The Renault Rafale is a mid-size crossover SUV that has been produced by the French manufacturer Renault as a coupe SUV since 2024. Built upon the Renault–Nissan CMF-CD platform, it shares about 75 percent of its parts and design features with the SUV Espace and Austral models.
Codenamed 'DHN', the vehicle is the second coupe SUV produced by the brand after the Arkana compact crossover. In Renault's lineup, the vehicle is positioned between the Arkana and the slightly larger Espace VI.
The Rafale is named after the C.460 Rafale monoplane introduced in 1934 by the Caudron-Renault aviation company, although the name was also used more recently on the Dassault Rafale fighter jet.
Overview The vehicle is long, meaning it belongs to the British D-segment size segmentation, as well as the North American intermediate size class, and has full hybrid and plug-in hybrid powertrains.
The Rafale received a new plug-in hybrid powertrain with and all-wheel drive by installing an electric motor at the rear. Despite being smaller than the Espace, the Rafale is still considered the flagship for the brand. The Renault Rafale E-Tech full hybrid version has an autonomy of 1,100 km with a full tank of petrol, according to WLTP data.
The Renault Rafale is equipped with the OpenR Link system and features an electrochromic panoramic glass roof, sold under the name Solarbay, on select models.
Powertrain Available in both full-hybrid and plug-in hybrid options, the full-hybrid model includes an engine and one traction motor at the front axle for a FWD layout (combined output of ). An additional electric motor run only as a generator produces .
The PHEV model adds an electric rear axle (100 kW) for an AWD layout. The motors create a combined output of and . TypeModelEngine codeDisplacementPowerTorqueCombined system outputElectric motorBatteryTop speedTransmissionLayoutProductionPetrol full hybrid1.2 E-TechHR12 I3 turboEngine: Electric Motor: Engine: Electric Motor: - 400V, 2 kWh lithium-ion N/A 8.9MultiMode automaticFWD2024–presentPetrol plug-in hybrid1.2 E-Tech 4x4HR12 I3 turboEngine: Motor 1: Motor 2: Engine: Motor 1: Motor 2: / - 400 V, 22 kWh 6.4 s Front: MultiMode automatic, Rear: Electric Rear AxleAWD2024–present
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