Renault is waging an uphill battle with its image as a maker of not-high-enough-quality cars. Up until the very latest generation of models, all of its efforts to create something luxurious fell short in one or more areas – for me, it was always the plastic squeaks of the so-so assembly that ruined it…

Now, though, with the new Talisman sedan and estate it may be a battle it’s equipped to fight as it’s a car that could look…German enough to threaten the competition. Renault got it that it could no longer fight the overt French quirkiness battle on its own, a fight compatriots Citroen had bailed on in 2007.

But the battle isn’t only won on image and the new Talisman needs to offer substance, or just play the perceived quality game as well as the best.

Scroll down to see the new Talisman lit by Renault’s hanging mood lighting balls at the Frankfurt motor show. The estate variant actually showed its metal for the first time, whereas the sedan had already been snapped up in live photos and videos.

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