BOTH versions of Renault's new coupe-styled SUV Arkana have petrol engines helped by a battery - either a little or a little bit more.

The entry level Arkana uses a 1.3 litre petrol engine which develops 138bhp and has a top speed of 127mph with a 0 to 62 acceleration time of 9.8 seconds and best emissions of 131g/km.

It uses a combined starter/generator and small battery to help out the petrol engine for useful economy and emissions gains.

Prices start at £25,300 for the Arkana in Iconic TCe trim. For £1,000 more the car comes fitted with a larger, 143bhp 1.6 litre petrol engine, this time backed up by a bigger battery that contributes more to economy. This model starts up in electric mode every time.

Mild-hybrid models will be capable of averaging up to 48.7mpg while more powerful full hybrid versions are rated at a best of 57.6 to the gallon.

The line-up will top out from £29,900 for the mild-hybrid and £30,900 for the more powerful full hybrid - the first such powertrain from the French car maker. UK deliveries begin in late August.

Three trim levels are offered - Iconic, S Edition and R.S. Line. Styled with a coupe-like profile with SUV treatment at the rear the Arkana is built on the same platform as the latest Clio and Captur models but comes with a much larger boot at 513 litres.

Hybrid models have a slightly smaller boot at 480 litres to accommodate the additional electronics used in the powertrain.

R.S. Line versions have a more sporty body style with a honeycomb grille and black highlights in the trim. S Edition and R.S. Line models also have the option of coming with contrasting black roofs which add an extra £300 to the price.

All models come with active emergency braking with pedestrian and cyclist detection, traffic sign recognition, lane departure warning, lane keep assist with active steering, safety distance warning, tyre pressure monitoring, cruise control with speed limiter and Renault Emergency Call with an SOS button that automatically engages in the event of an accident.

Isofix child seat anchors are fitted on the outer rear seats and front passenger seat and S Edition models feature adaptive cruise control, blind spot monitoring and rear cross traffic.

R.S. Line models have Renault's Easy Park Assist set up which is capable of automatically performing parking manoeuvres in parallel, oblique or bay parking spaces.

Full smartphone compatibility is available on all versions with Iconic grade models having a seven-inch display screen while a portrait-style 9.3-inch screen is fitted on the higher specification versions.