• Petrol-only line-up
• Powered by mild- and full-hybrid drivetrains
• No high-performance models on offer
  

What engine options are there?

The Arkana’s available with two engines – a full hybrid badged as E-Tech, and a mild hybrid badged TCe 140. If you want a diesel, a plug-in hybrid of a high performance version, you’ll be left wanting.

Petrol hybrid engines

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The E-Tech‘s performance won’t set the world on fire, but it’s reasonably smooth and refined, which is what you’re looking for from a car like this. Acceleration and maximum speed are more than enough for a family car in this class. A battery sits under the rear seats and powers an electric motor that’s attached to a 1.6-litre petrol engine up front, supplemented by a starter-generator. Between them they muster a total of 145hp, and it starts up in EV mode.

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The E-Tech’s automatic transmission system doesn’t have a manual shift option. Instead, it just gets on with delivering power to the front wheels without drawing attention to itself or requiring any driver input.

It does irritate when switching from electric to petrol power, though. The switchover point never seems to be where you think it should be, and it can get confused if you ask for a quick response, such as getting away from a roundabout.

The other option is a TCe 140 mild hybrid. It pairs a small battery under the front seats with a starter-generator attached to a 1.3-litre turbocharged petrol engine. Despite being ever-so-slightly down on power compared with the full hybrid, it’s so much lighter that it’s the quicker of the two cars – 0-62mph takes 9.8 seconds and top speed is 127mph.

The mild hybrid can’t drive on electric power alone and generally feels like nothing more than an automatic petrol to drive. That’s not necessarily a bad thing – it’s smooth enough and the gearbox generally behaves itself if you’re sensible. Ask for any real performance, though, and you’ll find the engine note rather harsh and the gearbox unwilling to kick down.

Handling

• Firm suspension means good body control
• Sharp steering
• Not as good to drive as a Ford Puma

Don’t be fooled by the sporty-looking RS Line trim, which is purely cosmetic. The on-paper figures are modest and correspond closely with the undramatic sensation of driving the Arkana.

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It sits on the same platform as the Clio and Captur, which are both acceptably good to drive. Increasing its size has not harmed the handling, and it corners willingly, but the firm suspension leads to a crashy ride in exchange for minimal body roll.

On all but entry-level models you get drive modes play with, but since Pure seems a little sluggish and Sport a bit sudden, you’re best off sticking with the ‘Hybrid’ drive mode, which provides a responsive set-up and deploys whichever permutation of electric, petrol and mixed power sources is best for any given situation.