The Renault Vel Satis is yet another model from the French automotive guru that has successfully turned a lot of heads around – though you cannot really say that all heads were turned for good reasons. Its MPV looks do not have anything that can particularly impress the critical eye, and the Vel Satis has even been dubbed as the car middleclass French ladies would use when transporting their pooches to the parlour. Still, the specs of the Vel Satis are fair and its safety features are sufficient as well. Two petrol engines are offered – the 2.0 turbo and the 3.5L V6. Two diesel engines also grace the range – the 2.2 dCi and the 3.0 dCi V6. The bigger diesel engine gives you the best available compromise when it comes to performance and running costs, and you can take it on longer trips and expect economy consumption as well. The 2.2 dCi is quite able as well, handling cross backroads very impressively. Handling cannot be equated to the likes to the BMW or the Mercedes-Benz. Still, you just might be surprised at how the used Renault Vel Satis performs when dealing with backroads. When you use the automatic gearbox in manual mode, it is then easier for you to set the Vel Satis right into comfortable cruising on the motorway. Much comfort can be expected by both front and rear passengers, and it effectively maintains a calm ambience inside. Even if you tackle the motorway at high speed, noise levels remain surprisingly low. In spite of its height, you also of away with wind noise effectively. The cabin is more than comfortable enough to do some long distance driving. Its boot comes with a lot of space and you get easy access to it as well. You also get a lot of cubbyholes to store all sorts of trinkets, and you even get a coin tray conveniently hidden beneath its dash wood veneer. Behind the wheel, you get a very comfortable driving environment, with integrated seatbelts all over. Visibility is not an issue whatsoever because of the high driving position offered by the Vel Satis. You also get large windows so all-around visibility is easily achieved. Safety has always been a major priority of Renault, and the same basic and optimum safety features can be expected from the Vel Satis. In fact, its safety features actually make up for the unconventional design and style that comes with the Vel Satis, which makes it a questionable choice of vehicle sometimes. Its 5-star rating in the Euro NCAP crash tests beg to differ though.