The Renault Alliance is now in its fourth year of production. This alone may not sound like a big deal, but it at least proves wrong those skeptics who didn’t give the American Motor Corp. and Renault marriage much of a chance.
Actually, this arrangement, agreement, merger, marriage or whatever you want to call it began several years before the first Alliance rolled off the assembly line. It was on March 31, 1978, when AMC and the French car and truck manufacturer announced the signing of a memorandum that set the basic principals on a proposed affiliation. In early 1979, distribution agreements were signed that allowed AMC dealers to add Renault’s Le Car to their domestic passenger car lines. Additional manufacturing and financing agreements were signed in October 1979 that opened the way up for AMC to manufacture the new Renault-designed family of front-wheel-drive cars at Kenosha, Wis.
The first car born of the AMC-Renault affiliation was the Alliance, which was introduced on September 22, 1982 and got off to a good start. One of the car enthusiast magazines named it Car of the Year and sales took off. Since then, sales have had their ups and downs (as they do with all cars) but essentially the Alliance remained a popular car. This popularity was helped last year by the attractive low interest rates offered by AMC and a very strong warranty.
The 1986 Alliance bears much resemblance to the original model but there have been a number of changes that, according to AMC, were aimed at expanding the car’s market appeal. For example, on the test model – a DL – there are new low-profile rectangular headlamps to provide greater light output and sleeker front-end appearance, and rear tail-lamps have been extended for a fresher look. All models have a redesigned instrument panel that includes a new-styled analog instrument cluster and rearrangement of instrument controls.
Other changes include handling improvements through larger diameter sway bars, gas-charged shock absorbers and front/rear brake system refinements; an improved fuel injection system for the standard 1.4 liter engine; an optional four-position tilt steering wheel, and a more efficient starter for the optional 1.7 liter engine. So, as you can see, AMC/Renault is not letting things slide by.
The test car proved to be a likeable little car. It did everything AMC claimed it would do. I must say I grew particularly fond of the test car after it demonstrated its ability to get through some of the worst driving conditions of the season. It was driven through two snowstorms, a rain storm, over slush, on ice and on wet roads. The front-wheel drive did, of course, help traction. When driving a small car in very bad driving conditions I generally feel more confident with a manual transmission. This is simply because there are more gears to choose from – up to five on a manual compared to three on an au tomatic. But the test car had an automatic and it didn’t seem to make one bit of difference. So, who knows?
The Alliance four-door is a compact (100-110 cubic feet volume index), but barely. The EPA volume is 102 cubic feet (89 passenger compartment, 13 trunk). Front seat room, however, is more than expected and this is because of a very clever seat design. The seats have a rocker-type arrangement that allows them to move in a variety of positions. Even tall drivers will be able to adjust these seats for comfort. Another clever feature of the seats is that they are mounted on narrow runners, which in turn provide more back seat leg room by allowing rear seat passengers to place their feet under the seats. There are also a number of convenient storage areas throughout the car. These little storage shelves and boxes are a typical French touch and have been copied by many carmakers recently.
With a wheelbase of 97.8 inches, overall length of 163.8 inches, wid h of 65 inches, height of 51.3 inches and curb weight of 1,991 pounds, the Alliance is slightly smaller than most compacts. In fact, exterior dimensions (and appearances) are closer to those of a subcompact. But five adults can fit in this car if the front seats aren’t extended fully aft. The trunk is adequate though not oversized.
Instruments and controls are typically American, which means no one will have any trouble driving the car. In fact, it’s the type of car for which you don’t even have to consult the owner’s manual to know how things work. This, of course, is quite a contrast to the old Renaults, which tended to have instruments and controls similar to advanced video games.
The previous Alliance models were cars that handled well, but the new one, with its improved suspension, is somewhat better. The four-wheel independent suspension features MacPherson struts up front and torsion bars in the rear, all rather sophisticated when you consider that the Alliance is offered as an economy car and makes no claims to be a sports sedan, which it sometimes acts like.
The test car was powered by the optional 1.7 liter/105 cubic inch four- cylinder engine. This is only a $164 option and I would recommend it. The engine features Bendix single point fuel injection and is rated at 77.5 horsepower at 5,000 rpm and 96 foot pounds torque at 3,000 rpm. (The standard 1.4 liter/85 cubic inch powerplant has 65 horses and 75 foot pounds torque.) Since the Alliance weighs less than 2,000 pounds, this is enough power to move it about briskly. Surprisingly, the three-speed automatic didn’t seem to bother performance. The five-speed manual would probably provide a little crisper acceleration, if someone is that interested. Fuel mileage averaged 22 miles per gallon for city driving and 30 miles per gallon over local highways. This isn’t bad mileage considering the road conditions, but if someone is really interested in high figures, the five-speed manual will provide them. For a comparison: The automatic has an EPA rating of 24 mpg city/28 highway and the five-speed is rated 30 city/37 highway.
Base price on the Alliance DL is $7,360 and includes much standard equipment and a nice level of trim and appointments. The test car had a bottom line of $10,639, including a delivery charge of $358. Options included a 1.7 liter engine, $164; automatic transmission, $369; visibility group, $140; air conditioning, $685; power steering, $227; rear window defroster, $140; cruise control, $183, and AM/FM stereo, $192. In addition to Renault’s 12 month/ 12,000 mile warranty for the entire vehicle except tires, there is AMC’s ”5/50 Plus” coverage. This is a 5year/50,000 mile coverage for major engine, transmission and powertrain components; corrosion protection, and free required maintenance for the first 50,000 miles.