I drove Renault’s 60s-themed family car full of | Tech News

In the previous 5 years, Renault’s wow issue has actually soared. In an industry getting more and more swallowed up by inexpensive newcomers from China, the well-known French model has revived curiosity from the nostalgia of clients.

The Renault 5 E-Tech encapsules this concentrate on the previous fantastically. It appears just like the 1972 authentic, gives an distinctive driving fashion, and is surprisingly well-built for a sub-£23,000 EV – there’s no doubting why it was awarded European Car of the Year 2025.

That mentioned, the little 5 shouldn’t be with out its issues. Rear passengers over 5ft will discover that their knees dig into the seat in entrance of them, and the boot shouldn’t be precisely cavernous. For these causes, Renault have used the identical platform to supply a barely bigger model that has even greater boots to fill – the R4.

Built from 1961 to 1994, the authentic Renault 4 supplied that uncommon combine of engaging styling, good ranges of practicality, and an inexpensive price. On face worth, the new model appears to offer the identical, with the compact electric crossover set to start out at round £27,000 when it goes on sale within the UK – round £2,000 much less than rivals just like the Ford Puma Gen-E and Fiat 600e, and approaching £6,000 below the Kia EV3.

But can the Renault 4 E-Tech offer the identical successful formulation as its smaller stablemate while additionally proving itself to be a true family-sized runaround? I drove one throughout Portugal to seek out out.

Styling:

The authentic Renault 4 proved that a utilitarian car could possibly be trendy. It was boxy, no doubt, however there have been little touches that helped to provide it persona, such because the sweeping traces within the bonnet that led up to an inside air vent, the trapezoidal grille, and the tiny bumper overriders on the entrance wing.

Whilst the new 4 E-Tech is fulfilling fairly a totally different goal, I’m happy to see that the model’s origins are nonetheless fondly remembered. In addition to the very Nineteen Sixties vary of pastel colors, there’s nonetheless the unusually formed quarter lights behind the rear doorways, the vertical taillight clusters, and ridges alongside the doorways that resemble the rubbing strips on the high-end 4GTL of the Nineteen Eighties.

That mentioned, issues do change over time, not least the style of new car consumers. As a end result, the little Renault has acquired the crossover therapy, now that includes a stocky entrance bumper in black plastic, massive wheel arches, and a two-tone paint job that’s performed by printing the secondary color – one thing that helps to hurry up manufacturing and minimise price.

Interior:

As drivers would count on from a car that shares the identical platform because the Renault 5, the 4 E-Tech’s inside is suspiciously much like its smaller siblings, and that’s by no means a unhealthy factor.

Unusually for a car that harks back to the swinging 60s, the Renault has a very trendy inside design, that includes a faux-denim clad dashboard (or artificial leather-based on the top-spec Iconic), a single-piece panel with the instrument cluster and touchscreen, and (changing the umbrella handle-like dashboard-mounted gearstick of the unique R4) a column-mounted selector.

The solely situation I discovered with the 4’s inside (and it’s a small one) was the radio controls, that are mounted very low on the steering column. At first, it’s arduous to see it’s there and sometimes leads to the drivers kneecap altering the radio station as they transfer their foot from the accelerator.

Practicality:

Despite being primarily based on the identical platform because the 5, the Renault 4 E-Tech is 22cm longer. As a end result, it has an spectacular quantity of rear legroom. Even with the entrance seat set to my specs, I might comfortably sit within the back; nevertheless, headroom continues to be a contact missing.

The 4 E-Tech gives a 420-litre boot, which will increase to 1,405 litres with the rear row of seats folded. That’s fairly a bit smaller than the EV3’s 460-litre boot and significantly much less than the 523 litres you get within the Puma Gen-E. A 55-litre cubby beneath the boot flooring is a helpful function, nevertheless.

Owners in mainland Europe may even have the ability to fold the entrance passenger seat flat – making the Renault best for cumbersome masses like surfboards. It’s a neat thought, however devastatingly one which right-hand drive fashions gained’t obtain.

Features:

Despite being a very fundamental car at launch (the entry-level Renault 3 variant was so fundamental that it might solely be purchased in a fairly drab shade of gray), the new 4 E-Tech has all of the mod-cons drivers count on from a new electric model. The Renault might be bought in three trim ranges within the UK – Evolution, Techno, and Iconic.

Much just like the 5 E-Tech, all examples of the 4 have a 10-inch touchscreen which is simple to make use of and comes with Reno – the company’s diamond-shaped AI buddy, while the entry stage model additionally will get keyless entry, dual-colour alloy wheels, wi-fi smartphone charging, a rear parking digital camera (though not the clearest I’ve seen), and a heat pump as customary.

However, with out a doubt, my favorite function of the new Renault 4 E-Tech needs to be the elective ‘Plein Sud’ canvas roof. Whilst these fashions forgo the roof rails, consumers obtain a close to metre-long sunshine roof. The devastating information, nevertheless, is it gained’t be obtainable from launch – one thing that might put a truthful quantity of potential clients off.

Performance:

Based on the identical underpinnings because the 5, all UK-bound examples of the Renault 4 E-Tech will come outfitted with a 148bhp electric motor, driving the entrance wheels, and a 52kWh battery pack which is made out of Nickel Manganese Cobalt (NMC).

Compared to the lithium-ion batteries usually present in a trendy EV, NMC energy packs are mentioned to offer considerably improved effectivity, serving to the flagship 4 E-Tech to attain up to 250 miles per charge (though I’d argue 210 is more real looking in actual world circumstances) and replenish from 15 to 80 % in half an hour with a 100KW charging level.

Despite being fairly a bit more highly effective than the entry-level variant bought in Mainland Europe, the 148bhp model of the little Renault is no rival to the Mini Cooper Electric however will nonetheless dash from 0-62mph in much less than 8.5 seconds – about the identical as a Ford Puma Gen-E or a Fiat 600e.

Driving:

As anticipated, the Renault 4 E-Tech drives a lot like its smaller sibling, and that’s not a unhealthy factor in any respect. Acceleration, though considerably hesitant from a standstill, is slick in all modes, while the inclusion of adaptable regenerative braking means single pedal driving is feasible and, after a bit of getting used to, very pleasant in metropolis commutes.

The 4 E-Tech can be surprisingly manoeuvrable in comparison with most rivals, with a 10.8-metre turning circle – there was little or no worry of scraping the alloys on the tight roads of the Portuguese villages. On the entire, the Renault’s steering is properly weighted and predictable, however some understeer was skilled at pace.

Renault has considerably tweaked the 4’s suspension setup in comparison with the 5, however the journey high quality continues to be very comparable. Drivers will really feel imperfections within the street fairly simply, however some rivalling crossovers are a lot worse. One quirk of the suspension setup is the contact of physique roll drivers will expertise when cornering at high pace – one thing the unique had in abundance.

However, one fairly annoying quirk about driving the Renault 4 at high pace is the sheer quantity of wind noise skilled above 60mph – helped by that significantly boxy form. I can’t think about the roof rails or, when it launches, canvas sunroof will help issues right here.

Conclusion:

Despite going up in opposition to some of the best-selling fashions on the market as we speak, there’s nothing else fairly just like the Renault 4 E-Tech. Its look is probably not fairly so cute because the 5, however they’re unquestionably retro and, most significantly, distinctive.

However, wanting past the styling, the Renault gives a very spectacular package deal of good inside space, high quality match and end, a stable powertrain, and a beginning price that places some electric crossovers to disgrace.

In some methods, the Renault 4’s largest rival would be the Renault 5 – helped no finish by the aggressive pricing. That mentioned, whether or not it should resonate simply as properly with the driving public is one thing to await.