The Renault 19 is a
small family car
The C-segment is the 3rd category of the European segments for passenger cars and is described as "medium cars". It is equivalent to the Euro NCAP "small family car" size class, and the compact car category in the United States.
In 2011, the C- ...
that was produced by the French car manufacturer
Renault
Groupe Renault ( , , , also known as the Renault Group in English; legally Renault S.A.) is a French multinational automobile manufacturer established in 1899. The company produces a range of cars and vans, and in the past has manufactured ...
between 1988 and 1996. In Turkey and in Argentina, production continued until 2000. The internal development code for the 19 was X53, with the five door receiving the ''B53'' chassis code, the three door being the ''C53'', the Chamade the ''L53'', and the Cabriolet the ''D53''.
Overview
The R19 was presented in June 1988,
with sales in the domestic French market beginning in September 1988. It was the replacement for the
9 and 11, both of which were ageing and outdated by the end of the 1980s. The R19 went on sale in right hand drive form for the British market in February 1989.
The R19 was styled by
Giorgetto Giugiaro
Giorgetto Giugiaro (; born 7 August 1938) is an Italian automotive designer. He has worked on supercars and popular everyday vehicles. He was born in Garessio, Cuneo, Piedmont.
Giugiaro was named Car Designer of the Century in 1999 and inducted ...
, featuring Renault's new E-type (or "Energy") 1.4 L engine and F type 1.7 L versions. Base models originally used the
OHV
An overhead valve (OHV) engine, sometimes called a ''pushrod engine'', is a piston engine whose valves are located in the cylinder head above the combustion chamber. This contrasts with earlier flathead engines, where the valves were located bel ...
C-type
Cléon
Cléon () is a commune in the Seine-Maritime department in the Normandy region in northern France.
This city is known for its Renault factory, which manufactures engines and gearboxes.
Two Renault engines are named after the city, the Cléon-Fo ...
1.2 and 1.4 L engines, depending on the market. While originally only available with an atmospheric diesel engine, a turbocharged version appeared in the beginning of 1992.
Intended to be Renault's last numeric named car, the 19 ushered in a new naming policy, with the
saloon versions of the 19 being known as the 19 Chamade, to distinguish them from the
hatchback
A hatchback is a car body configuration with a rear door that swings upward to provide access to a cargo area. Hatchbacks may feature fold-down second row seating, where the interior can be reconfigured to prioritize passenger or cargo volume. ...
s. The saloon version was launched in 1989.
In many markets, the Chamade badge was dropped following the facelift of 1992, with some replacing it with the "Europa" tag. The 19 Chamade customers were more often men, more often married and more rural and older than R19
hatchback
A hatchback is a car body configuration with a rear door that swings upward to provide access to a cargo area. Hatchbacks may feature fold-down second row seating, where the interior can be reconfigured to prioritize passenger or cargo volume. ...
buyers.
In 1991, a
convertible
A convertible or cabriolet () is a passenger car that can be driven with or without a roof in place. The methods of retracting and storing the roof vary among eras and manufacturers.
A convertible car's design allows an open-air driving expe ...
bodystyle built by
Karmann
Wilhelm Karmann GmbH, commonly known as simply Karmann, was a German automobile manufacturer and contract manufacturer based in Osnabrück.
Founded by Wilhelm Karmann in 1901, the company specialized in a variety of automotive roles, includi ...
was first shown; only a small number of these were built with the Phase I design as it was facelifted shortly thereafter. The convertible version went on sale in the beginning of 1992; it was only available with the two most powerful engine options. Although the R19's exterior design (which was relatively conservative, like that of the
Renault 9/11
The Renault 9 and Renault 11 are small family cars produced by the French manufacturer Renault for model years 1981–1988 in saloon (Renault 9) and hatchback (Renault 11) configurations — both were styled by the French automobile designer, Rob ...
) received a muted response, it was praised for its interior comfort and handling.
For the fuel injected top versions, a four-speed automatic transmission became available in the fall of 1990. Lesser versions still made do with four- or five-speed manuals, or a three-speed automatic.
In the summer of 1992, a revamped model was introduced with a substantially restyled front and rear, while
LHD market versions received a new dashboard and interior —
RHD models retained the original design.
With the facelift, smaller "Energy" series units gradually replaced the old pushrod items, and 1.8 litre engines appeared at the top of the lineup, where they replaced the more powerful 1.7 units (the F3N).
The R19 was sold in most of Europe until 1996, and was produced for some South American markets in
Argentina
Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the second-largest country in South America after Brazil, th ...
until 2000 and for the Andean markets in
Colombia
Colombia (, ; ), officially the Republic of Colombia, is a country in South America with insular regions in North America—near Nicaragua's Caribbean coast—as well as in the Pacific Ocean. The Colombian mainland is bordered by the Car ...
until 2001.
Turkish production lasted a little longer than in the rest of Europe, also until the year 2000. The R19's platform and running gear would continue to be used in its replacement, the first generation
Renault Mégane
The Renault Mégane () is a small family car produced by the French car manufacturer Renault for model year 1996, and was the successor to the Renault 19. The Mégane has been offered in three- and five-door hatchback, saloon, coupé, converti ...
, which lasted for seven years.
The Renault 19 was awarded the 1989 Car of the Year in Spain and Germany, 1990
Car of the Year in Ireland, and 1993 Car of the Year in Argentina. It was sold in limited numbers in Japan through
Yanase Import Dealerships. The name "Chamade" wasn't used on Japanese-market saloons because it was too similar to the
Daihatsu Charade
The Daihatsu Charade is a supermini car produced by the Japanese manufacturer Daihatsu from 1977 to 2000. It is considered by Daihatsu as a "large compact" or "supermini" car, to differentiate it from the smaller ''kei car'' compacts in its line- ...
, so these were called "Europa" instead. San Fu Motors in Taiwan began building two versions of the R19 locally in early 1990, aiming for a monthly output of 1,000 cars.
The R19 did well in Germany, a market French carmakers always had a hard time to crack. It was the best selling imported car in
West Germany
West Germany is the colloquial term used to indicate the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG; german: Bundesrepublik Deutschland , BRD) between its formation on 23 May 1949 and the German reunification through the accession of East Germany on 3 O ...
in 1990 and then in
re-united Germany
Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...
from 1991 to 1994.
16S
The Renault 19 16S (16V in some countries) was first shown towards the very end of 1988.
It was only actually added to the lineup in the autumn of 1990,
and was the only Renault 19 with a 16 valve engine. It had a distinctive air inlet on the bonnet, a rear spoiler, 15 inch Speedline SL401 alloy wheels, side skirts, twin headlamps,
Recaro
Recaro Holding, as the parent company of the Recaro Group, owns the Recaro brand and the independently operating companies Recaro Aircraft Seating (aircraft seats) based in Schwäbisch Hall and Recaro eGaming (gaming seats) based in Stuttgart, Germ ...
bucket seats with optional leather trim, four in one
exhaust manifold
In automotive engineering, an exhaust manifold collects the exhaust gases from multiple cylinders into one pipe. The word ''manifold'' comes from the Old English word ''manigfeald'' (from the Anglo-Saxon ''manig'' anyand ''feald'' old and refe ...
and ABS braking system with optional
trip computer
A trip computer is a computer
A computer is a machine that can be programmed to Execution (computing), carry out sequences of arithmetic or logical operations (computation) automatically. Modern digital electronic computers can perform gen ...
, aircon and electric sunroof. The "S" is for ''Soupapes'', French for valves.
It was praised for its excellent handling and rev happy F7P engine, which, along with the advanced
Renix
Renix (Renix Electronique) was a joint venture by Renault and Bendix Corporation, Bendix that designed and manufactured automobile electronic ignitions, fuel injection systems, electronic automatic transmission controls, and various engine sensors. ...
ECU, made it faster and more fuel efficient compared to most competitors. The braking system was upgraded to include vented discs on the front and discs on the rear as well as an uprated lower suspension setup and front
strut bar
A strut bar, strut brace, or strut tower brace (STB) is an automotive suspension accessory on a monocoque or unibody chassis to provide extra stiffness between the strut towers.
With a MacPherson strut suspension system where the spring and shoc ...
.
Phase 1 editions benefited from unique front and rear bumpers with front indicators relocated into the bumpers to allow for the twin headlamps, while the Phase 2 retained the original bumpers found throughout the range but added colour coded tops, rubber inserts, and a discreet lower splitter. All bodystyles were offered with the 16 valve engine at one time or another, but were not available in all markets.
The last models (1995 to 1996) were called Executive and came with leather interior as standard.
A 16S version was also produced in Europe which was equipped as above – however, the earliest models did not sport the bonnet vent. The Phase 2 models gear ratios were also revised, to allow for the extra weight found in the safety equipment the later models carried.
Renault claimed an acceleration from 0 to of 8.2 seconds for the non-catalysed version with . This engine was only available in the Phase 1 model. The catalysed model boasted and a top speed of , and a claimed 0 to 100 km/h time of 8.9 seconds.
Motorsport
Renault Sport
Renault Sport () or Renaultsport, was the motorsport, performance and special vehicles division for Renault-badged cars. Renault Sport was officially established in 1976 as a merger between the Alpine and Gordini competition departments. It wa ...
used the 19 in the
British Touring Car Championship
The Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship is a touring car racing series held each year in the United Kingdom, currently organised and administered by TOCA
TOCA, formally trading as BARC (TOCA) Ltd, is an organiser of motorsport events in ...
in 1993, driven by
Alain Menu
Alain Menu (born 9 August 1963) is a Swiss racing driver who is currently working for Team BMR as a driving coach. He was one of the most successful touring car drivers of the 1990s, winning the prestigious British Touring Car Championship twice ...
and
Tim Harvey
Tim Harvey (born 20 November 1961) is a British racing driver, best known for being the 1992 British Touring Car Champion, and the 2008 and 2010 Porsche Carrera Cup Great Britain champion. A household name in the 1990s, Harvey won sixteen race ...
. The car proved uncompetitive except in wet conditions, and was replaced with the
Laguna
Laguna (Italian and Spanish for lagoon) may refer to:
People
* Abe Laguna (born 1992), American DJ known as Ookay
* Andrés Laguna (1499–1559), Spanish physician, pharmacologist, and botanist
* Ana Laguna (born 1955), Spanish-Swedish ballet d ...
for the 1994 season.
Engines
Only for South America
Manufacturing factories
*
Douai (France)
*
Maubeuge (France)
*
Haren-Vilvoorde (Belgium)
*
Laguna de Duero, Valladolid (Spain)
*
Villamuriel de Cerrato, Palencia (Spain)
*
Setúbal (Portugal)
*
Santa Isabel, Córdoba (Argentina)
*
Envigado (Colombia)
*
Oyak-Renault
Oyak Renault Otomobil Fabrikaları or Oyak-Renault is a Turkish automotive manufacturer located in Bursa. It is co-owned by OYAK (Turkish: Ordu Yardımlaşma Kurumu, English: Army Pension Fund) and Renault. Oyak owns 49% and Renault owns 51% of th ...
,
Bursa
( grc-gre, Προῦσα, Proûsa, Latin: Prusa, ota, بورسه, Arabic:بورصة) is a city in northwestern Turkey and the administrative center of Bursa Province. The fourth-most populous city in Turkey and second-most populous in the ...
(
Turkey
Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a list of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolia, Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with ...
)
*
Sanfu Motor Co., Ltd. (Defunct),
Taichung
Taichung (, Wade–Giles: ''Tʻai²-chung¹'', pinyin: ''Táizhōng''), officially Taichung City, is a special municipality located in central Taiwan. Taichung has approximately 2.8 million residents and is the second most populous city of Taiw ...
(
Taiwan
Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia, at the junction of the East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, with the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the northwest, Japan to the nort ...
)
*
Avtoframos
Renault Russia ( rus, Рено Россия, Reno Rossiya, rʲɪˈno rɐˈsʲijə), known until 2014 as Avtoframos ( rus, Автофрамос, Avtoframos), was a Russian automotive company established in 1998 by the Moscow city and Renault. It wa ...
,
Moscou (
Russia
Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a List of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia, Northern Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the ...
), from november 1999
References
External links
Brief history and technical specifications of the Renault 19Resource for Classic Renault owners and 19 Enthusiasts
{{Authority control
19
Compact cars
Sedans
Hatchbacks
Convertibles
Front-wheel-drive vehicles
1990s cars
2000s cars
Cars introduced in 1988
Cars of Turkey
Touring cars
Police vehicles