Comfort and controls

Ride is probably the most exceptional single-feature of the Renault 16 and completely unaffected by the TS modification. A gentle rocking motion is sometimes evident at low speeds and sharp surface irregularities, like cat’s-eyes, are scarcely felt but intrude as a muffled thump. At higher speeds the remoteness

Of both sound and movement is even more impressive and the car settles down to an effortless gait giving the occupants a feeling of almost double glazed isolation. Wind noise is generally low but whereas the older modes there were no obvious sources of noise, some of our drivers suggested that the new heater air intake generated some disturbance. The seats are soft and comfortable and the range of for and aft travel has been increased enabling the tallest driver to stretch without recourse to rake adjustment. The sensible armrest cum map locker between the front seats supplements a reasonable degree of side support.

Now that the choke control has been eliminated, only the handbrake is hard to reach from the driving seat and we were glad of the very comfortable inertia reel lap and diagonal seat belt. The windows are deep and the bonnet falls sharply away giving the driver a commanding view to the front, unobstructed by quarter vents or thick screen pillars while to the rear, the lower edge of the window is almost the back of the car. Several new items of interior equipment include electric rear window demisting and the useful foot-operated screen washer switch which brings on the wipers simultaneously. But the Continental origin is still evident in the bias of the wiper blades to the left and the driver has a sizeable blind spot in bad weather. The Cibie rectangular light give a wide penetrating spread on main beam with the anti-dazzle Continental cut-off dipper beam and there is a two position beam setter to compensate for change in attitude with a full load. 

The new heating system is comprehensive and not quite so complicated as it looks once you get used to it. It includes the three essential functions: air flow, temperature and distribution. Air is admitted by the scuttle vent which opens progressively by movement of a slide on the facia with the second half of its travel controlling a rheostat for the boost fan. The air divides into streams feeding the floor and facia vents with a second slide to control the distribution. The temperature valve takes the form of a ten position dial and up to mark 4, only the lower stream is heated, the remainder being cool air which can be directed on to the screen or occupants’ faces by three separate knobs controlling slots running the full length of the screen. Above 4 both streams are heated to an increasing degree and the full output is very powerful.