Frankfurt LIVE: 2016 Renault Talisman

Aimed at the Volkswagen Passat, the Talisman replaces the Laguna.

Renault has introduced the all-new 2016 Talisman, a range-topping sedan designed to replace the eight-year old third-generation Laguna.

The Talisman will fight head-to-head against the Mazda Mazda6, the Ford Mondeo (known as the Fusion in the United States) and the eighth-gen Volkswagen Passat. Its front end borrows design cues such as sharp headlights and a wide grille from recent additions to the Renault family like the Espace and the Kadjar, while its rear end loses the Laguna's tall trunk lid and benefits from a much more rakish D-pillar as well as tail lamps that stretch far into the trunk lid.

Buyers can choose from a palette of ten paint colors and five alloy wheel designs that range from 16 to 19 inches.

Reflecting Renault's upmarket ambitions, upscale trim levels can be fitted with a large tablet-like touch screen that runs the automaker's R-Link 2 infotainment system, a heads-up display, a fully digital instrument cluster as well as a Bose surround sound system. Trunk space checks in at nearly 22 cubic feet, a figure that makes it roomier than the Passat sedan.

The Talisman will launch with two gasoline-burning four-cylinder engines rated at 150 and 200 horsepower, respectively, and three turbodiesels that make 110, 130 and 160 ponies, respectively. All engines spin the front wheels via a dual-clutch automatic transmission, but the 110- and 130-horsepower diesels come standard with a six-speed manual gearbox. Renault's four-wheel steering technology is available on select trim levels.