The Renault Vel Satis is an executive car produced by the French manufacturer Renault. It was launched at the 2001 Geneva Motorshow to replace the already-discontinued Safrane and has no relation to the 1990s concept car of the same name. This vehicle is set apart by its elevated height, which provides generous interior room but results in bulkier dimensions. It received a five-star EuroNCAP safety rating and is available with a series of engines such as a 4-cylinder, 16-valve, turbocharged 2.0-liter, a Nissan-sourced 24-valve, 3.5-liter V6 (also used in a variety of Nissan models including the Altima, Murano, 350Z/Fairlady, and Infiniti G, M and QX series), a 4-cylinder, 16-valve, 2.2-liter direct-injection turbodiesel, and a Perkins-sourced 24-valve 3.0-liter direct-injection turbodiesel. The Vel Satis employs the same "platform" (chassis, powertrain, assembly process) as the Laguna and Espace IV and is built on the same assembly line in Sandouville, France.
In October 2004, an automatic 3.0 Diesel Vel Satis was driven at 130 km/h (81 mph) under cruise control and supposedly accelerated to over 190 km/h (120 mph) on a section of the Autoroute A71 freeway (motorway) in central France, and remained at that speed for over an hour in spite of the drivers' stated attempts to stop it. According to the driver, the incident happened as a result of a defective cruise control system, in conjunction with the electronic card that substitutes the customary ignition key and makes it unfeasible to start or stop the engine without electronic intermediates. Renault conducted an analysis of the car but found nothing wrong with it, albeit a random cause such as electronic interference from an outside source (in this case, the lorry overtaken by the car) cannot be dismissed entirely. Subsequent tests with this car and others of the same model under judicial supervision proved that the driver can always override the cruise control and bring the car to a halt by at least two independent means even if the regular method of applying the brakes to disengage the cruise control proves ineffective: transferring the automatic transmission selector from Drive to Neutral and pressing the cruise control's on/off button five times in rapid succession, as specified in the car's user manual. Consequently, Renault is suing the driver for libel.
In March 2005, Renault UK ruled out taking a right-hand drive version of the renovated Vel Satis into development, as sales of the model had been deficient in the United Kingdom since its launch. Despite expecting 3,500 sales, only a third of that mark was met. This comes only two years after the Avantime coupé/MPV was discontinued by Renault, wh
Check out these amazing Renault Vel Satis 2005 posters, mouse pads, t-shirts, and calendars! Get your hands on these stunning designs to show off your passion for the iconic car and make a statement. Hurry up and grab these limited edition collectibles before they're gone!
