RENAULT'S new flagship SUV - the Rafale - will cost from £38,195 when it arrives in July.

Powered by full hybrid 1.2-litre engine and two electric motors developing 200hp, the coupe-style model is the first creation from Renault's new design chief Gilles Vidal.

It sits on the company's CMF-CD platform as used on the Renault Austral and at 4.71 metres long and 1.86 metres wide is slightly larger.

The car has a long wheelbase at 2.74 metres, while the roofline is curved to provide plenty of headroom in the back seats with the rear window tilted at 17 degrees for aerodynamic efficiency, which removes the need for a rear wiper.

Performance figures are a 0 to 62mph acceleration time of 8.9 seconds, a top speed of 111mph and an official fuel return of 60.1mpg with emissions as low as 105g/km.

Three trim levels will be offered - techno, techno esprit Alpine and iconic esprit Alpine - and all have Renault's Solarbay panoramic glass roof, developed by Saint-Gobain.

The Rafale is the first car in the world to use Saint-Gobain's AmpliSky technology which replaces standard blinds with a fully active system that darkens each segment on demand using Polymer Dispersed Liquid Crystal technology which allows for a choice of four settings - .all light, all dark, light in the front and dark behind as well as the reverse effect.

The car has the company's OpenR digital cockpit made up of a 12.3-inch display on the dashboard and a 12-inch touchscreen in the middle of the console.

The centre display comes with Google Maps, Google Assistant and other apps and is compatible with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay. There's also a 9.3-inch head-up display.

Four-wheel steering is fitted which enables good manoeuvrability with a turning circle of 10.4 metres which is similar to that of a city car.

Boot space ranges from 535 to 647 litres while prices will top out from £44,695 for Iconic esprit Alpine models.

A plug-in hybrid is due to join the Rafale later in the year which will have all-wheel drive and a powertrain developing 296bhp.