Renault Fuego Turbo 1984 . Auto-week
Nota de la revista autoweek sobre la renault fuego turbo. año 1984
The Renault Fuego is one of those cars that we’ve just about forgotten, yet when we see one the words “oh yeah...” tumble out in a flicker of recognition. That’s not surprising since Renault cast the car as the sexy flagship of its early 1980s revitalization in the U.S. market. In a 1982 review of the Fuego Turbo following its 1981 U.S. introduction, AW publisher (then Car and Driver contributor) Rich Ceppos concluded that, “If the Fuego Turbo is any example of Renault’s determination, this might just be the start of something big.” Things didn’t turn out that way for Renault but the Fuego was still a nicely executed sports coupe that today, as it did then, attracts the automotive individualist.
The Fuego first appeared in Europe in 1980, based on the Renault 18i sedan platform. Its bulbous design is reminiscent of the early 1970s Citroen SM styled by Robert Opron, who oversaw the Fuego as well. The American automotive press regarded its styling as a harbinger of European-influenced things to come in our market. The car’s look was seen by the public either as sophisticated or, as frequently, odd. Still, in the fuel-conscious early ’80s, the Fuego’s shape lent it a 0.35 drag coefficient that marketers emphasized in every ad. The Fuego Turbo came to our shores at the same time as the normally aspirated version, evidence of Renault’s desire to bring something exciting to the AMC dealerships through which the marque was sold. For about $11,000, the buyer got a capable front-wheel-drive coupe with an attractive list of standard equipment and a 1.6-liter turbo four engine good for 107 hp and 120 lb-ft of torque. If you were conscious of Renault’s contemporary F1 success, you could row through the car’s five-speed box and dump it into a corner imagining yourself as Alain Prost. It was no F1 sled to be sure, but the Fuego had a pretty decent setup to get you through.
You’d be slowed by front disc/rear drum binders, your turn-in would be aided by independent front struts, coil springs and an antiroll bar trailed by a solid rear axle, coil springs and another antiroll bar. Keeping you planted were 365-mm (14.4-inch) wheels wrapped by Michelin TRX rubber, which just about everyone found lacking in grip. Digging out of the corner, power came on courtesy of a Garrett T3 turbo with 12.8 psi max boost. Unlike other turbo front-drivers, Renault’s setup was exceptionally smooth and free of torque steer, though it wouldn’t force you back in the seat. The Fuego topped out at 110 mph, 60 mph came up in 10 seconds flat, and fuel consumption was an impressive 26/39 city/highway mpg.
The 1984 Fuego Turbo owned by Marvin McFalls has been fitted with 15-inch wheels and a hood from the European model. The interior is vintage ’80s, sporting velour upholstery and a symmetrical dash with the boost gauge curiously placed far to the driver’s right. Below the stereo on the center console is a switch for the optional sunroof. A huge canvas top stretched across five bows retracts far enough to allow front and rear passengers to acquire a sunburn. At 70 mph the car is a bit buzzy but the engine noise is drowned out by the buffeting canvas top.
Cruising with the top open is quite pleasant in the front buckets but in the rear it might be described as “tornadic.”
The turbo isn’t noticeably effective until third gear. It comes on smoothly in fourth and fifth, lending the Fuego passing oomph, which McFalls likes. The car hangs in the corner with a roll center that feels lower than it looks. Worry not, French eccentricities are there, exemplified by a firewall-mounted HVAC blower which “introduces” things into the cockpit.
“You can be going down the road at 80 with the vents open and the heat on and little pieces of leaves will come through your vents,” McFalls says with a smile. Few Fuegos went beyond 100k; they were often the victims of unreliable electrics and related cooling problems.
The Turbo was discontinued after 1984 and the Fuego carried on for another two years with a normally aspirated 2.2-liter. It survived several more years in Europe and Argentina, where it has quite a following. Here, we were left with the less romantic Renault Alliance. The “halo” was definitely gone by the late 1980s and Renault retreated to la belle France. But the Fuego still lingers. It “delivered the goods in a directly suave manner,” as Rich Ceppos aptly put it.