Usually, we’d call something like this “wishful thinking” and be done with it, but since rival manufacturers are speeding up their mid-size sedans, why shouldn’t Renault?
Models such as the Clio and the Megane have made RenaultSport extremely popular with the general public. Though whenever Ford, Opel or VW came up with a fast mid-size sedan (think Insignia OPC, or even older models such as the Mazda6 MPS, Ford Mondeo ST220 and so on), Renault were always left on the outside looking in.
If the sportiest Talisman you’ll be able to buy will be a 200 HP model (1.6 TCe), it won’t even touch say, the Insignia OPC and its 325 PS.
But you know what could do the trick? An RS version, much like the one we’re looking at here – which was rendered using one of the initial press photos of the Talisman. Horrible name by the way.
The artist modified the bumpers, lowered the chassis, added some black accents, made the whole thing orange and I have to say, it’s not bad looking.
In fact, that pseudo-retro-modern whatever the heck it is front end that Renault apparently thought would come across as elegant and actually looks a bit dopey…kind of works when you make it a little bit more aggressive.
It’s still not the prettiest thing on the road, but at least you can argue that it’s a little mean – which always helps.
Unfortunately, the chances of Renault actually rolling the dice and building this car are slim. They’re always very restrained financially as they mostly invest in models and versions that are what we call “safe bets”. And no, faster and more expensive non-premium mid-size saloons have never sold particularly well.
Rendering courtesy of X-Tomi
PHOTO GALLERY
