experience? I've had mine for a while now and honestly have no issues with either. It's keyless entry and start so the fob stays in a pocket and the audio stalk works well and is hidden behind the wheel.Then again, I like the automatic electric parking brake as well so perhaps I'm out of touch!
C70R said:
Oh God. I'd almost forgotten how hilariously bad the key was too.
Didn't Renault basically launch 'keyless' with this exact key over a decade ago, and just decide to stop developing it there and then?
More like 20 years ago on the Laguna 2. We have had three Renault's in the family over the years, the oldest being a 1998 Clio MK2. They all had pretty much the stereo controls. I think my mates big brothers Renault 21 had the same set up back in the 80s.Didn't Renault basically launch 'keyless' with this exact key over a decade ago, and just decide to stop developing it there and then?
I had a duster as a hire car a few years ago, the steering wheel, mirror controls, gear knob, pedals, door handles and half the buttons on the dash where the same as my Twingo.
Renault has been using the same mirror control switch for a very long time. But I do like it
Here it is on the mk1 Clio.
And on a brand new duster, 30 years later.
Edited by Noesph on Wednesday 11th May 19:15
nickfrog said:
^ I like that. Clearly well designed and engineered to start with. Which makes it all the more infuriating that you can't attach the key of a Kadjar to the rest of your keys 
(this was my only gripe with the Kadjar)
Seems regressive.. my missus had a Megane new back in 2004. I remember the credit card key thing, but it had a little hole in the corner to attach to a key ring. (this was my only gripe with the Kadjar)
framerateuk said:
The key is horrible. They've had variants of it for a few years.
I assume your experience of the Captur was similar to my experience of a hire Juke (same platform). Absolutely horrible, terrible position and quite easily the worst car I've driven - nothing likeable about it at all.
I've had a few Renault's (All RS so slightly higher trim than standard) and to be honest I've been quite impressed with the trim on recent ones. The Megane 280 is a pretty nice place to sit - my only gripe being the touchscreen controls for the AC.
The media controls are easily accessible and I've never had an issue with the limiter and cruise control being near the handbrake, I know where they are - so what's the problem?
This sounds like more like not being accustomed to where things are than anything. I've had a load of hire cars over the years and I never know where anything is - it's never obvious since different manufacturers use different methods.
I haven't driven a Juke, but have been in a passenger in one, I was slightly drunk but remember it being very cramped and uncomfortable, not dissimilar to the Captur. On the face of it, I thought it would be ok, really good LED lights, full heated leather (was winter) a panoramic roof and some more toys, but it was so uncomfortable, and the steering was really weird, never been good at describing it, but you turned the wheel and crossed your fingers it would go where you pointed it, there was no feel at all, never driven another car with that steering feel. Asked for something else, got an Astra, the Astra was worlds apart in terms of comfort and driving, still with plenty of toys, albeit less than the Captur. I assume your experience of the Captur was similar to my experience of a hire Juke (same platform). Absolutely horrible, terrible position and quite easily the worst car I've driven - nothing likeable about it at all.
I've had a few Renault's (All RS so slightly higher trim than standard) and to be honest I've been quite impressed with the trim on recent ones. The Megane 280 is a pretty nice place to sit - my only gripe being the touchscreen controls for the AC.
The media controls are easily accessible and I've never had an issue with the limiter and cruise control being near the handbrake, I know where they are - so what's the problem?
This sounds like more like not being accustomed to where things are than anything. I've had a load of hire cars over the years and I never know where anything is - it's never obvious since different manufacturers use different methods.
Just to add this was a 2019 Captur, I know a new model has come out now.
The Kadjar though, which I was worried about when given the keys after my Captur experience, was a pretty good car, it's not gonna get you excited or anything, but it was a good car, had the toys the Captur had (and more) with the added bonus of being pleasant to drive, drove from York to London in it, no complaints at all, nice motorway cruiser. I still miss the Bose sound system, that was fantastic. If I was in the market for a family crossover I think I'd look at a Kadjar.
craigjm said:
The key and volume control mentioned are used on the alpine a110 too which is a shame
That depends; I agree that they are not new designs -my '07 Megane had both- but they are tried and trusted and work well. What the Alpine offers is a bespoke lightweight sportscar at a price that is competitive with Porsche and Lotus. If having the key card and a rather nasty-looking audio controller is the payoff, I'll take it.The XC40 was Car of The Year when it launched, so a Kadjar is probably not going to stack up against it very well. I find the Volvo well-appointed and good at most things: but I get backache after an hour or so every time I drive it. Fortunately the Alpine has excellent seats!
Last summer I hired a Renault Kajar in Portugal and to be fair I thought it was a decent enough car. So much so, I hired the same for this Easter but instead the hire firm have gave me a Peugeot 2008, what the hell were Peugeot thinking with the steering wheel position?!? To get in a comfortable position I’ve had to drop the seat to its lowest setting and now I can’t see the speedometer! I couldn’t get in the car as I couldn’t get my legs under the wheel! The cruise control buttons are behind the wheel so you can’t see them either!
This is my view while driving (I’m parked by the way before you think I’m crashing into a tree):
And why not have a round wheel instead of the Alegro effort? Also, the engine makes that much noise I thought it was a diesel until I went to fill it up!
It would be a decent car if the cockpit wasn’t such a f
k up!
This is my view while driving (I’m parked by the way before you think I’m crashing into a tree):
And why not have a round wheel instead of the Alegro effort? Also, the engine makes that much noise I thought it was a diesel until I went to fill it up!
It would be a decent car if the cockpit wasn’t such a f
k up!I'd forgotten both about this thread (and the associated horror of that hire car), and how hilariously bad that Peugeot steering wheel placement is.
For balance, we were given a Ssangyong hire car in Costa Rica a few weeks ago, which was a step up from the awful Renault in every respect other than space.
For balance, we were given a Ssangyong hire car in Costa Rica a few weeks ago, which was a step up from the awful Renault in every respect other than space.
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