Renault Arkana goes upmarket with new Esprit Alpine trim

The Renault Arkana has been updated in line with the French brand’s move upmarket, bringing sharper looks and a new range-topping trim inspired by the Alpine performance brand. 

A subtle restyle introduces Renault’s new ‘Nouvel’R’ brand identity – in which the trademark rhombus logo is divided into distinct geometric lines – finished in black, satin chrome or dark chrome.

The chrome elements around the grille, windows and side skirts of the Arkana have been replaced with black-painted parts.

Additionally, the ‘blade’ front bumper previously reserved for the range-topping RS Line and E-Tech Engineered trim levels is now included on the mid-tier Techno variant.

This is painted satin grey on the new Esprit Alpine trim – which effectively replaces RS Line, as the firm distances itself from the Renault Sport branding – and matches the body colour on Techno models.

The range of trim levels has been simplified to just three: Evolution, Techno and Esprit Alpine. In turn, Evolution has been upgraded to include sat-nav integration as standard, as well as the 18in wheels found on the outgoing RS Line and E-Tech Engineered cars.

The engine line-up is unchanged. Buyers can choose a mild-hybrid petrol unit with either 138bhp or 158bhp, or a full parallel hybrid with 142bhp.

Prices are expected to increase slightly from the current starting point of £28,395, in line with the updated car’s more premium billing.

Renault enjoyed great success with its renewed selection of crossovers and SUVs in the first six months of 2023, with the Austral, Arkana and Mégane E-Tech accounting for 136,195 of the brand’s total 770,800 sales. The Arkana was its best-seller in the C-segment, recording 41,821 sales, of which 55% were full-hybrids.