In a class of its own

SOMETIMES a car has a quality you can't quite put your finger on, there's no singular feature that makes it special, but it just screams class.

The Renault Safrane is just such a car and from the second I sat in the driver's seat I felt a connection with this sleek sedan. The French certainly know a lot about fine cuisine and romance ... and automotive know-how can be added to the list of credentials.

From the outside, the Safrane looks like a standard sedan, albeit slightly longer than average, but inside it offers comfort and luxury that I have seldom encountered in this class.

This model has a range of features that I didn't even realise I wanted until I dropped it back at the showroom and got back into my trusty runaround. For example, there is an air purifying Samsung Super Plasma ioniser, which removes 99.9 percent of bacteria in the air. It also removes cigarette and food odor while generating hydrogen and oxygen atoms.

That means that every time you get in the car it always has a welcoming scent, which adds to the overall cabin ambience. The instrument panels are clearly laid out, easy to see and even easier to use, leaving you to concentrate on the road.

Furthermore, there are steering-wheel controls that allow you to see various details about your journey including your average speed, how far you can go before filling up the tank, tyre pressure ... you even adjust the entertainment system's volume, change tracks, and even switch to Bluetooth for your mobile phone without taking your hands off the wheel.

The fully-loaded option comes with leather seats, sunroof, power windows, tri zone climate control, central locking, pre-equipment alarm installation, electrically adjustable and foldable door mirrors with memory function, cruise control / speed limiter, deadlocking with anti-intruder device, front and rear parking proximity sensors and a state-of-the-art Bose sound system.

It's not just comfort that makes this model so appealing, it also boasts a wide range of safety features including; ABS and emergency brake assist, ESP (electronic stability programme) with traction, curtain airbags and a tyre pressure monitoring system.

However, for me, the most impressive safety feature on the road test proved to be the brakes, which are so responsive that I was able to avoid a collision with a careless driver who overtook me on a roundabout.

One of the many pleasant surprises the Safrane has to offer is that it is exceptionally quick off the mark and does 0-100km in just 9.5 seconds. Just by tapping the accelerator I was propelled back in my seat by a steady stream of power from the 3.5-litre, 240hp, V6 engine.

The Safrane also comes with a nifty 'smart key' locking system, which means that you can lock the car with a credit card-sized electronic key (that includes an actual key inside, incase the battery dies).

The only complaint I have about this car is that the model I drove had Y K Almoayyed TEST DRIVE written on both sides, which unfortunately ruined the illusion that I owned such a swanky motor.

Prices start from BD6,700. For more information, contact the Renault showroom in Sitra on 17734285.