The legendary Renault 4 is reincarnated as an electric SUV with retro-modern lines

It’s back. He mythical Renault 4 which competed in the Paris-Dakar race, patrolled Spain with the Civil Guard at the wheel and served everything for several generations, left us in the mid-90s. Now, The Diamond Tag brings him back to life after being electrocuted as he is powered by batteries.

They start calling Luca de Meo. Defibrillator. He took over Renault, whose popularity was plummeting in the commercial and stock markets. When he arrived, his cars were losing public interest, and in 2020 the company had to painfully rebuild. Fifteen thousand employees left the company and required public assistance.

After a huge shock, the Italian manager presented his plan, called Renaulutionand since then a stream of models have appeared on the market that really suited the firm well. Most of them from that time have disappeared from their catalogue, and divided its lineup into two families: one that still uses internal combustion engines (all hybrids), and pure electric ones.

If in the first case everything that is not an SUV disappeared from view, then in the field of electrical engineering the idea was to look forward to the past with one hand. Instead of looking for esoteric futuristic design models, What they did was restore iconic models and give them a modern touch.. They brought together the past and the future to create fresh, distinctive cars with undeniable appeal.

If you have a battery-powered Twingo in your portfolio and have recently introduced a Renault 5, Now it’s time for Renault 4 to move on.which shares the platform and was born under the same roof as the previous one. These are two cars with different appearance, although they have many common elements that have become common to reduce the cost of processes.

The 21st century Renault 4 clones the idea of ​​the original Renault 4: a car that will serve everyone. A natural competitor to the Citroen 2 CV, low maintenance, easy to use, his father had it, Pierre Dreyfuslike jeans. It had to be reliable, useful and relaxed, regardless of gender, age or social class.. Time has passed since then, technologies, rules and customs have changed, but the benefits and methods of use are very similar.

Externally, its size is larger than its predecessor: 4.14 meters long and 1.80 meters wide. The common platform does not define its length, but defines its width, which It’s the same as the Renault 5; However, he is 22 centimeters taller.. It has a slightly longer wheelbase, which provides more interior space, and the overhangs are longer.

Its overall design can be defined as retro-modern, with lines typical of our time, but with a long series of details from the past. Four cans original. YesThe clear polycarbonate front mask acts as a mask and covers the modern round LED headlights.and an illuminated central logo. Underneath, a black plastic bumper mimics the shape of the old one and adds two lights reminiscent of the rubber bumpers it had.

There are two decorative vents on the hood; They do not contribute to cooling, but only remind us of the model born in 1961. The side flaps of the hood are soft and cover the enlarged wheel arches. The roof can be black, with many combinations.for example, the ability to bring this color to the foreground. On the doors, some undulations imitate the shape of the treads of the R4 GTL, last released in 1993. Further back, the third glass also recalls the shapes with which the model was born.

The smooth lowering of the tailgate, now electrically operated, at the rear fits well with the very popular SUV philosophy that this concept embodies. It has a small roof above the license plate that covers and illuminates it, another nod to the past. Also It may have a power-operated canvas roof that opens from the top.

country use

Its height of 18.1 centimeters from bottom to ground gives it some off-pavement capabilities. If necessary and within the wide range of options, it is possible to purchase a package. Extended gripwhich features mixed tires and better traction control and delivers better performance where the asphalt ends.

To please its new customers, while the Renault 5, on which it is based, has three main power and autonomy options, the new Renault 4 will be launched with only two. Specifically, they are the tallest of the younger brothers, 120 and 150 horses. In both cases, the speed is limited to 150 km/h, but the autonomy of each engine, in the absence of homologation, is about 300 and 400 kilometers..

To do this, it has nickel-cobalt-manganese (NCM) batteries, the cells of which are made by LG. The 40kWh model in the smallest range charges at 80kW, while the top model is rated at 54kWh, increasing its DC fast charging capacity to 100kW. Small load at 11 kW – domestic power -, in about three and a half hours, and the big one in another hour. Their engines are not the latest batch, but they can boast that they do not use rare earth elements or exotic materials.

Using the steering wheel paddles behind the wheel, you can select the degree of regeneration, which has three levels; A fourth is added on the higher version if you choose to use just one pedal, which brakes and slows down when you stop pressing it.

The interiors are similar to the Renault 5.

The interior is practically a clone of its little brother, being almost the same and not much different in that it offers some features that enhance the overall level of trim. The configuration consists of two almost combined ten-inch screens based on Android Automotive, tightly integrated with Google’s own system options, and with ChatGPT enabled.

Three finishing options, the main one of which Evolution, Techno adds a denim finish, and Iconic Many details contain artificial leather. There’s a little more room in the back than in the R5, although not too much; Habitability is good with four passengers, somewhat worse with five. According to official figures, the trunk capacity is 420 liters, but there is a catch; It’s actually somewhat less because they used a different type of measure. The industry standard uses the VDA measurement type, which gives about 375 liters.

If the rear seats are folded 40% on the left side and 60% on the right, you’ll get a lot more liters, but not everything will be at the same height. If you also fold down the passenger seat – what a great idea – you can even accommodate an Ikea cabinet with almost 230 centimeters of free space.

Made in France

This car entirely made in France, It has twenty-six driving assistance systems and can be classified as Level 2 autonomous driving. It can charge electronic devices and send energy to the home’s electrical grid. No prices yetOrder books are expected to open before next summer, and the pace of production will depend a little on what the Renault 5 is doing.

The new Renault 4 doesn’t intend to match the original, which was in production for more than 30 years and registered eight million units, but it is an important model for the brand. It will compete with the Volvo EX30, Hyundai Kona, KIA EV3 and other Stellantis siblings in a segment that is becoming turbulent.. They still have time for it to become popular, and the Renault 4 promises to be one of the roosters in this busy pen.