2014 Renault Fluence Facelift: Review

The Fluence in its first stint was a beautiful car with a few oversights. It came with a choice of petrol and diesel engines, had brilliant ride and was a good handler, it was comfortable on the inside and stood out among its competition, and till here it was all fine. But a closer look revealed why this car failed to strike a chord with customers despite the right ingredients for a successful car. Renault got the package wrong… The petrol only came with an automatic and was offered only in top trim and the diesel was sold only in the lower trim. Since a car’s efficiency is one of the most important buying criteria, it scored low with the petrol automatic. Also, a top trim in combination with the automatic made it a very expensive car, and as a result, sold in such few numbers that Renault finally decided to discontinue the petrol. The diesel wasn’t aspirational because of its low-rent interiors. Several customer clinics later, Renault has changed that.

But the changes didn’t do much for Renault as the Fluence had aged by then and newer, fresher cars like the Elantra, Jetta and Octavia came along. It was time for that botox shot to get the Fluence back into the fray. Right on cue, the updated 2014 Renault Fluence is now on sale.

The Fluence in these pictures gets a good front end facelift. In line with Renault’s new brand identity, the new Fluence gets the large chrome Renault logo perched in the centre of that new family grille. It looks quite European chic now and not that quirky French styling we loved before. According to me, the new nose looks even better and makes the Fluence look more premium than before. Another major update to the front end is the projector headlamps replacing the halogens. These come as standard fitment on both the E2 and E4 variants of the Fluence. In fact, the entire headlight cluster looks new with the black masking. One feature you can’t miss is the LED daytime running lights housed above the fog lamps. Adding to that premium feel to the new Fluence is the chrome ring around the DLRs and fog lamps. Rounding off the exterior changes are the new 16 inch alloy wheels. Renault has left the rear of the car untouched.

On the inside, the first noticeable change is the contrast border piping to the leather seats. They lift up the insides of the Fluence to a considerable extent and even make it feel more premium than the costlier Koleos. The leather seats are only available for the top-end E4 version though. The E2 gets beige fabric seats that are still considerably livelier than the drab grey ones it came with before.

The dashboard gets a few changes as well. A chrome pack is now part of the package, the digital instrument cluster gets a blue hue and the Fluence also gets a new audio system with USB and aux-in ports in the centre fascia. Renault has given the E4 front and rear parking sensors and the E2 gets rear parking sensors in this update. Cruise control is standard too on both variants although we’d prefer them being omitted as it is rarely ever used in our country and hence makes for an unnecessary expense. 

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Since the 2014 Fluence gets only a cosmetic update, the car still feels the same to drive. It has the same 1.5-litre 110PS diesel engine that has ample power on tap on the highway when the engine is in its mid range. It’s a relaxed cruiser and it’s best to use the Fluence precisely as that. It lacks that low end grunt as most diesels do before the turbo kicks in but in the Fluence it is more pronounced as you need to keep the engine revs above 1,800rpm to have enough power to play with. It gets quite annoying on winding mountain roads as you constantly end up downshifting to stay in the power band. In terms of ride, the Fluence is still a gem. Renault is definitely building a reputation for itself in India with its ride quality. The Fluence has the perfect low and high speed setting to waft over the worst of roads. And it does it with such ease that you tend to lose that alertness most Indians have behind the wheel in expectance of that bad patch of road. The Fluence isn’t a car made to attack corners but the precise steering and controlled body roll will not protest too much if you do. 

On the features front, top-end Fluence gets leather upholstery, dual-zone climate control, rear AC vents, dusk sensing headlamps and rain sensing wipers, electrically foldable ORVMs, a more premium Arkamys music system, front parking sensors, ESP and side airbags over the base E2 Fluence. And you get all that kit for just Rs 1.5 lakh more, making it a better choice. The base E2 Fluence is priced at Rs 13.99 lakh and the top-end E4 Fluence costs Rs 15. 49 lakh, ex-showroom Delhi and at this price, it undercuts its European rivals.

It’s often said that the best lessons learnt are from the mistakes you commit. Renault has had its fair share of mistakes too and has also learned a lot from them. The French carmaker is now a more evolved and mature manufacturer in India and its first car for us, the 2014 Fluence is a better rounded package as well.