Renault Korea's Filante crossover is diplayed in Gyeongju, North Gyeongsang Province, Wednesday. Courtesy of Renault Korea

GYEONGJU, North Gyeongsang Province — Renault Korea’s new crossover Filante places comfort and refinement at the center of its identity, delivering the quiet and smooth riding experience of a sedan in a fiercely contested midsize SUV segment.

The Filante is the second model under Renault Korea’s Aurora project. The vehicle represents the carmaker’s strategic bet to challenge the dominance of Hyundai Motor’s Santa Fe and Kia’s Sorento.

Combining a sleek coupe-style design with the quietness characteristic of hybrid vehicles, the model seeks to carve out a distinctive niche in a segment largely defined by boxy SUVs.

During a roughly 150-kilometer round-trip media test drive around the historic city of Gyeongju, North Gyeongsang Province, the Filante revealed itself as a vehicle balancing two identities — the comfort and composure of a sedan with the practicality of an SUV. Compared with the Aurora project’s first model, the Grand Koleos, the Filante had a more refined overall balance.

Renault Korea CEO Nicolas Paris delivers an opening speech during a media test drive event in Gyeongju, North Gyeongsang Province, Wednesday. Courtesy of Renault Korea

The Filante pairs a 1.5-liter turbocharged gasoline engine with a dual-motor hybrid system. The powertrain proved more than capable on both city streets and highways, delivering brisk acceleration that never felt strained, even during overtaking. Fuel efficiency that hovered around 15 kilometers per liter also stood out as a solid advantage for a vehicle of its size.

Its positioning in the market is somewhat unusual. With a body size approaching that of a large SUV combined with a coupe-like silhouette, the Filante does not easily fit into a conventional category.

In Korea’s midsize and large SUV market — long dominated by the Santa Fe and Sorento — the Filante’s ability to draw buyers away from those established rivals will likely determine its domestic success.

Renault Korea's Filante crossover / Korea Times photo by Lee Min-hyung

Source: Korea Times News