The new Talisman, in both Saloon and Estate forms, has such a German look to it that you might mistake it for a 2017 Volkswagen Passat at a glance. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing; the Laguna , which the Talisman replaces, had a noticeable amount of that characteristically French weirdness to it and divisive styling isn’t always the best way to sell a lot of cars. Some will see this as the French automaker losing a bit of its charm, but it’s difficult to deny that the Talisman is an attractive vehicle.

Any carmaker wishing to sell wagons (or “estates” as they are generally known across the pond) in Europe is going to have to think long and hard about how to take on the Volkswagen Auto Group. Between the VW brand handling mainstream markets and Audi offering a number of premium options, VAG is a huge market force in this segment. It might not seem so bad to look at it, plenty of carmakers sell wagons in Europe, but Renault must be feeling the pressure because there has never been a car more clearly designed to take on the Passat Estate then the new Renault Talisman Estate.

Exterior

The Talisman is a very noticeable improvement over the Laguna that it replaces. Just looking at the exterior lighting speaks volumes. The new horizontal layout for both the headlights and taillights, along with the C-shaped daytime running lights, give the car a more modern look than that of the Laguna’s face-lifted ’90s car look. The rest of the car looks restrained in that way that you’d expect for something that’s taking aim at the Passat. It’s attractive but not show-offy, probably what you want in a wagon. Not many will find it as attractive as the 2008 Citroen C5 Tourer, but the Citroen isn’t the one dominating the market. The Talisman is bigger than the outgoing Laguna, and the rear hatch can be opened by waving your foot under the rear bumper. Nice touch.

Interior

The larger size of the Talisman means that it can offer more cargo space, coming in at 572 liters. This comes up short of the Passat Estate’s 650 liters, but it’s more than basically every other wagon in its segment. Five trim levels will be offered for the Talisman, allowing you to stretch up into Audi A4 territory in terms of comfort and no doubt price. The top Initiale Paris trim comes with Nappa leather and Bose audio throughout. There are 10-way heated power seats as well. The plush interior is nice, but it will likely be the large cargo area that will attract a lot of buyers.

Drivetrain

As you will often find with the European market, the Talisman will be offered with several different engines, five in total, two gasoline and three diesel. There aren’t numbers for any of these yet, though, and we probably won’t get them until the official unveiling of the car at the Frankfurt Auto Show at the earliest. Don’t expect much in the way of power from any of them though, the French don’t go for huge power numbers the way the Germans do, so fuel efficiency and low emissions will be the priorities. The gasoline engines will come with seven-speed dual-clutch transmissions, with six-speed versions for the diesels. The Talisman will also feature active suspension with different driving modes, and four-wheel steering. That’s huge.

Prices

No official pricing has been announced yet, but it would be very strange if it wasn’t similar to the pricing on the Passat Estate. In the U.K., this starts at £23,870 (about $37,000) and goes up to over £39,000 (just over $60,000). U.K. pricing tends to run a bit high though, so it won’t be a straight conversion for the Talisman Estate. It should be noted that although there is an unusually wide spread between the base price and the fully loaded price on the Passat, the Talisman and its five trim levels might offer a similar spread, although the norm in this segment is for cars to top out closer to 30K.

Safety

In order to compete in this segment, the Talisman Estate will need a five-star Euro NCAP crash test rating, as it’s not difficult to see why those vehicles that get them are the most popular in the family car segment. This is no doubt what Renault is aiming for, but there will also most likely be all sorts of electronic driver’s aides to make the vehicle that much safer. We have no specifics for these systems as yet, but that’s another thing we can look forward to at Frankfurt.

Competition

Note: 2008 Volkswagen Passat Estate TSI Ecofuel shown here.

Obviously. Even if it wasn’t the genre-defining vehicle that it is, it is so clearly what Renault is aiming for. It offers the best-in-class cargo area and it can be optioned up to be reasonably luxurious. And for those who want a bit more in the way of either luxury or performance, there is always the option to move up to the 2016 Audi A4 Avant, a very similar vehicle from a higher-end brand within the Volkswagen Group.

Read our review of the 2017 Volkswagen Passat here.

This was the first French car to be criticized for looking too German, although this was back in 2008, so the standard has now been raised by the Talisman. Despite its supposed Teutonic styling, the C5 is generally better looking than the other cars in this segment, and it offers the superior ride comfort that you would expect from a Citroen. It is getting a bit long in the tooth, with the second generation now being 7 years old, but that means that a new version will likely be coming soon, and this one will no doubt be serious trouble for the Talisman.

Read our review of the 2008 Citroen C5 Tourer here.

Conclusion

Renault is following a proven strategy with the Talisman Estate. The question is how the new wagon will perform in the market against the VW. So much about the two cars will be comparable that a lot of it is likely to come down to the interior. Family car buyers aren’t going to pick the one that will hit 60 mph a tenth of a second faster, the one that gets one more mpg or even the one that offers a few more liters of cargo space; it’ll be the one that provides the more enjoyable experience on school runs and road trips. The French do interiors well, so it should be interesting to see how the public rates them after the Frankfurt debut.