Renault Vel Satis Road Test - it's HUUUUGE!
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- čas přidán 3. 10. 2017
- Join me as I test the Renault Vel Satis, in desirable 2-litre turbo form. Marvel at those unusual looks, admire the flimsy rear cubby holes, share my annoyance at yet another wiper failing! This time the stalk. This video also contains a shocking conclusion...
Thanks to 'The Moog' and 'Bucketeer' for this opportunity. Incidentally, my Bluebird broke down immediately after I drove this car, which suggests it has a jealous streak.
As ever, filmed very badly on my phone, with no script, no skill and some annoying background noise. - Auta a dopravní prostředky
If you made a very interesting Comment about electronic throttle control, I apologise. I accidentally deleted your comment due to my general incompetence when it comes to technology. No wonder I didn't get on with this car...
HubNut
The Renault 25 in gloriously sumptuous Baccara spec was a fabulous luxury car,
I remember one on our road years ago.
It was a V6 Turbo Automatic in black with tan leather interior, loved all those buttons for the electric seat adjustment every possible position and setting you could think of, This was back in 1988 very high tech car.
Wasn't there a Vauxhall Sigma similar to this? Another odd automotive business decision...
the coper track in the switch wears gets dirty giving wrong resistance readings to the central controle unit computer the most used part of the pedal is were it will be most worn not servicable part so renew pedal sencer and crank sencer lambada sencer renewal too computer can alter small amounts of diferances so dont get too hung up here
@@geezerbigfoot Most TPS systems are optical.
@@EdgyNumber1 Signum *
A bit less edgy design, tho.
If it’s gone 250,000 miles it can’t have been too bad.
My thoughts exactly most BMW's and Merc's would be on the local scrap yard.by then.
I always really liked both the Vel Satis and Avantime for no other reason than Renault effectively putting concept cars into production, something manufacturers are often criticised for not doing. The two models sadly demonstrated why that is.
I think the Vel Satis and Avantine are some of the most cool cars ever.
YES!
Vel Satis was a horrible looking car but the Avantime I loved it
A good number of Avantimes at Isle of Man Motor museum. The owner of the museum likes them. www.isleofmanmotormuseum.com/attractions/
Ultimate two car garage.
@@Peter1Europe litterly my dad's garage. He has a top spec 3.5 v6 velsatis and a top spec avantime 3.0 v6.
Renault Vel Satis and Citroen C6 are among the coolest cars ever.
Don't forget Renault Avantime 😍
Yes. Cars for car connoisseurs only
Same goes for VW Phaeton.
why do the coolest cars always flops?
This is a truly damning conclusion; man who owns a Nissan Bluebird and Proton Aeroback would not consider owning this car.
its what he likes though
i used to own one of these, for many years. since it was such a big flop, it was an absolute steal at maybe 15.000 euros for an almost brandnew model that was supposed to cost almost 60 grand, with biggest engine and all the whistles and bells right down to ridiculous snob gimmicks like a steering wheel that was half wood. not bad for a price that youd also pay for a small to medium one year old volkswagen.
what can i say - it was by far my favourite car. reliability was not nearly as bad as one would expect from a renault (probably because they tried to prove a point with this one, and the v6 engine being some established model that was kind of a version 4.0 at this point). sure it didnt reach the levels of indestructibility like, say, some mainstream toyota, but let me put it this way, the mercedes e class that i got after this, with its reputation of being super reliable, isnt really all that different.
anyway. loved it for all its frenchyness. the level of luxury and space inside is downright absurd. great great car for long distance travels. very low noise. fastest, quietest and coolest air conditioning system ive ever seen. engine is nothing super snappy, not even the v6 250 PS motor that i had would make this car win any acceleration contests. not even close. way too heavy for that. but if you like a "smooth sailing" drive, this is perfect. i really loved it.
of course, the reality check is that past 200.000km, i wouldnt trust this car. simply because its a renault. maybe thats a prejudice, but i gave mine away eventually just to be on the safe side. but man - i miss it. such a nice car. so weird, but also so so smooth. and those seats! oh my. very fluffy, yet just the right amount of stability, a fine sweet spot, like those high class hotel beds ;-) the mercedes feels like an 80s mazda in comparison (and the noisy air conditioning that never gets quite as fresh as one would like reinforces that feeling). in the how-snobby-does-this-feel category, this thing wipes the floor with the mercedes e class, and its not that i dont like the mercedes. but its simply no contest, completely different league. and that eletric (fully automatic) handbrake btw was absolutely perfect. never had an issue with it, to the point where i almost unlearned that you have to use handbrakes in cars at all.
so that this doesnt get too enthousiastic: the built in speakers were ridiculously bad. and of course, if you look at that 2002 navigation system in 2019, your eyes will get cancer. maybe give it another 5 years and its gonna be so uber retro that its cool again, i dont know. fwiw, the onboard computer can be set to "ridiculously soothing french female voice", so maybe that makes up for the stone age nav a bit ;-)
Hello Zorglub667 I liked your honesty with the car, thanks for that, it seems to me that the HubNut was only there to talk badly about de car, (did not do the homework well done). I am an owner of a predecessor (renault safrane). Greetings from Portugal
Could be that Renault speakers at the time weren’t generally very good, on my 06 megane the speakers are quite bad, but it’s a base model econobox so I can forgive it
I've always fancied a Vel Satis because I adore its weirdness :)
The Vel Satis was simply ahead of it's time! An SUV/Car cross over before anyone knew what it was.
Strange that you like Citroen quirkiness but not Renault quirkiness?
David Anderson Oh I do like quirky Renaults, just older ones like the 16.
@@HubNut and the 4?
@@HubNut and the Fuego
My younger brother loves his Vel Satis, I've only been in it once but it was extremely comfy, seemed very pokey power-wise & had lots of equipment (which in his car all works - including the built-in sat nav).
The Diesel 3.0l V6 was an Isuzu single turbo also used by Saab, I had the pleasure of working on all the V6 Diesels in Renaults plant in Sandouvile prior to the launch and then on the crated engines in Gothenburg!
Excellent video there Ian, just a note: On every vehicle I have driven equipped with an electric parking brake you don't need to release it manually as it comes off as you drive away. On the two Scenics we owned it would automatically apply if you shut the engine off.
I like the Vel Satis just because it's a quirky car
This and the Avantime will be considered design classics - not necessarily bastions of solid construction but design I suspect they will be respected for.
Been eyeing one of these up locally. Groovy French styling and all. This video has saved me a lot of time and money pondering it any further.
Like the Vauxhall Sickbag (or was it Signum), this car fits nicely into the category of a very bad idea, badly executed, that nobody bought. I usually have a huge fondness for the underdog, but in this case it's hard to muster any strong feelings for it at all. I can't even be bothered to hate it.
Matthew Godwin Top comment 😂😂😂
Agreed
Matthew Godwin.....I agree wholeheartedly in spite of my fondness for Renaults that goes beyond logic as my first ever paying summer job was at a Renault Main Dealer way back in 1971. I polished R16s and R12s mainly and the odd R10 and R4.
LOL at Vauxhall Sickbag :)
@@timhancock6626 not Renault 8?
Hi, I could never get my head around the styling of thus car, but you spoke about the R25, now I did like that car, yes big but comfortable and surprisingly easy to drive. It was a 2.0L 5spd petrol, but was ok on fuel for the size, I only had to replace tyers and exhaust in my time with it apart from that it floated through it Mot's no problem and cost me less than £500.00 to buy with less than 60000mls on the clock. I really miss it and quite regret selling it really.
If I still have my Laguna 2 Initiale when we next meet you'll have to take that out for a drive, should improve your opinion of the vel satisfaction!
...these are really enjoyable videos.."electronic handbrake..work of the devil"..ha ha ha.. cheers Hubnut..!!!
Had a Toyota Avensis on hire with an auto handbrake. Went into the local chippy only to be called back by a passer by that my car was rolling down the road. Auto handbrakes are a complete joke. Over 100 years of pulling a simple lever. Was it really that bloody difficult that it had to be "improved"?!
Darwinion I currently own an early T27 Avensis '09, and the auto parking brake only auto released. The driver has to remember to apply it when parking. I forgot once and it gently rolled into a wooden pole. Oops. They changed it to full auto, on '12 facelift. Also it was push to apply, pull to release. Renault ( and other manufacturers) EPB worked the other way round - pull to apply, push to release. I recently drove my brothers Grand Scenic, so my like the Vel Satis, quirky.
I've just noticed how similar the design of this car is to those very bizarre MG/Rover concept cars they seemed to churn out by the bucketload in the last gasps of the company in the early 2000s.
I have the same kind of electronic handbreak in my Scenic, and I absolutely love it! It is especially great when starting at up-hill stoplights. Instead of keeping my foot on the break, I pull the handbreak-handle. When the light goes green, I just acceletare and the handbreak release itself, no fiddeling about with the clutch or running the risk of having the engine die on me. Exellent! I would not want it any other way. In fact, the VelSatis seems to be the perfect car for Renault-nuts like me. Sure it was stupid to buy one new, but now I can get one for 4000 €, and then the "not Audi quality" interior is a non-issue... I can't get too many semi-old Renaults ;)
Wait until you need new rear brake pads. Or if the handbrake fooks up.
Not so great then.
Yes an absolute treat, when they work. Also have a scenic 2....handbrake always seem to be an issue and as per many other owners, seems a weak link. But definitely a great feature when all is well
On the original Picasso Citroen offset the stereo r/c by putting the stalk at "20 past" and leaving the wiper stalk at "quarter past" so there was no overlap and you could see both.
The petrol v6 versions of the vel satis are all nissan VQ35DE v6 engines and gearboxes, as found in the espace ('03 on) nissan maxima (and 350Z in a longitudinal RWD configuration) of the same vintage.
does it have the window regulators that fail if theres a slight drizzle, like the Megane. or Laguna. Or Clio...
That's funny. I had an old Suzuki Swift whose rear wiper worked just fine when it was sunny, but was hit and miss when it rained. Poor old car was knackered when I bought it but lasted another five years before I drove it to the wreckers.
Ive driven a couple of cars with those horrendous electronic hand brakes, my question is WHY?
I saw the Vel Satis in the UK and ,of course lots of them in Paris.As a Renault driver for almost fifty years I must say I’d be very happy to drive it, and even more so,the Avantime . My current Renault is a Scenic phase II, a 2007 model which I love to drive, but my first was an electric- blue16 TS, which, for its time was quite remarkable. Between us my family has owned at least 23 Renault’s from an 850 through R8 and R 10, an d R10; there followed two R 18’s a handful ( five16TS’s) three Feugos , an R25 four Scenics and a Koleos, ** Phew!
Those credit card jobbies are a DISASTER!. Know several people who picked up pretty fresh renaults for a song only to be stung by those things failing.
Love "Hate" Love "Hate"....
I guess my outcome :Love
Go for a late 3.5 V6 (Nissan Petrol Engine), full-spec (Initiale) trim.
Look for a well treated, dealer serviced car. 2.0T is "OK", but a car like that needs a automatic transmission for a more comfortable ride. Later ones are more likely to have got rid of most of the earlier problems.
Thanks for the review. Can you tell me how it drives over bumps, gravel and uneven roads?
Is it soft and comfortable on such surfaces, or is it uncomfortable and bumpy?
Love this channel
Hello, i got Renault Vel satis 3.5 V6, but the Odometer Language is German. How can i change it to English?
On the 3.5-liter petrol version, by the way, the automatic gearbox was made by Nissan, just like the engine. Both are very reliable.
an actual working vel satis with it's original "lethal" keycard,.. what a rare sight,.. didn't knew people were brave enough to still drive them,.
Renault were famous for being one of the very first manufacturers that fitted remote radio controls.
Also the wipers are automatic. You just have to press and hold the button on the end of the light stalk. There was no way of knowing unless you owned a similar age Renault or read the manual!
Samuel Bomorse very true about the wipers,when i got my Laguna it kept telling me on the dash “AUTOMATIC WIPERS DEACTIVATED” but no chance would it give me as much as a hint on how to activate them! I eventually had to give in and read the owners manual after trying and failing to work it out myself
i liked the stereo remote on my 2004 Clio's steering wheel! I had an adapter for it for my Pioneer iPod control head unit, and was using the rear thumbwheel to change tracks on SoundCloud / Spotify on my iPhone 5!
I like column fingertip radio controls. Much prefer them to steering wheel controls which are on the move.
Interesting review I always wanted to know what they are like but never fancied owning one, also noted how you were driving along the A30 just where i live 🙂
Drove one of these as a loaner, the car itself I liked. Yet the garage owner told me that it was a nightmare regarding repairs and compatibility. The audio was gone and there only could be an orininal (€1000) be fitted. This was just audio...
Didn't really like the engine either, a bit tired in the low revs (my car back then is my current C5 V6).
Several Renaults from that era (Avantime, Laguna, Espace) all suffered from electronical hickups.
Agree 100% I’ll have a key and a “manual” hand brake over electronic nonsense thankyou very much
Always liked the look of these as well as the avantime, totally oddball and bold for a Renault.
Rewatching this, started looking at elements of the background, realised you were on my doorstep in Camberley. Weirded me out for a second, heh. But those Vel Satis things, not for me. Don't think I could even brave the Megané of the similar era due to the electrical gremlins.
Forget those key card things too.
Oh I love these! And I like the Vel Satis design more than the Avantime. The latter is just a bit too much for me, although I do love its' quirkiness. But Vel Satis is also crazy looking, that's why I love it so much! Very avantgarde! And also easier to find it relatively cheap compared to the Avantime...
I actually really considered getting one, but they were a bit over my budget, and I was afraid of having too much French electronics in a rare car... but I still want one! Of course, petrol and manual only...
OMG a car Hubnut wouldn't want to own. Jeeez, it must be dreadfull!! LOL
My parents had a R9 in the 80s. They've gone extinct and noone will ever miss them. Same story with this one.
Great vid though, you've got yourself a new subscriber!
I always found those Renault handbrakes to be some of the best electronic ones. Just put the car in gear and drive off and it comes off automatically and when you turn the car off it comes back on, unlike some new cars that need you to press the button when you move off and turn the car off.
The only thing I didn't like and could never get used to when my mum had a Laguna was putting it on in traffic because you had to pull it to put it on and push the button and pull to take it off (or the other way around) it was just confusing doing nearly the same action for both.
Yes, I have since learnt that I was being a numpty. I still don't like them!
It is like a s class or it is like a big golf. is this quality cheap or high
We have such similar tastes in car, I'm 31 and I've owned 47 cars including some classics (Capri 2.8) and some cars that are so cheap (£120 04 Berlingo HDi) they were disposable.
By the way, the handbrake should release automatically as you pull away - if it's the same system as I had in my Laguna. Also turns on automatically when you turn the car off.
The Avantime is now really rare and sought after, especially the 3.0ltr
Yes, I'm a bit of a numpty with electronic handbrakes. I do not trust them. I also don't want the handbrake to deploy when I turn the car off. My cars often sit for days or weeks, so I leave the handbrakes off.
My design lecturer chastised my thoughtless attempt to improve a Twingo with door pockets like that. LOOK AT THIS MR FONTANA I could be designing the new Vel Satis!
This is one of my favourite Comments yet.
I have to confess that I've always kind of liked these, because they're so unusual. I did think that they were all 3.0 v6s though, I didn't realise that was just the range-topper.
Also, totally agree about electronic handbrakes, ignition "keys", etc. I hate things that change the basics of operating a vehicle to something that's not standard; I couldn't just get into that car with what I learnt in my driving lessons and know how to operate it.
They did a diesel too. A hideously unreliable twin turbo V6 diesel.
They also did a 2.2DCi which is what I owned for a couple of fault free years.
Oh please road-test a Citroen C6, I love them!!!!
Renault Vel Satis and Avantime, along with the Citroën C6 are truly some of the coolest ever cars.
2:49 - There are lights for the rear passengers' shoes?
I've been offered one very cheap, but it has a coolant leak from somewhere at the back of the engine bay.
I love it! 😍
Lovely video. When they came out I wanted an Avante 🤣🤣🤣🤣
Damn you drove this !
Drove one off the dock at Teesport for prepping, not without trepidation among all the run-of-the-mill 5s, Megane etc. The acres under the windscreen gave the impression of driving a large dining table around. Memorable without being desirable, a proper Francophile's folly.
I liked the avantine, very unusual car and very trick Door hinges, will be a collectors car soon
Good review. I like the personal, subjective view of it :)
The ride is very good in it and it is a room concept, no other manufacturer had. Today BMW tries to copy the VS with their "GT" models. In 2003 Opel tried it with the Signum.
Yes, its definetely a weird car. I own an Avantime and a Safrane Baccara but two friends of mine own a VelSatis (one 2.0T and one 3.5 V6).
The 2.0T is really not the best petrol engine in the VS. Loud and thirsty. The best is the 3.5 V6 made by Nissan (VQ35DE, known from the 350Z, Murano and more). The 5 speed automatic gearbox is made by Aisin (AW55-50SN) and used in many other cars. When you change (or better flush) the oil frequently and don't settle for the "lifetime oil flling" then the box will run fine. In the past, Renault made some "weak" automatic gearboxes (AD8, AD4 etc..) The "LM0" (ZF 4HP20) were not weak but did not like the lifetime oil filling (ZF recommends an oil change every 36.000miles / 60.000km).
The petrol 3.0 V6 (PRV or PSA) were also good engines. In the Avantime there is the 3.0 V6 24V (L7X) with 152kw (207HP) made by PSA (they call it ES9J4S).
Only the 3.0dCi (or 3.0dV6) made by Isuzu are only the right choice, if you like playing russian roulette or prefer to live with pain.
Slipped liners is the biggest problem of the engine. This can occur after 40.000 miles.
What a pitty, that the Phase 2 VelSatis was never available in the UK. With the redesign Renault introduced the Keyless Go function (leave the "credit card" in the pocket for start) and solved a lot of small or big reliability problems. Furthermore a new diesel was available. The 2.0dCi made by Nissan. Nice and reliable engine.
But the best is the 3.5. Smooth, strong and a good sound
Oh I'm a big ES9 fan. You'll find videos on my channel of both the XM and Xantia with that engine. A V6 Vel Satis would be lovely.
Ah, I will take a look :) They sound a bit like the great Arese/Busso V6 made by Alfa :D
Very much! Having owned a 164 V6, I was staggered by how good the ES9 sounded by comparison.
The L7X Manual in the Laguna 1 was a blast 245 km/h in speedometer
I love how its V6 engine (which was done by Nissan) is actually the same as the one used in the Nissan 350Z.
The same engine also appears on the then-current Renault Espace 4.
And on the Laguna 3. In fact the Laguna 3 coupé with the 3.5 V6 seems like a very good grand tourer for the money
I drove the Vel Satis over a weekend when I use to work as Art Editor on the now long de-funked 'Renault Magazine'. Though it was very luxurious and quirky. Like all cars, once you get use to them, some of the odd bits don't appear so... odd. 😂
I've had the predecessor, the Renault Safrane, for some time. It was one of the most comfortable cars I've driven so far, including the Citroen BX (but not the XM unfortunately, that one should be even more comfortable). It was great for long distances, not as huge as the Vel Satis, not as many electronic features and just the right amount of quirkyness to be interesting.
Unfortunately, whoever designed the electronics of this car must have been either sadistic or drunk (given the fact it's french, probably both). I had to replace the light switch twice in two years (you only get it from Renault for 154€) and the immobiliser would just completely shut the car down every now and then. I still miss the car though, there's something about big french cars I just love.
I also had a Safrane - and I do miss it for the miles it would eat up carrying all sorts of stuff whilst wafting us along in comfort. It did however have a lot of trips to the dealer in Abergevenny to have lots of little fixes - and yes I had stalks and switchgear done and even one of the bonnet catches! But I liked getting a car that large and that loaded for silly money - it had the wrong badge and thus no status, so was a very good buy for me at the time.
There's one always parked up near me which never seems to move and they really are huuuuge!
250,000 miles is really a huuge statement about the car, I had one, it was well built, good quality materials used, much in common with most continental built cars and solid as a rock, with the caveat that this was at a time that some Richard somewhere thought that using a coating of Latex over minor controls, was a good idea...while the reality was that people had a nasty habit of scratching their nails on the stuff, and I have seen the same signs in all cars that use the same technique. A big plus is the articulated seat arrangement making the driving seat..and I guess for the front passengers, comfort second to none.
The electronic handbrake, is really very intuitive and it has never failed, nor has the system failed in the Espace 3.5 I make use of now, and that car is 2003, while I also run a younger aluminium XJ Sovereign with the same system which hasn't failed either, much of the jaguar electronics are very similar to the Espace, and neither of them have given any bother, while the Espace dash info system is one of the best there is, even now for a car that's sixteen going on seventeen years old...but is plug and play adaptable, and engine still fine, and very powerful...the better engine for the like of the Vel Satis I should add. You might also note that the Vel Satis also shares the Espace platform.
My personal ethic is performance, quietness, comfort and a tad more than reasonable agility, no reason why a Vel Satis should not be able to do that...your example only needs a little TLC.
Never had the pleasure of driving one of these. However,in my early days of taxiing,my fleet had a 2200 Renault 25 with 291,000 miles on original engine but replacement gearbox. We had an auto safrane 2.2 triple valve. Mmm, triple valve 😊
The V6 petrol is Nissan's VQ35 making 235 horsepower. The Vel Satis was the first Renault,along with the Avantime and the Mark 3 Espace,to be launched after the tie up with Nissan
Just watched your Renault Vel Satis review and your comments about the electronic handbrake; my partner has just bought a new BMW 1 series which also has an electronic handbrake. Big difference is that it engages and
disengages automatically - there is no button/lever/handle. That takes a lot of getting used to
An amazing car I have never heard of.
I saw a Vel Satis in Paris last month - same colour as this and it was a 3.5 V6.
The shape of them front seats is weird, definitely far from "the norm"... :S
And as for the vaseline, erm, probably best not to ask why that's there, if it was a Mini, I'd understand (apply to the dizzy cap connections to keep water out), but, in there, hmm........ :S
+twocvbloke..The vaseline isn't too hard to understand. Just like earlier classic Minis, the electrics on these could be decidedly, well, French. Vaseline, WD40 or switch/contact cleaner is pretty much necessary equipment. Sadly that's seen a lot of UK market cars to an early grave, along with some less than durable mechanics. If these and the Avantime had been built by anyone other than Renault, or maybe the Italians, they really could have been a game-changer. As it was they just ended up being the final nail in the coffin of the great but crazy company that was Matra...
Used to apply to the door seals to prevent the doors freezing closed 😃
The only Renualt I like is the Twingo. Otherwise I prefer something from PSA if I am looking for a french car. Great video.😊
If you want to find an incredibly rare car then keep your eyes open for a Vel Satis or Avantime that wasn't originally UK-registered on a Hampshire plate (H-, as in here HT.) Almost all these cars registered in the UK originally were originally registered to Renault UK, whose import operation is based in Southampton docks, hence Renault UK vehicles having Hampshire plates. If I remember my figures correctly, less than 100 of either model were sold directly to UK buyers so if you find one that was originally registered in the UK anywhere other than Hampshire you're looking at a car that is rarer than the vast majority of ultra-big ticket cars... (I used to work for HSL/Renault UK in the '90s so they're a bit a personal interest/anoraksia of mine...)
That's a top fact! Thanks.
+HubNut My pleasure...
the c5 is just about the BEST car I've EVER owned and at 13 yo she has just made chesterfield to lyon no prob but I SO want a C6.
Big up for Chesterfield
Is this possibly the grench Vauxhall/Opel signum?
I have to agree with you on manufacturers including more features that we don't want. For years now, I've been tracking electric cars, believing it was the future, but what I see now is a whole lot of techy junk thrown in that's not necessary. It makes me think that Mitsubishi was right with the iMiev which had a regular hand brake (remember?) and was pretty much a regular car. Unfortunately, Mits have now cancelled their car in my market. Maybe there are used?
EVs offer a lot of great techy features like recuperation of energy and a lot of people seem to be willing to pay for gadgets, so it is necessary. ;) Maybe you did not get the reasoning behind a heated steering wheel. Those features are meant to save energy because you don't need to heat the whole cabin.
Don Little if you have that attitude you de never get progression. Fuel injection was temperamental at first but now is standard. New tech takes some time to be reliable, if we didn't progress we'd be all driving in 1.6 engines with 60hp returning 30mpg with fiddly carburettors.
I do understand that. There are also heated and cooled seats for that same reason. Maybe my views of simplicity over complexity come from having worked in the auto parts business for 40 some years, and seen a lot of failures in some components that seemed complicated (and therefore expensive) for no particular reason.
My other half likes French cars, the last two have had cubby holes under the floor, never used em, the last one had tables on the seats, which fell off, and you could take the seats out......I really think the French designers find answers to questions no one has asked. Oh and French style.......Oh and soft non supporting seats pass the radox.
Red Phoenix by the time you’ve heated the seats and the steering wheel, you might as well heat the air in the cabin
Maybe worth trying a 2006/7 Fiat Croma to see how it compares. Shares a few parts with the Vel Satis, not quite so huge, but still has that height and very roomy inside. The key and handbrake are thankfully not the same. The odd one still gets used as a minicab . . . !
The Croma is based on GM's Epsilon platform (Opel/Vauxhall Vectra & Signum and SAAB 9-3).
I remember seeing the Renault concept cars before the VelSatis and Avantime were launched - As ever, they looked much better and the interiors were great. Alas, a lot always gets lost in the shift to production....
I love these cars. If I was ever wealthy enough to have a chauffeur, I would have wanted to be chauffeured in this car. Sadly, this came at the time when Renault was at its most creative but not in teh Engineering stakes. The build was apparently based on the Audi A6 (as LeQuement had ne as his daily driver), but sadly this looks more Megane 2 than A6 Quattro.
The Vauxhall Signum was a similarly strange upright exec car and also a sales failure!
always wanted a vel satis. i settled for a renault megan scenic. very nice practical car. but was made with either matchsticks or the thinnest plastic you could imagine. things snapped and broke all the time.
I have been working on those VelSatis ... When they got on the market, a few weeks later we received a book with 22 and more things to repair before the customer got his new car. Almost a whole day work to repair all the faults that have been made from the factory.
Also, the Avantime ... Matra killed itself. The Avantime got launched in 2001, but without problems, that would have been 1999. So it came 2 years later on the market. People bought a old car at the moment. Also, the Espace III was the most horrible car build from Matra, I still got nightmares from that one !!! If you sold 10 Espace III, you could expect 15 to return on a tow truck to the garage in the next year. Such a pain is that car been. So with al that problems, Renault decided to build the Espace IV in house.
Thanks for that very interesting insight! I still prefer the Avantime. Not sure I'd own one though...
Avantime has *the* coolest door hinges on the market. Check them out if you can!
I Thought they are between 100 and 150kg each those doors ... We had a special made Renault tool for it, to remove it from the car after a accident or when needed. But indeed, a very cool way how the door works. That was for small parking places, because of the length of the door.
Agricultural Life They're fairly cool, but they're no gullwings. I can easily believe that they're exceedingly heavy.
Oh yeah, but you forgot to mention that all that nightmare started after mechanics with hands growing from sitting place put a hands on car :).
Driving Vel Satis from 2009 , now it's little bit boring for me , but at the moment there are no alternatives to it. There are no a lot of cars you can drive 24 hours, ant get out without pain in your ass (back to be honest )
I was with a friend and I spotted a rare Vel Satis at car park. My friend was very fascinated by it as he had never heard of it or seen anything like it. I thought it looked strange. I do like the front though. A shame it had som much cheap plastic for a supposed luxury car.
Hey, Cabasse audio! Very French :D.
I love that car, it's so well thought out. So many cubbyholes.
I love the French way of thinking. It may not work that well every now and then but at least they are creative.
It is quite unlike any other executive car I've ever driven. I think that's a good thing.
Lots of innovative concepts don't reach their targets. The sad side is that conservatism prevails whereas endeavours are stupidly bashed by people that criticise before even trying.
it's not really Cabasse made, it just has their branding on it and I think the only difference is a more powerful built in amplifier. The speakers aren't Cabasse either; just standard Renault Blaupunkt
The last 18 years I work in a car parking station I never had a VelSatis. But THAT electronic park handle Renault has is a nightmare for my job.
I keep my Scenic II only for this engine, full of torque. 250 000 miles with a turbo gasoline engine, isn't this remarkable ?
@6:42 The Avantime is a pretty spacious and futuristic looking executive line car. It was too edgy to have mass appeal. :(
To its credit it's still going and it has done a lot of miles. But that's about it, another doomed French big car, which no doubt met the needs of the French state, interesting that they now have a large Renault on sale in France that is little more than a re-badged big Nissan.....
You do realise Ian - you are Wale’s answer to Doug DeMuro! Road testing weird and wonderful cars.
RichieT5 Doug is another great CZcamsr!
He’s brill, excellent 1M BMW review, best M Car ever
Doug can be snobby though, Ian never is.
Did you ever drive an R16 on CZcams? I would love to see that!
Sadly not. I really want to.
My sons car ( ford Focus) had an electric Handbrake it locked on one day and he had open the central section that was between the driver and passenger seats and pull this handle to free it and it cost him £100 to get it reset and fixed.
@Hubnut what happened your lovely XM ? Great vid I owned a 2.2D? great car for it's time (I also keep my mini Vaseline in the armrest 🤣🤣🤣) unique seats with lots of positions, plush leather way high quality, not the plastic seats you get on a Merc... I've owned a 607, Safrane, and C5 and all were better buys than any Merc I've ever driven, the plastics on the Vel Satis were worn, gear stick etc. Boot was not practical at all but what a lovely drive. Always wanted a C6 and an XM loved the old Remault 25
Ian,
Was it comfortable as the Renos of the 70s and 80s???
I'd say so with the 80s ones. Sadly not driven any larger 70s Renaults. Would love to.
We have 2 Ford SMaxs and one has covered 211000 miles, original engine, clutch, DMF, PDF, Turbo, etc, and the electrics all work. That car looks a bit pokey to be honest
Vaseline for leather squeaks?
Note the sunglasses case above your head!
Used to be one going around Aber for years, as you may know!
I did not know...
The V6 in the Vel Satis was not actually the crappy 3.0l PRV but it was a 3.5l sourced from Nissan. It had far better figures although it was just as thirsty; and the Vel Satis wasn't the best showcase for this engine given its 1700+ kg mass...
What I have always wondered, and still don't know to this day, is whether this was the same engine that powered the Nissan 350Z from the same era.
Try finding an Avantine those are rare as hens teeth.
Michael Langley Are hen’s teeth more or less rare than rocking-horse poo?
Mercifully.
Hen's poo is more common than rocking horse teeth.
I went for a test drive in one. Dreadful! It was a relief to return to my LS400.
Had one, same colour. Lovely car, but it was a money-pit. Limp home mode somehow connected to drive by wire throttle body... replaced loads of bits and it ended up being scrapped.
They (vel satis. avantine) were only available in the uk for about 3 years before they were deleted models....says it all really!