Renault 19 16S 3-door
The Renault 19 16S 3-door was a small family car produced by French automaker Renault between 1988 and 1995 and was intended to replace the aging Renault 9 and 11 during this time. Its unique exterior design was done by Giorgetto Giugiaro and featured Renault's E-type engine in 1.4, 1.7 and 1.8 L displacements. Base models used the OHV C-type “Cléon” engine in 1.2 and 1.4 L capacities. This generation of Renault 19 was Renault's last to use a numerical designation, with other generations from the Renault 19 timespan being known as the Renault 19 Chamade.
While the exterior design was generally less impressive than its compact predecessor, the 19 was praised for its interior comfort and handling. In 1991, a convertible bodystyle built by Karmann was introduced and in the summer of 1992 it was revamped with new front and rear designs, as well as a new dashboard, interior and left-hand drive models. Though produced until 1995, the Renault 19 was still manufactured for South American markets in Argentina.
The platform and running gear of the Renault 19 were used as the foundation for the first generation Mégane. In addition to these base models, the Renault 19 16v was released with distinctive air inlet on the bonnet, rear spoiler, 15-inch alloy wheels, side skirts, bucket seats, and a trip computer. Braking systems were updated with 259 mm vented discs on the front and discs on the rear, as well as an uprated lower suspension setup. In the later models called executives, leather interior was featured as standard. Acceleration to low speed was rated around 8.2 seconds and had a maximum power of 137 bhp, making for a powerful engine in a small, affordable car. The Renault 19 16v was extremely important in laying the foundation for the Renault Sport department of the company.
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