• Decent quality interior
• Simple-to-use tech
• Lots of room in the front
  

How is the quality and layout?

The cabin quality is intended to be premium. Certainly, Renault has massively upped its game in this area recently – the interiors of the current Clio and Captur are very modern, stylish and clever. The 2024 Arkana carries many of the same features over, but arguably lacks a little of the exterior’s chic brazenness. The cabin feels very modern, complete with the large 9.3-inch touch screen, but it’s a little bland and doesn’t feel as premium as you’d perhaps expect or even want it to.

The tri-colour stitching of top-spec esprit Alpine cars adds a touch of extra sportiness, along with the Alpine badges and ribbed look of the seat bolsters, but it isn’t quite enough to fully negate the cabin’s overall lack of imagination.

There are a lot of physical switches, which dates the cabin, but for many people will actually be a boon, meaning you won’t be over-using the touchscreen, something we approve of in the interests of road safety and keeping your eyes on the road. If only the switch blanks weren’t so obvious – they almost seem to be punishing you for not picking a top-spec car.

Infotainment and tech

The infotainment screen is a large 7.0 and 9.3 inches (depending on model) and oriented vertically, like the Clio, Captur and Megane – and it’s a set-up we like. The display is crisp, clear and very responsive, especially when using the voice control system.

The 7.0-inch digital display for the driver has three customisable areas when it comes to the type of information you want it to show, with the choice of a power and torque gauge or instant fuel read-out on the top left corner, media information or sat-nav instructions on the top right and driving assistance information at the bottom.

All models come with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto as well as smartphone mirroring. As for instrument cluster screens, base-spec cars get a 7-inch display while the techno and esprit Alpine models get a 10-inch display with 3D navigation and hybrid voice recognition.

Comfort

• Firm ride
• Well-shaped seats
• Refinement lacking
  

Comfort levels are something of a sticking point in the Arkana. The seats are supportive and well-shaped, but in hybrid models the driver and passenger sit excessively high up – a problem we’ve also noticed in Renault’s all-electric Zoe.

Those in the back enjoy lots of room too, but all the car’s occupants suffer with the ride, which is excessively firm even on sensibly-sized wheels.

And while road and wind noise are well-contained, the engines do become thrashy when revved. The climate control is also extremely loud on its ‘auto’ mode, genuinely requiring raised voices.