It's a strange name, but then so is the car. Vel Satis is the badge and it is Renault's make-or-break attempt to win acceptance into the executive class. Big volume manufacturers find it tough going making their mark here. The trouble is too many of us are influenced by the prestige German steeds of Mercedes-Benz or BMW.
Renault's Safrane didn't set the world alight and if Vel Satis doesn't work, then we are likely to see Renault withdraw from the segment altogether.
Renault's solution for now is to do what the French have sometimes done best in the car manufacturing game, be different, nonconformist, unorthodox, unconventional.
That's certainly Vel Satis and according to Patrick Le Quement, Renault's styling chief, it was born out of "the conservation of design" of cars as diverse as the Mercedes-Benz E-Class, BMW 5-Series, Audi A6, Opel Omega and Peugeot 607.
We first saw Vel Satis as a motor show concept car: it was called Initiale and it didn't look aesthetically pleasing. But the actual production car that we drove around the Paris area last week, is far more imposing. Some of its formidable profile comes from height: it's 130 mm taller than BMW's 5-Series for instance.
In a strange way, Vel Satis reminded us of the Renault 16 away back in the 1960s. For many years since, the 16 was the most comfortable car to sit in. Now we can happily pass on that accolade to Vel Satis - huge plum seats and masses of leg room.
There is easily more space than in any of the competition and enough to challenge long wheelbase models.
Engines for the Vel Satis include a four cylinder 2.0 litre with 165 bhp and a six cylinder 3.5 litre with 245 bhp in petrol form and two common rail turbodiesels, a four cylinder 2.2 litre with 150 bhp and a 180 bhp 3.0 litre.
Vel Satis makes its Irish debut next month with ex-works prices starting around €30,000. Jer Nolan for Renault here, is looking for at least 300 sales this year.