SECOND-HAND SENSECar terminology is still derived from the grand age of carriages. A cabriolet, for instance, was a carriage designed with a folding roof and was pulled by one horse.
One assumed, therefore, that Renault's Vel Satis had its name rooted in some graceful period, but that was a wrong assumption. The name does not really mean anything at all, other than involving obscure deification rites involving ancient Egyptians.
This is a pity because the Vel Satis could have been the modern derivative of a Phaeton, which was a big carriage with a luxurious front bench for owner-driving and a good-sized rear one for the servants. Volkswagen had already revived the Phaeton name, however.
The Vel Satis was pretty much doomed from the beginning, although it was only launched in 2002. It is a very big car - one of the most comfortable I have ever driven - but it was never going to take on the big names in executive and luxury motoring in any meaningful way. Too idiosyncratic in its shape and styling and just plain odd, it lacked the finer lines of the pedigree names.
It did, however, have most other things going for it. Most of the cars sold here had leather upholstery, air conditioning, an excellent audio system, ABS, stability control, a phone kit, heated seats, six-speed gearbox, cruise control and so on. Admittedly not many were sold here, but we have been able to track down at least half a dozen for sale.
It may be a very comfortable car, but it is not a great car to drive and that is the other thing that gave it a distinct lack of advantage when it came to cars like the BMW 5-Series. Ride and handling are grand without being anything to sing about. The most common criticism is of the light steering and average handling. The engines are 2.0 litre petrol and 2.2 diesel units - one or two big V6 versions did make their way on to the market - and we have seen them in other Renault models. But what it lacks in performance it makes up for in comfort and luxury. If it's a good big, comfortable and very safe car you want, and you can deal with the eccentricity of design, then the Vel Satis is worth considering, although it's unlikely to be a classic like a Citroën DS in the future.
There are no recall records for the Vel Satis, but then not many have been built. The EuroNCAP crash tests originally yielded a four-star rating and later a five-star rating for "an extremely stable body" that provides good protection for occupants. Singled out for mention was the twin seatbelt retractor that greatly reduced the forward motion of the driver's knees.
A 2002 model with all the above-mentioned equipment, 60,000 miles on the clock and with a 2.2 diesel engine costs about €18,000, while a 2003 model with the 2.0 litre petrol engine and 38,000 on the clock costs about €26,000.
FOR: Great comfort altogether.
AGAINST: Light steering, less than sparkling handling and peculiar design.