Symbioz, Renault’s new family bet
Last April, Renault presented the completely updated Captur in Madrid. as a result of its “Renaulation” (industrial plan for a comprehensive renewal of the brand) with all the necessary attributes to continue the success of this car produced in Valladolid. for all. Less than a month has passed, and this time in the French capital, the brand presented Symbioz, model 4.41 meters long.which will also exclusively share the plant in Valladolid.
This is the older brother of the Captur, from which it differs primarily in its longer and wider rear end. which turns the famous city SUV into a much more familiar car, in keeping with Renault’s tradition of betting on multi-purpose vehicles such as the R16, which 60 years ago launched a range of family cars that continued with projects such as the Espace or Scenic.
The truth is that, when viewed from the front, it is not easy to distinguish both models, since they use the CMF-B platform and the new signature language of designer Gilles Vidal, applied by the Renault design project team led by the Spaniard Paula Fabregat. The powerful front end with horizontal lines, with stylized headlights, semi-diamond-shaped side air intakes and a more horizontal hood is one of the hallmarks similar to those already seen in the group’s latest Scenic or Southern releases.
A false grille made of plastic with geometric shapes and painted on the inside, as well as 18- and 19-inch wheels characterize this new project, which shares the dashboard with its factory brother, characterized by a large screen with physical keys to access systems such as air conditioner.
Symbioz is equipped with a sophisticated “openR link” system with 29 driving aids that significantly improve safety, as well as applications for trip planning and vehicle behavior. You can connect your mobile phone to this system via Android Auto or Apple Car Play and enjoy essential Google apps such as Waze navigation or Spotify music, among many others. The seats are upholstered in a variety of fabrics and colors for the three planned trim options: Techno, Sprit Alpine and Iconic. The Symbioz’s own personality shines first above the occupants’ heads, as it can be had with the Solarbay panoramic sunroof, which with just a button or voice command can be dimmed and even pieced together. The best feature that gives the Symbioz its personality is the rear design, the work of Paula Fabregat and her team. The car has grown by 20 centimeters and increased the habitability of the rear seats, the bench seat of which can be moved by 16 centimeters to increase legroom. The 492-litre boot can be expanded to 624 liters if the rear seat is moved down, and to 1,582 liters if the rear seatbacks are folded down to create a loading platform.
The rear volume added to the body has new lines that elegantly cover the sides and their connection to the vertical power tailgate. It features a spoiler that widens the roof and gives the new car’s design more balance and personality. The image adopted by the designers’ efforts is that of a much more familiar and versatile, even more formal, five-seater car that will also undoubtedly find its place in corporate and rental car fleets. According to Renault, for now it will only be offered with a non-rechargeable hybrid engine, the proven 145 horsepower E-Tech Full hybrid, which combines a 1.6-liter four-cylinder petrol engine with 94 horsepower. and two engines. .electric electric. They are all electronically controlled and driven by an automatic transmission that combines electric and thermal propulsion. The first is the so-called 128kW HSG, which acts as a generator and starter, and the second is a 36kW motor that helps propel the vehicle and is capable of doing so on its own when needed. To power it, a 1.2 kWh battery is installed under the rear seats. The system allows consumption of about five liters per 100 kilometers and has several driving modes, although it always starts as an electric car. The price of the car has not yet been announced, which fills the gap in the brand’s models in the C segment between the Captur, on the one hand, and the Arkana and Austral, on the other, distancing themselves from the Symbioz. both because of the larger sizes and the higher price. It also shares space in this segment with two all-electric Renault models: the Megane E-Tech and Scenic E-Tech. We will have to wait until the summer for the first deliveries, and perhaps by then it will be known whether the brand will add other engines to the Symbioz offer.