Renault 25
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The Renault 25 is an
executive car Executive car is a British term for a large car, and is considered equivalent to the European E-segment and American full-size classifications. Executive cars are larger than compact executive cars (and the non-luxury equivalent mid-size cars ...
produced by the French
automaker The automotive industry comprises a wide range of companies and organizations involved in the design, development, manufacturing, marketing, selling, repairing, and modification of motor vehicles. It is one of the world's largest industries ...
Renault Renault S.A., commonly referred to as Groupe Renault ( , , , also known as the Renault Group in English), is a French Multinational corporation, multinational Automotive industry, automobile manufacturer established in 1899. The company curr ...
from 1983 to 1992. The 25 was Renault's
flagship A flagship is a vessel used by the commanding officer of a group of navy, naval ships, characteristically a flag officer entitled by custom to fly a distinguishing flag. Used more loosely, it is the lead ship in a fleet of vessels, typically ...
, the most expensive, prestigious, and largest vehicle in the company's line up. It placed second in the 1985
European Car of the Year The European Car of the Year award is an international Car of the Year award established in 1964 by a collective of automobile magazines from different countries in Europe. The current organising media of the award are '' Auto'' (Italy), '' Aut ...
rankings. In total, 780,976 were built from 1983 until 1992. All 25s were built in Sandouville, near
Le Havre Le Havre is a major port city in the Seine-Maritime department in the Normandy (administrative region), Normandy region of northern France. It is situated on the right bank of the estuary of the Seine, river Seine on the English Channel, Channe ...
,
France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...
.


Introduction

Introduced at the end of 1983 for a March 1984 start of sales, the Renault 25 was a large step forward in nearly every aspect from the Renault 20 / Renault 30 range it was replacing. Its five-door
liftback A liftback is a variation of a hatchback car body style, with a more gently sloping roofline, roughly between 45 and 10 degrees, whereas traditional or archetypal hatchback designs tend to use a 45 degree to near vertical slope on the top-hinged ...
body was penned by designers Gaston Juchet and Robert Opron of
Citroën SM The Citroën SM is a high-performance coupé produced by the French manufacturer Citroën from 1970 to 1975. The SM placed third in the 1971 European Car of the Year contest, trailing its stablemate Citroën GS, and won the 1972 Motor Trend Car ...
fame, and the unconventional style was aimed at giving the car a
notchback A notchback is a car design with the rear section distinct from the passenger compartment and where the back of the passenger compartment is at an angle to the top of what is typically the rear baggage compartment. Notchback cars have "a trunk w ...
look in order to overcome customer preference outside France for formal sedans in the segment outside of France. The wraparound rear window was one of Opron's signature design features, used on many of his earlier designs such as the SM, the
Renault Fuego The Renault Fuego (''Fire'' in Spanish) is a sport hatchback that was manufactured and marketed by Renault from 1980 to 1986, replacing the Renault 15 and 17 coupés of the 1970s. Marketed in the United States by American Motors Corporatio ...
, and the
Renault 11 Eleven or 11 may refer to: *11 (number) * One of the years 11 BC, AD 11, 1911, 2011 Literature *Eleven (novel), ''Eleven'' (novel), a 2006 novel by British author David Llewellyn *''Eleven'', a 1970 collection of short stories by Patricia Highsmi ...
. The 25 was designed from the start for aerodynamic efficiency, giving a drag coefficient (Cd) as low as 0.28 on 2 litre models, rising up to 0.33 for diesel and V6 models, a key factor in improving fuel economy. The TS model briefly held the unofficial title of "world's most aerodynamic mass production car" with a Cd of 0.28, and at its launch, the 25 was easily the best in its class for fuel economy. All Renault 25 models were
front-wheel drive Front-wheel drive (FWD) is a form of internal combustion engine, engine and transmission (mechanics), transmission layout used in motor vehicles, in which the engine drives the front wheels only. Most modern front-wheel-drive vehicles feature ...
, with four-cylinder (2 and 2.2 L petrol injection or 2.1 L diesel) and six-cylinder (2849 cc and 2458 cc turbo injection) engines mounted longitudinally forward of the front axle. The 25's performance was above average for its class, at least in the V6
Turbo In an internal combustion engine, a turbocharger (also known as a turbo or a turbosupercharger) is a forced induction device that is powered by the flow of exhaust gases. It uses this energy to compress the intake air, forcing more air into the ...
specification. A turbodiesel version of the J8S engine was also available. The 25 was praised for its ride comfort and spirited handling (despite slight
understeer Understeer and oversteer are vehicle dynamics terms used to describe the sensitivity of the vehicle to changes in steering angle associated with changes in lateral acceleration. This sensitivity is defined for a level road for a given steady state ...
, and
torque steer Torque steer is the unintended influence of Torque#Machine torque, engine torque on the steering, especially in front-wheel drive, front-wheel-drive vehicles. For example, during heavy acceleration, the steering may pull to one side, which may be ...
on V6 Turbo models). A newly designed
manual transmission A manual transmission (MT), also known as manual gearbox, standard transmission (in Canadian English, Canada, British English, the United Kingdom and American English, the United States), or stick shift (in the United States), is a multi-speed ...
drew unanimous praise for its precision and smoothness (although the detent spring on fifth gear could cause misselection of third gear). The futuristic interior was designed by Italian designer
Marcello Gandini Marcello Gandini (26 August 1938 – 13 March 2024) was an Italian Automotive design, car designer widely known for his work with the Italian car design house Gruppo Bertone, Bertone, where his work included designing the Alfa Romeo Carabo and A ...
(of
Lamborghini Automobili Lamborghini S.p.A. ( , ), usually referred to as Lamborghini or colloquially Lambo, is an Italian manufacturer of luxury sports cars and SUVs based in Sant'Agata Bolognese. The company is owned by the Volkswagen Group through its su ...
fame) and was somewhat controversial, but the 25's passenger compartment was considered quiet, spacious, and well lit. Equipment levels were high and set new standards for French cars, the 25 including among other features, an express up and down feature on the driver's power window, voice alerts (covering items such as improperly shut doors/bonnet/boot – oil pressure, engine temperature/charging circuit and blown bulbs), and one of the world's first remote stereo controls, mounted to the right of the steering column (controlling volume +/–, station search, station select (jog wheel) in radio mode with volume +/–, mute and track advance (if supported)). For the first time since
World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
,
Renault Renault S.A., commonly referred to as Groupe Renault ( , , , also known as the Renault Group in English), is a French Multinational corporation, multinational Automotive industry, automobile manufacturer established in 1899. The company curr ...
had an entry in the full-size market segment outside France.


Automatic transmission

The Renault 25's least durable part was the automatic transmission. As a result, most 25s remaining are the five-speed manual and few automatics have survived. Three automatic transmissions were used on R25: MJ3, 4141, both three-speed, and a new four-speed AR4, later used on the
Renault Safrane The Renault Safrane is an executive car (E-segment in Europe) designed and built by the France, French manufacturer Renault from 1992 until 2000. Throughout its production it remained the most expensive and most luxurious Renault available, altho ...
as AD4/AD8. Due to the poor quality and design of the ATF cooler, especially on the later AR4, these versions have gained a poor reputation for reliability. A leaking ATF cooler could lead to gearbox failure with little or no physical warning, except for ATF stains beneath the vehicle to which not all drivers paid attention or not quickly enough. The first transmissions started failing within a few years, while the model was still in production. Renault then prepared a package that was to replace the original poor-quality cooler regardless of vehicle age and mileage. However, the cooler location in front of the right wheel could not be changed. As a result, Renault 25 Automatics with the AR4 transmission are rare today.


Facelift

The car underwent a facelift in June 1988, with a new front end, taillights, interior materials, and front suspension. Essentially, every panel was changed on the facelifted car, with the intent to smooth the styling. The new version also featured more powerful engines, the 2.2i engine being dropped and replaced by a 12v version of the 2.0i engine which produced . There were a small number of run-out post-facelift cars fitted with the 2.2i engine, mainly to use up stocks. Power increased marginally and these were rated at . The 2.2 engine was removed from French listings in 1990 but production continued for certain export markets until production of the 25 ended in February 1992, to make way for the
Renault Safrane The Renault Safrane is an executive car (E-segment in Europe) designed and built by the France, French manufacturer Renault from 1992 until 2000. Throughout its production it remained the most expensive and most luxurious Renault available, altho ...
.


Trim levels

French market specifications: * Level 1: Power steering, front power windows, and sound system optional. No side body cladding or rear window wiper. Single beam headlights. * Level 2: Power steering, front power windows, two-speaker stereo, side body cladding, and rear window wiper standard. 2 x 6 W sound system with steering wheel-mounted controls (specially designed by
Philips Koninklijke Philips N.V. (), simply branded Philips, is a Dutch multinational health technology company that was founded in Eindhoven in 1891. Since 1997, its world headquarters have been situated in Amsterdam, though the Benelux headquarter ...
for this model) optional. * Level 3: Front and rear power windows, power mirrors, and 2 x 6 W Philips sound system standard.
Trip computer A trip computer is a computer fitted to some cars; most modern trip computers record, calculate, and display the distance travelled, the average speed, the average fuel consumption, and real-time fuel consumption. The first, mechanical trip ...
and digital fuel gauge on gasoline versions. Anti-lock brakes, air conditioning, and 4 x 20 W Philips sound system with steering wheel-mounted controls optional. * Level 4: 4 x 20 W Philips sound system and express up/down driver's power window standard. dual-beam
headlight A headlamp is a lamp attached to the front of a vehicle to illuminate the road ahead. Headlamps are also often called headlights, but in the most precise usage, ''headlamp'' is the term for the device itself and ''headlight'' is the term for t ...
s. * Level 5: Air conditioning, leather interior, anti-lock brakes, seven-way power front seats, adjustable rear headrests, and elmwood inserts (door panels, gear shift knob) standard. * Level 6: Automatic climate control, cruise control, voice synthesizer, inflatable cushions, memory seat, memory mirrors, power door locks, power trunk release, power trunk close, variable assistance (speed-sensitive) power steering, alarm. * Level 7: Electronically controlled hydraulic system for Baccara models (Variable rate shock absorption suspension. This system can be used in one of two ways: sport or automatic. In automatic mode, the electronic module will control three shock absorption levels known as "comfort", "medium" and "sport" mode, which will be selected automatically in accordance with a strategy taking into account the parameters of vehicle speed, longitudinal acceleration, transverse acceleration, vertical acceleration and "stop" lights switch).


Renault 25 ''Baccara''

File:1990 Renault 25 Baccara sedan (28177909174).jpg, 1990 Renault 25 Baccara File:R25 baccie.jpg, The interior of the Baccara was only available in ''Ambre'' or ''Cendre'' In October 1988, during phase 2, a particularly luxurious finish was made available on the V6 Injection: ''Baccara'', available with Amber leather seats only. From April 1990 (phase 3), with the appearance of the Euro 1 anti-pollution standard requiring a
catalytic converter A catalytic converter part is an vehicle emissions control, exhaust emission control device which converts toxic gases and pollutants in exhaust gas from an internal combustion engine into less-toxic pollutants by catalysis, catalyzing a redox ...
, this finish was added to the V6 Turbo versions which will also have new electronic management of the turbo among others. Thus the V6 Turbo will see their power increase from , while power dropped from for the V6 Injection. The Baccara phase 3 offers as standard: ABS, front and rear electric windows, automatically regulated air conditioning, cruise control, height-adjustable headrests, leather cover for clothes under the rear parcel shelf, colored leather seats Amber or Cinder exclusively, the "Ergomatic" pack (with airbags for the front seats, memory and electrical adjustment of the driver's seat positions), the doors, pillars and roof receive upholstery in Alcantara, door strip and gear lever knob are in real elm burl, the 3-spoke leather steering wheel signed "Baccara". The dashboard is imitation leather. A spoiler and "Baccara" light alloy rims (BBS spoke rims on V6 Turbo), as well as the "Baccara" monogram on the quarter pillars and the tailgate appear. The shades available are Arabica Brown, Tungsten Gray, Bordeaux Black Sherry", all decorated with a double gold-colored side stripe. Other colors such as Tyrol Green 999, Prussian Blue 447, Black 676 and Persian Red 777 without forgetting the Bleu Sport 449 for the Turbo were offered almost until the end of marketing.


Renault 25 Limousine

An extended-wheelbase version of the initial Renault 25 was called the Renault 25 Limousine. It was longer than the standard car and was available in two variants. The standard 25 Limousine had the same rear bench seat as the standard-wheelbase model whereas the Executive version had two individual seats with electric adjustment. The limousine (only available with the 2.7 L V6 for RHD markets) was dropped from the range of Renault UK, within two years of its introduction in 1985, but continued in other European markets. Coachbuilders, such as Boonaker, provided bulletproof variants as well as fitting 2.5 L V6 Turbo engines. For a time, the
President of France The president of France, officially the president of the French Republic (), is the executive head of state of France, and the commander-in-chief of the French Armed Forces. As the presidency is the supreme magistracy of the country, the po ...
used an armored limousine variant of the Renault 25.


Renault 25 station wagons

File:Transformation Renault 25 avec le Kit EBS.jpg, Renault 25 with the EBS kit File:Renault 25 Break.jpg, Renault 25 Break by EBS A station wagon project from coachbuilder Heuliez based on the limousine was proposed to Renault, who refused it. Called the "Sologne", it was never even turned into a prototype. A kit from the Belgian company EBS (Ernest Berg Systemes) which also produced the R25 Cabriolet, made it possible to quickly transform a Renault 25 into a Renault 25 shooting brake (station wagon) with a rear tailgate.


Engines

''(French-market specifications unless indicated otherwise. All hp metric.)''


Petrol engines

* 2.0 L carbureted 8v I4 TS (1984–92, trim level 1) and GTS (1984–92, trim level 2). Top speed: * 2.0 L
fuel-injected Fuel injection is the introduction of fuel in an internal combustion engine, most commonly automotive engines, by the means of a fuel injector. This article focuses on fuel injection in Reciprocating engine, reciprocating piston and Wankel eng ...
8v I4 (107 with catalytic converter on export versions)
TX (1987–88, trim level 2; 1989–92, trim level 3) and TXE (1990–92, trim level 4) Top speed: * 2.0 L
fuel-injected Fuel injection is the introduction of fuel in an internal combustion engine, most commonly automotive engines, by the means of a fuel injector. This article focuses on fuel injection in Reciprocating engine, reciprocating piston and Wankel eng ...
12v I4 TI (1991–92, trim level 3) and TXI (1990–92, trim level 4) Top speed: * 2.2 L
fuel-injected Fuel injection is the introduction of fuel in an internal combustion engine, most commonly automotive engines, by the means of a fuel injector. This article focuses on fuel injection in Reciprocating engine, reciprocating piston and Wankel eng ...
8v I4
GTX (1984–89 on all markets, trim level 3; 1990–92 for export only, trim level 4) Top speed: * 2.2 L
fuel-injected Fuel injection is the introduction of fuel in an internal combustion engine, most commonly automotive engines, by the means of a fuel injector. This article focuses on fuel injection in Reciprocating engine, reciprocating piston and Wankel eng ...
8v I4
GTX (1984–89 on all markets, trim level 3; 1990–92 for export only, trim level 4) Top speed: * 2.7 L PRV
fuel-injected Fuel injection is the introduction of fuel in an internal combustion engine, most commonly automotive engines, by the means of a fuel injector. This article focuses on fuel injection in Reciprocating engine, reciprocating piston and Wankel eng ...
12v V6 V6 Injection (1984–88, trim level 4) Top speed: * 2.8 L PRV
fuel-injected Fuel injection is the introduction of fuel in an internal combustion engine, most commonly automotive engines, by the means of a fuel injector. This article focuses on fuel injection in Reciprocating engine, reciprocating piston and Wankel eng ...
12v V6 ( with catalytic converter after 1990)
TX-V6 (1991–92, trim level 3), V6 Injection (1989–92, trim level 4), and Baccara (1989–92, trim level 5) Top speed: * 2.8 L PRV
fuel-injected Fuel injection is the introduction of fuel in an internal combustion engine, most commonly automotive engines, by the means of a fuel injector. This article focuses on fuel injection in Reciprocating engine, reciprocating piston and Wankel eng ...
12v V6
TX-V6 (1991–92, trim level 3), V6 Injection (1989–92, trim level 4), and Baccara (1989–92, trim level 5) Top speed: * 2.8 L PRV
fuel-injected Fuel injection is the introduction of fuel in an internal combustion engine, most commonly automotive engines, by the means of a fuel injector. This article focuses on fuel injection in Reciprocating engine, reciprocating piston and Wankel eng ...
12v V6
V6 Injection (1987–88) Top speed: * 2.5 L PRV
fuel-injected Fuel injection is the introduction of fuel in an internal combustion engine, most commonly automotive engines, by the means of a fuel injector. This article focuses on fuel injection in Reciprocating engine, reciprocating piston and Wankel eng ...
12v V6
turbo In an internal combustion engine, a turbocharger (also known as a turbo or a turbosupercharger) is a forced induction device that is powered by the flow of exhaust gases. It uses this energy to compress the intake air, forcing more air into the ...
V6 Turbo (1985–90, trim level 4 with model-specific steering wheel, rims, colour-coded bumpers (not available on any other PH1 car) and grille until 1989). Top speed: * 2.5 L PRV
fuel-injected Fuel injection is the introduction of fuel in an internal combustion engine, most commonly automotive engines, by the means of a fuel injector. This article focuses on fuel injection in Reciprocating engine, reciprocating piston and Wankel eng ...
12v V6 turbo V6 Turbo (1990–92, trim level 4) and V6 Turbo Baccara (1990–92, trim level 5) Top speed: 91 92 Txi 2,2 136BG 179


Diesel engines

* 2.1 L 8v I4 TD (1984–88, trim level 1) and GTD (1984–92, trim level 2) Top speed: * 2.1 L 8v I4 Turbo-D (1984–92, trim level 3) and Turbo-DX (1984–92, trim level 4 except no express up/down driver window before 1989) Top speed:


Australia and the United Kingdom

The 25 was also exported to Australia. Introduced in 1985, it was priced at A$35,000 without cruise control. It had a disc drum brake setup, rather than four-wheel discs as on the
Renault 18 The Renault 18 is a large family car produced by French manufacturer Renault between 1978 and 1989, with South American production continuing until 1994. It formed the basis for the closely related Renault Fuego Coupé, with which it shared its ...
. The R25 was exported to the
United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...
from the beginning of 1984, where its hatchback body style helped it to stand out compared with conventional saloons. GTX in the United Kingdom was equivalent to Level 3 in the above list & used the 123 hp 2.2i engine. For the facelift versions the equivalent to the GTX was the TXI, with the 2.0 12v engine of 140 hp. The 12v head from the 2.0 engine was latterly used in the J7T 2.2i engine in Safrane. The 2.2 engine in the Safrane is effectively a long-stroke version of the 2.0 engine – with better torque but less free-revving. For the United Kingdom, the pre-facelift range included TS, Monaco (being a special edition with metallic brown paint, Monaco badging on the boot and C-Pillar insert panels, Leather interior, and some other changes from the TS spec), GTX, V6 & V6 Turbo. The facelift cars were TX (2.0 12v/2.2i special order), TXI (2.0i 12v/2.2i special order), V6, V6 Turbo for a short period, and Baccara (2.8i V6/2.5i V6 Turbo) which was the top of the range. The 2.2i (123 hp) engine in the Phase 2 cars was only available 'while stocks last'. The lower compression 108 hp 2.2 was not sold in the United Kingdom.


Eagle Premier/Dodge Monaco

The Renault 25 was the basis of the
car platform A car platform is a shared set of common design, engineering, and production efforts, as well as major components, over a number of outwardly distinct models and even types of cars, often from different, but somewhat related, marques. It is prac ...
for the Canadian-built, full-sized
Eagle Premier The Eagle Premier is a full-size executive car that was developed by American Motors Corporation (AMC) during the 1980s through its partnership with Renault. This model was manufactured in the then-brand-new Brampton Assembly in Canada. Chry ...
that was developed by
American Motors Corporation American Motors Corporation (AMC; commonly referred to as American Motors) was an American automobile manufacturing company formed by the mergers and acquisitions, merger of Nash-Kelvinator Corporation and Hudson Motor Car Company on May 1, 19 ...
(AMC) and introduced in 1988. The Premier featured exterior styling by
Italdesign Giugiaro Italdesign-Giugiaro S.p.A. () is a design and engineering company and brand based in Moncalieri, Italy, that traces its roots to the 1968 foundation of Studi Italiani Realizzazione Prototipi S.p.A. by Giorgetto Giugiaro and Aldo Mantovani. Best ...
using the Renault 25 chassis, although the suspension was derived from the Eagle Medallion (Renault 21). The body was a true 4-door sedan with separate trunk lid, rather than a lift-up hatchback. The interior was designed by American Motors. When introduced, the car was branded as the Eagle Premier, subsequent to Renault selling its 47 percent stake in AMC to
Chrysler FCA US, LLC, Trade name, doing business as Stellantis North America and known historically as Chrysler ( ), is one of the "Big Three (automobile manufacturers), Big Three" automobile manufacturers in the United States, headquartered in Auburn H ...
in 1987. From 1990 to 1992, Chrysler also marketed a
rebadged In the automotive industry, rebadging (also known as badge engineering, an intentionally ironic misnomer in that little or no actual engineering takes place) is a form of market segmentation used by automobile manufacturers around the world. T ...
version as the
Dodge Monaco The Dodge Monaco is an automobile that was marketed by the Dodge division of Chrysler Corporation. Introduced as the flagship of the Dodge product line, the Monaco was introduced for the 1965 model year to replace the Custom 880, then later joined ...
.


Club

Throughout the world, there are several clubs concerning this car, particularly in France, such as
Club Renault 25 Français.
. The French Renault 25 club has a large number of parts remanufactured to maintain the Renault 25s.


References

{{Renault 25 Executive cars Hatchbacks Front-wheel-drive vehicles Cars introduced in 1983 1990s cars Cars discontinued in 1992