Renault 21

The Renault 21 is a large family car produced by French automaker Renault between 1986 and 1994. It was also sold in North America initially through American Motors dealers as the Renault Medallion and later through Jeep-Eagle dealers as the Eagle Medallion. A total of 2,096,000 units were produced.

Renault 21
Overview
ManufacturerRenault
Also calledEagle Medallion (U.S. & Canada)
Renault Étoile (Colombia)
Renault Medallion
Production1986–1994
1986–1995 (for Nevada/Savanna)
Assembly
DesignerGiorgetto Giugiaro at Italdesign
Body and chassis
ClassLarge family car (D-segment)
Body style4-door sedan/saloon
5-door stationwagon/estate
5-door liftback
Layout
Powertrain
Engine
Transmission5-speed manual
3-or-4-speed automatic
Dimensions
Length4,462 mm (175.7 in) sedan
4,644 mm (182.8 in) wagon
Width1,715 mm (67.5 in)
Height1,415 mm (55.7 in) sedan
1,421 mm (55.9 in) wagon
Chronology
PredecessorRenault 18
SuccessorRenault Laguna

The Renault 21 sedan was launched in the beginning of 1986, as the successor to the successful Renault 18, and this was followed a few months later by the seven seater station wagon, the R21 Nevada, marketed as the Savanna in the United Kingdom. In 1987, What Car? awarded the Renault 21 GTS Best Family Saloon. The Renault 21 Savanna was awarded Car of the Year, as well as Best Family Estate.

Design
1993 Renault 21 GTX Nevada
Rear view of Renault 21
1993 Renault 21 2.0 GTS Manager liftback

Unusually, the Renault 21 was offered with disparate engine configurations. The 1.7 litre version featured a transverse engine and transmission, but Renault had no gearbox suitable for a more powerful transverse engine: accordingly, faster versions featured longitudinally mounted engines. The two versions featured (barely perceptibly) different wheel bases: the engines were all relatively compact four-cylinder units and the engine bay was large enough to accept either configuration without reducing passenger space.

However, at a time when production technologies were relatively inflexible, the need to assemble differently configured engine bays on a single production line, along with the supplementary inventory requirements imposed both on Renault and on the dealership network, did compromise the Renault 21's profitability.

The Nevada/Savanna station wagon/estate version was a little longer, with a 2750 mm (108.26 in) wheelbase, instead of the 2600 mm (102.6 in) of the sedan version, and configured with seven seats, two of those a forward facing foldable bench seat for children (up to about age 10) that used up much of the luggage space. It had roofrack side rails as standard.[1][2]

History

First unveiled on 20 November 1985 and officially launched in February 1986, the R21 gave Renault a new competitor in this sector after eight years of the R18, which was declining in popularity after a very strong start to its commercial life. It had a razor like design, which was different from contemporary cars of the era, e.g. the Ford Sierra (with its "jelly mould" design) and the Opel Ascona (with its "J–Car" design).[3]

It was sold in right hand drive for the United Kingdom from June 1986.

The car was revamped considerably in May 1989, both technically and aesthetically – the new sleeker outward appearance was similar to the also recently revamped Renault 25, and a liftback body style was also added to the range (which soon became more popular than the sedan in France) along with a sporty 2.0 L Turbo version. Of the sedans, the TXi 2.0 12v and 2.0 turbo was also available with the four-wheel-drive Quadra transmission. The Nevada wagons received four-wheel-drive in the eight-valve 2.0 and in the naturally aspirated 2.1 Diesel, as the 12-valve and the turbo were not available with this bodywork.[4] The front-wheel-drive 21 Turbo was capable of 227 km/h (141 mph).[5] At the 1989 Frankfurt Motor Show the fuel injected 2.2i model was introduced, originally reserved for the German market (being a different model than the earlier 2.2s built for the US) where insurance and tax regulations suited larger engines with less peak power. This was also available with four-wheel-drive, exclusively as a Nevada.[4]

The Renault 21 liftback and sedan petrol fueled models ceased production in the beginning of 1994, following the launch of the all new Laguna liftback, but the diesels and the Nevada/Savanna remained on the market, until their replacement Laguna variants were launched (end of 1994 for the diesels, and end of 1995 for the Nevada/Savanna).

A Renault 21 TSE, donated as a personal gift to Václav Havel by the president of Portugal Mário Soares just before the Velvet Revolution, served for a while as the official state car of the President of Czechoslovakia in 1989.

Other markets

Argentina

The R21 was built in Argentina, at the Renault facility in Santa Isabel (Córdoba Province) from late 1988 until early 1996. Production continued in Argentina for some years after its demise in European markets. Two body styles were built: sedan and Nevada (station wagon). It has been equipped with both petrol and diesel engines.

The only petrol engine available was the 2.2 L 8 valve (carburetor for the early production, fuel injection for the later models), and the only diesel engine available was the 2.1 L. Both engines were available for the three body versions. The liftback was imported from France and called by the trim "Alizé". Was replaced for the Laguna.

Turkey

The R21 was manufactured in Turkey in the beginning of 1990s under the name Optima (entry model), Manager (1.7L 90 hp), and at the top of the line the 2.0-liter fuel injected "Concorde." Later on, the "Manager 2000" with a 2 L 122 PS engine was introduced. The Oyak-built Renault 21 was produced and sold up to the end of 1996 in Turkey.

United States and Canada
Main article: Eagle Medallion

The R21 was also sold in the United States and Canada from 1987 to 1988 as the Renault Medallion and later in 1988 until the end of the line in 1989 as the Eagle Medallion with the 2.2 L engine as the only powerplant.[6] However, the car was only on sale for a few months in 1987 before Renault sold its investment in American Motors Corporation (AMC) to Chrysler. AMC dealers were now under the newly formed Jeep-Eagle Division of Chrysler, and now as Jeep-Eagle dealers, they continued to sell the car as the Eagle Medallion until 1989.[7] The North American version had somewhat different styling to comply with front and rear impact regulations and different lighting standards.

Colombia

The 21 was launched in Colombia in 1987. Initially, it was available in four door body, with 2.0 L longitudinal engine. In October of the same year, the Renault 21 Nevada was launched, with the same engine as the saloon. in 1989 Sociedad de Fabricación de Automotores S.A. (SOFASA) launched a version called RS with the 1.6-liter C2L engine, also used in the TXE version of the Renault 9. In 1990, the name was replaced by the Étoile. The three available versions available were:

  • TS Saloon, Break, Penta (hatchback body) Engine 1.6  L 73 PS (54 kW; 72 hp), manufactured until 1994
  • Tx with engine 2.0  L 100 PS (74 kW; 99 hp)
  • Txi after called Bravo: engine 2.2  L 128 PS (94 kW; 126 hp).

Engines
  • 1.4 L (1397 cc) petrol OHV 8 valve I4; 68 PS (50 kW; 67 hp); top speed: 165 km/h (103 mph) (Turkish development from C series block, called C2J, also available in Portugal and Yugoslavia)
  • 1.4 L (1397 cc) petrol OHV 8 valve I4; 70 PS (51 kW; 69 hp); top speed: 168 km/h (104 mph)
  • 1.6 L (1565 cc) petrol OHV 8 valve I4; 73 PS (54 kW; 72 hp); top speed: 165 km/h (103 mph); 0–100 km/h: 12.0 s (Argentinian development from C-series block, called C2L, available in Argentina and Colombia)
  • 1.7 L (1721 cc) petrol SOHC 8 valve I4 carb.; 76 PS (56 kW; 75 hp); top speed: 173 km/h (107 mph); 0–100 km/h: 12.0 s (Available in TL and TLE models)
  • 1.7 L (1721 cc) petrol SOHC 8 valve I4 SPI; 75 PS (55 kW; 74 hp); top speed: 172 km/h (107 mph); 0–100 km/h: 12.5 s
  • 1.7 L (1721 cc) petrol SOHC 8 valve I4 carb.; 90 PS (66 kW; 89 hp); top speed: 185 km/h (115 mph); 0–100 km/h: 10.7 s (Available in TS, RS, GTS and TSE models)
  • 1.7 L (1721 cc) petrol SOHC 8 valve I4 carb.; 88 PS (65 kW; 87 hp); top speed: 181 km/h (112 mph)
  • 1.7 L (1721 cc) petrol SOHC 8 valve I4 MPI; 95 PS (70 kW; 94 hp); top speed: 185 km/h (115 mph); 0–100 km/h: 10.7 s
  • 2.0 L (1995 cc) petrol SOHC 8 valve I4 MPI; 135 PS (99 kW; 133 hp); top speed: 220 km/h (137 mph); 0–100 km/h: 10.9 s (Available in GTX and TXE models)
  • 2.0 L (1995 cc) petrol SOHC 12 valve I4; 136 PS (100 kW; 134 hp); top speed: 230 km/h (143 mph) ; 0–100 km/h: 9.2 s (available in the TXi and TXi Quadra models)
  • 2.0 L (1995 cc) petrol SOHC 8 valve I4 MPI turbo; 175 PS (129 kW; 173 hp); top speed: 227 km/h (141 mph); 0–100 km/h: 7.4 s (available in Turbo and Turbo Quadra models).
  • 2.0 L (1995 cc) petrol SOHC 8 valve I4 MPI turbo; 175 PS (129 kW; 173 hp); top speed: 222 km/h (138 mph); 0–100 km/h: 7.8 s
  • 2.2 L (2165 cc) petrol SOHC 8 valve I4 MPI; 110 PS (81 kW; 108 hp); top speed: 192 km/h (119 mph) ; 0–100 km/h: 9.9 s
  • 1.9 L (1870 cc) diesel SOHC 8 valve I4; 65 PS (48 kW; 64 hp); top speed: 160 km/h (99 mph); 0–100 km/h: 16.0 s (available in SD and GSD models)
  • 2.1 L (2068 cc) diesel SOHC 8 valve I4; 67 PS (49 kW; 66 hp); top speed: 164 km/h (102 mph) ; 0–100 km/h: 15.6 s (available in TD and GTD models)
  • 2.1 L (2068 cc) diesel SOHC 8 valve I4; 73 PS (54 kW; 72 hp); top speed: 170 km/h (106 mph) ; 0–100 km/h: 15.1 s
  • 2.1 L (2068 cc) diesel SOHC 8 valve I4 turbo; 88 PS (65 kW; 87 hp); top speed: 177 km/h (110 mph) ; 0–100 km/h: 11.8 s
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References
  1. Renault 21 Savanna 2.0GTX (PDF) (Report). AA. February 1991. R9105A. Retrieved 4 February 2015.
  2. Mike Humble (5 June 2012). "Essay : Not their finest hour - Renault 21". AROnline. Retrieved 4 February 2015.
  4. Mastrostefano, Raffaele, ed. (1990). Quattroruote: Tutte le Auto del Mondo 1990 (in Italian). Milano: Editoriale Domus S.p.A. pp. 843–845.
  5. Tutte le Auto del Mondo 1990, p. 840
  6. Burggraaf, René. "History Renault 21/21 Nevada". René's Renault Pages. Archived from the original on 20 February 2008.
  7. Auto Editors of Consumer Guide (18 June 2007). "How Eagle Cars Work". auto.howstuffworks.com. Retrieved 4 February 2012.


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