The Renault Talisman is a large family car manufactured by the French car manufacturer Renault in 2015. It is marketed in South Korea as the Renault Samsung SM6. Renault executives stated that, like the new crossover, the Espace V, it will not be engineered for markets with right-hand drive, due to the decline in the traditional saloon market.
Characteristics
The saloon version of the Talisman was first unveiled on 6 July 2015, at the Château de Chantilly by Renault's CEO Carlos Ghosn, with an estate version scheduled to be revealed at the 2015 Frankfurt Motor Show. The two versions were allegedly codenamed LFD and KFD. The car is based on the CMF CD platform, jointly developed by Renault and Nissan, and is the second Renault car to use it following the Espace. The use of the new platform is aimed at giving the Talisman a production volume advantage, that its predecessor never achieved.
Design and technical details
The Talisman is slightly larger than the Laguna, with a lower centre of gravity. Renault focused on design, equipment and comfort with the aim of regaining market share in the large family car segment. Daimler personnel visited the car manufacturing site at Douai, and gave input on quality control and perceived quality. According to Renault staff, they wanted to give the car the “fluid and emotional” aspect of smaller models from the company. They also tried to achieve a more "classic" styling than the used for its predecessor with the aim of gaining market share from the business fleets. The Talisman is the first large Renault car since the Renault 18 in the 1980s for which no hatchback body is available either as standard or as an option. The car had originally five trim levels for Europe. In March 2018, Renault unveiled a sportier trim level powered by a 1.8 litre petrol engine called S Edition, aimed to be introduced in the market by September 2018. In South Korea, the car was launched with up to four trim levels, although their number varied according to the engine used. In March 2018, Renault Samsung introduced a minor facelift for the market in South Korean, with some exterior changes, interior equipment updates and a new colouring option. In July 2019, Renault Samsung launched a new high end trim, called Premiere. The car has a four wheel steering system which is not available in the South Korean version. It also incorporates a system which allows adjusting all car settings between four pre-set options called Comfort, Sport, Eco and Neutral, and a user configurable option called Perso. As an optional, the Talisman has a new infotainment system with an 8.7 inch touchscreen introduced in the fifth generation Espace, called R Link 2. The equipment also include adaptive cruise control, lane departure warning, traffic sign detection with excess speed warning and blind spot alert. The car scored a five star rating at the tests for Euro NCAP in 2015. Gearboxes are six/seven speed dual-clutchautomatic, six speed manual and CVT. Suspension is made of Pseudo MacPherson struts on front and a semi rigid axle on rear, with an optional active suspension system. Brakes are discs on both axles. The Talisman received technological updates in February 2020, including new LED Matrix headlamps with adaptive lighting, 10.2 inch digital instrument cluster, 9.3 inch ‘Easy Link’ portrait style touchscreen infotainment system, and a range of advanced driver assistance systems.
Engines
The Talisman is powered by a range of petrol and diesel engines in both Europe and South Korea. The diesel engined versions were not initially sold in South Korea, while there is a liquefied petroleum gas version only for the market in South Korea. In August 2016, a diesel version was introduced for the market in South Korea. In November 2018, Renault announced the introduction of both petrol and diesel WLTP complaint engines.
Name
The use of the Talisman name is intended as a way of unifying Renault nomenclature across the world, as Renault already sells in China a similar car named Talisman. Renault said the name "conjures up notions of both protection and power. At the same time, Talisman is an easy word to pronounce and understand the world over".
Controversy
Renault Samsung ordered a recall of 94,069 RS SM6 saloon due to concerns of loose plastic covers on accelerator and brake pedals uncovered in a safety investigation. The company was fined 611 million won by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport for violating vehicle safety regulations.
Talisman Concept
The Renault Talisman is a conceptexecutive car designed after the 1995 Renault Initiale Concept line by Renault chief designer Patrick Le Quément, and it was presented at the Frankfurt Motor Showin September 2001. The first sketches were drawn in the beginning of 2000, and first referred as Renault Z12. There were four final 1/5 scale models and a judging team, led by Patrick le Quément, selected this coupé. The Talisman was designed as a three door 2+2 coupé with four comfortable seats, but with only two gullwing doors and a coupé style ending. It applies the "Touch Design" concept, where the principal objective is to make materials and controls soft and ergonomic. On 20 June 2001, the vehicle was named "Talisman", having previously referred as Renault Z12. The equipment is formed by LCD screens instead of mirrors, GPS and even a Tag Heuer clock in the middle of the board. The board slides up giving access to a giant glovebox. The seats are coloured of dark red, and curiously, the seat belts are fixed at the opposite side of every car; in the left for the right seat and in the right for the left one. Four massive six pistons disc brakes are in charge of stopping the car. There are also twin metallic suitcases located in the trunk, and fixed to it. The design of the Talisman was followed by the Mégane IV.
