For three whole years, “Renault Ukraine” kept silent. Unacceptably long for one of the leaders of the domestic market. As if apologizing, last week the importer presented three new models at once, which will completely renew the brand’s passenger car lineup in 2025.
“The Diamond” has returned to what it does best — small, low-cost segment cars. Contrary to the Renaulution strategy adopted in 2020 to exit the budget mass market. And since the brand is again adhering to the design principle of “nothing extra” in pricing, nothing should prevent Renault from regaining leadership in our market.
“With a completely new model range, Renault aims to reclaim a stable 1st place in the Ukrainian passenger car market next year,” said Daniel Filip, CEO of “Renault Ukraine,” at the press conference.
For the last fifteen years, Logan has been a national car for our market, just as Lanos was at the turn of the century. Thanks to its low price and minimal ownership cost, it was highly sought after by private individuals, entrepreneurs, and government institutions. But in 2020, the Dacia factory in Pitesti, Romania, discontinued the production of the second-generation Logan. And a gap appeared in the model lineup, which Taliant is intended to fill. It is built on the same CMF-B LS modular platform, but unlike Logan, which repelled with its plain appearance, the newcomer attracts with a style à la Renault Megane. Taliant is designed in the new corporate paradigm with 2-level front optics, “dynamic silhouette,” and complex plasticity of the hood and sides.
Interestingly, despite its completely new, more streamlined exterior, the 5-seater sedan retains a record 510-liter trunk capacity for the B-class, with an equally remarkable depth of 1065 mm. The cabin equipment has become significantly richer: it now includes an 8-inch multimedia system display, a rearview camera, smartphone replication function, and a hand-free key card.
But under the hood, everything is much more mundane: a 1-liter turbocharged three-cylinder with distributed gasoline injection and a 5-speed manual. In this configuration, the authentic trim will cost 704.9 thousand hryvnias (629.9 thousand hryvnias with the Renault Bonus program).
The importer is confident that Taliant will become the most affordable sedan with an “automatic” in our market. The CVT refers to a continuously variable transmission, with the engine’s torque reduced from 160 to 142 Nm for the CVT version.
The two-pedal version will cost 764.9 thousand hryvnias (689.9 thousand hryvnias with the Renault Bonus program). And indeed, it is a true bottom-of-the-market offer. Another matter is that there are almost no players left in the B-class sedan segment. And yes, Taliant is now available for pre-order, with sales starting in January.
And there’s no particular need to introduce the second newcomer — essentially, it’s the only budget SUV that isn’t scary to follow in the wake of a “niva.” The third generation is built on the modernized CMF-B platform, which has opened the door for the application of more modern active and passive safety technologies, multimedia, and driving assists.
Duster has finally received a colored digital 7-inch instrument panel, an openR multimedia system with Arkamys 3D acoustics featuring six speakers, support for Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, and a 10.1-inch touch display that shows the image from four surround-view cameras.
The crossover has become even more dimensionally significant, with higher ground clearance and a more comfortable interior. Special attention was paid to the capacity and convenience of loading/unloading, expanding the trunk opening. The useful trunk volume has increased from 478 to 542 liters, and with the backrests of the second row folded down, it increases to 1651 liters.
The exterior has changed dramatically, especially considering the minimal difference between the first and second iterations of the “dusters.”
The only downside is that Duster has lost its main trump card, the all-wheel-drive version with diesel and manual transmission mentioned above. By the way, dealers are currently actively “clearing stock,” and it can be purchased for 932.5 thousand hryvnias.
In the third generation, the 4×4 transmission will be available only in expensive versions with an MHEV hybrid (1200 cc, 130 hp, 230 Nm) starting at 969 thousand hryvnias. At least the importer managed to contain the price increase, not crossing the psychologically important barrier of 1 million hryvnias.
The front-wheel-drive “dusters” received gasoline (Tce, 1300 cc, 150 hp, 250 Nm) and diesel (dCi, 1500 cc, 115 hp, 250 Nm) turbo-fours. They will work with a 6-speed manual transmission and a 7-range EDC “robot” respectively. The diesel version in the authentic trim is priced at 829.9 thousand hryvnias, and the gasoline version at 854.9 thousand hryvnias.
Like Taliant, Duster is assembled in Romania at the Dacia factory. The order table is already open, but shipments will only start after the Christmas and New Year holidays. Perhaps then the price list for the top Techno trim will be known.
The simplest all-wheel-drive Duster can be identified by the shape of the front bumper. To improve geometric passability, it is “trimmed,” while on the front-wheel-drive models it is more developed to please better aerodynamics. As a result, with an increased clearance of 217 mm, the entry/exit angles have grown to 31 and 36 degrees, respectively.
The third novelty is far more exotic — an absolutely new cross-compact that will sail to us from hot Morocco.
Primarily aimed at the youth, this crossover stands out with its coupe-like form factor à la Arkana, a two-tone body coloring, a radiator grille with a 3D effect, and a decent road clearance of 201 mm for its class.
Kardian (above) will occupy the niche of the subcompact Sandero Stepway (below), which looks more like an overgrown hatchback than a full-fledged crossover.
Despite the new platform, Kardian has the same “soup set” as the sedan — a three-cylinder “gasoline” and 5-speed manual/CVT. But it also features richer equipment: a digital “instrument panel” with a 7-inch screen and a multimedia system with an 8-inch touch display, which transmits the image from the rearview camera and a hand-free key card.
Ukrainian prices for the cross-hatch are not yet announced, as dealers will receive the new model in March 2025. However, judging by the positioning of the model between Taliant and Duster, it will cost around 750 thousand hryvnias, making it one of the most budget-friendly crossovers in the domestic market.
