Test Drive Renault Samsung QM6 GDe is leisurely city SUV
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The Renault Samsung QM6 GDe is driven during a test drive event on Yeongjong Island in Incheon, Thursday. / Courtesy of Renault Samsung
By Jhoo Dong-chan
The Renault Samsung QM6 SUV was offered for a test drive during the carmaker’s event at the Gyeongwonjae Ambassador Hotel in Songdo, Incheon, Thursday. QM6’s popular gas-powered model offers different characteristics compared to its diesel-powered sister, challenging Hyundai Motor’s mid-size SUV duo _ Santa Fe and Tucson.
Under the slogan of “Challenge the rule,” the Renault Samsung QM6 GDe is a perfect choice for motorists in their 20s through 50s who live in metropolitan areas.
This reporter drove the Renault Samsung QM6 GDe SUV from the Gyeongwonjae Ambassador Hotel to a coastal highway on Yeongjong Island in Incheon _ a distance of about 60 kilometers.
Mounting a 2.0-liter GDI gasoline engine with the JATCO CVT transmission that produces maximum 144 horsepower with a 20.4 kg.m torque, the Renault Samsung QM6 GDe first surprised this reporter with its silence.
A Renault Samsung official said the SUV model features various noise-absorbing materials inside its hood and body to decrease its noise on the road.
Along with Renault Samsung QM6’s attractive exterior design, the QM6 GDe model also features the Bose Surround Sound system. It matched perfectly with the vehicle’s silent characteristic to offer leisurely comfort during the test drive.
It also comes with a large 8.7-inch touch-screen navigation display in the center fascia, and has enhanced safety thanks to a newly applied stabilizer in its suspension structure along with various advanced driver assistance systems, including the lane departure warning, automatic emergency braking system and forward collision warning.
A Renault Samsung official said the model also has the longest drive range of 11.7 kilometers per liter. This reporter marked a 10.2 kilometers per liter distance during the test drive, but other reporters even recorded more than 13 kilometers per liter during the event.
Compared to its diesel engine model, the Renault Samsung QM6 GDe is sold for about 3 million won cheaper, the cheapest price range in the nation’s domestic mid-size SUV models.
Thank to the Japanese Jatco CVT transmission, this reporter did not perceive gear-shift shock during its eco mode. The vehicle was a bit sluggish in idle acceleration but considering the model’s urban SUV concept, its acceleration can be described as rather leisurely.
The model’s price range starts at 24.8 million won, about 1 million won cheaper than its segment competitor Hyundai Santa Fe SUV.