The Rafale has one of those paradoxical silhouettes that tries to be both a high-rise family transporter and a dashing Riviera cruiser. It usually works with good results. The rear seats are spacious in all dimensions (I sat comfortably behind a 6ft tall driver) and the boot, although of course compromised by the sloping tailgate, has a flat floor, square sides and is still usefully spacious at 535 liters – only half a liter of milk less than in the Peugeot 408.
The most obvious trade-off to the Rafale’s sleek silhouette is rearward visibility, which requires a slight setback, but the reversing camera fills in the gaps nicely, and the rear seat remains a light and airy place to be.
The interior successfully adds a touch of luxurious appeal to an environment commonly known from Renault’s more affordable models, introducing a sleek slate-effect dashboard and accents of Alcantara (60% recycled, natch) and leather. But all in all it’s a fairly dark and dull affair, cheapened by the liberal use of glossy black plastic and barely enlivened by the subtle three-colour stitching on the door panels.
Physical switchgear is relatively abundant and has a pleasant tactility and accessibility. The thick-rimmed steering wheel – as unnecessarily square as it is – is home to familiar audio and cruise control toggles for cruise control, and a panel on each side of satisfyingly responsive haptic buttons, all of which are exactly where you’d expect them to be . .
Continuing its recent efforts to get everything right when it comes to ADAS and infotainment, Renault hasn’t given the Rafale’s touchscreen too much to do. The climate controls are easily adjusted using a row of toggle switches and there’s a button on the side of the steering wheel that allows you to activate your saved ADAS settings, eliminating the ever-distracting process of deactivating all legal mandatory ‘assistance’ functions on the car. movement.
The screen itself has crisp definition and the interfaces are logically arranged, so you can get the hang of it quickly and use it easily on the go. It’s large, at 12 inches, but angled and positioned so it doesn’t obstruct your field of view; and because it’s portrait-oriented rather than landscape-oriented, you don’t have to stretch to reach the other side of the car at 75mph to change the radio channel.
It forms part of an enveloping cockpit setup, along with a 12.3-inch digital driver display and head-up projection that helps create a cocooning and truly driver-focused environment.
This is further enhanced by the bespoke seats, which have greater lateral support than those in the Austral to (ahem) enhance its sporting pretensions and make the Rafale feel more special than its school-going siblings.