Renault Vel Satis 3.0 V6 dCi Privilege 5d Auto (2002/52) Owner Review
Want to know everything there is to know about this car?
-
Economy
Value
Excellent second-hand.
Costs
Average 32mpg on mixed roads, not bad but not great either for a modern turbo diesel. Dread to think what costs may have been outside of warranty.
-
On the road
Driving
Wallowy handling, yet ride not very cosseting at lower speeds. Vague steering, jerky auto box gets confused easily. Smooth at high speeds and sounds very diesel in town.
Performance
Great on motorway with plenty of overtaking torque, lurchy in town due to on/off feel of turbo and horrid jerky auto box.
-
Living with it
Reliability
Gearbox starting selecting random gears (under 30k miles) then wouldn't select any gears at all- had major rectification work but when fully fixed it was still jerky. Black smoke on acceleration. Problems with seat belts & interior lights.
Image
Love or loathe it, at least it's innovative.
Comfort
Seats are fabulous, a wonderful long distance cruiser, tons of space. Ride is choppy and/or bouncy around town or on rougher surfaces.
-
Security and Service
Security
Seems very good.
Service
Service was always very pleasant, but had to wait for senior technicians who are only ones allowed to work on Vel Satis. Car always cleaned and courtesy cars always provided - but they weren't always able to fully rectify faults first time around.
-
Problems and Ownership
Problems
Engine
Other
Ownership
Did you buy the car new?
Used
Would you buy the same model again?
No
Did you buy from the same manufacturer again?
No