Renault took the wraps off the ‘Filante’ recently. It’s a mid-size crossover, all set to go on sale in South Korea in March 2026, followed by South America and Middle Eastern markets at a later date. Why is a French product going on sale in Korea first, you ask? Well, keep reading, you’ll know.
The name ‘Filante’ is a homage to the Étoile Filante prototype that smashed several world speed records at the Bonneville Salt Lake Flats in 1956. Étoile Filante means a shooting star in French, and you can see a star integrated into the Filante branding, which I think looks pretty cool. Speaking of looks, the Filante has a rather busy styling, especially on the front fascia with an unnecessary amount of cuts and LEDs. From the rear-three-quarters, it kinda gives off XM vibes, but maybe that’s just me. But one thing is for sure, the Filante doesn’t look ugly like the XM.
The Renault Filante is built on the Compact Modular Architecture (CMA), a mid-size platform developed by Geely, a Chinese automotive giant. Geely owns a controlling stake in Renault’s South Korean subsidiary, which is why the Filante is being launched in Korea first. It’ll be built in Renault’s Busan plant.
The Filante packs a petrol-electric hybrid powertrain. It combines a 1.5-litre 4-cylinder turbo petrol engine, an electric motor integrated into a CVT, and a 1.64 kWh lithium-ion battery pack. The ICE produces 110 kW (150 metric hp) and 250 Nm (184 lb-ft), while the traction motor is rated at 100 kW (136 metric hp) and 320 Nm (236 lb-ft). The system output, however, is limited to 184 kW (250 metric hp) and 565 Nm (417 lb-ft). There’s also a starter-generator, rated at 60 kW (82 metric hp) and 180 Nm (133 lb-ft). It is used to start the ICE and charge the traction battery.
The interior looks just as fancy and unnecessarily complicated. The one we’re seeing here is the range-topping ‘Esprit Alpine’ variant, and therefore, you see the Alpine logo on the seats. The dashboard houses three 12.3-inch displays. Other key highlights include AR HUD, wireless Apple CarPlay & wireless Android Auto, 10-speaker Bose audio system, AI voice assistance, 8-way power driver seat with memory, heated front & rear seats, and heated steering wheel.
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