In-depth reviews

Renault Arkana E-TECH Hybrid interior, dashboard & comfort

A solid, functional cabin is one of the Arkana’s redeeming features, however, it’s the same cabin you’ll find in almost all modern Renaults

Overall rating

3.5 out of 5

Interior, dashboard & comfort rating

3.5 out of 5

The Arkana’s well built interior is one of the car’s strongest features – it's nearly identical to the Captur and electric ZOE’s cabins. Overall, it feels solid and functional, with physical switches and a set of rotary dials for the climate control up front, as opposed to touch-sensitive sliders. However, it must be said similarly stylish models like the Mazda MX-30 boast far better material quality.

Renault Arkana E-TECH dashboard

Under the touchscreen are 'piano-key' switches for the driving modes, as well as a trio of rotary dials for the climate control with built-in displays, which are easy to adjust on the move. While there’s little to complain about with the Arkana’s dashboard, it feels solid and functional rather than flashy, so it’s by no means the best interior in its class. The cabin design is the same you’ll find in almost all modern Renaults, from the ZOE electric supermini to the Clio and Megane hatchbacks.

Equipment, options & accessories

As of July 2022, the Arkana E-TECH is available in three trims: Evolution, Techno and E-TECH Engineered. The first of those comes with 17-inch alloy wheels, LED headlights, a 4.2-inch driver’s display, a seven-inch touchscreen infotainment system with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, automatic headlights and wipers, automatic air-conditioning, an electronic parking brake, rear parking sensors and a rear-view camera

Techno builds on the entry-level spec with 18-inch alloys, a 9.3-inch touchscreen, a 10-inch driver’s display, wireless phone charging, black cloth and synthetic leather upholstery, a height-adjustable front passenger seat, an auto-dimming rear-view mirror, automatic high-beam, an electronic parking brake with auto-hold function, traffic-sign recognition with overspeed prevention, blind-spot warning and rear cross-traffic alert.

The range-topping E-TECH Engineered gets you 18-inch diamond-cut alloy wheels with gold highlights, front and rear skid plates, a heated leather steering wheel, power-adjustable and heated front seats, black headlining, a carbon-style dashboard, aluminium pedals, a frameless rear-view mirror, hands-free parking, and adaptive cruise control.

Infotainment, apps & sat nav

Entry-level Arkanas get a seven-inch infotainment touchscreen, while higher-spec models feature a 10-inch unit. Like all infotainment systems that rely solely on a touchscreen, it can be hard to navigate while on the move, and it’s not the slickest system on the market, but works well overall. All Arkanas get Apple CarPlay and Android Auto as standard, too.

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