If the design team of any carmaker is massively deserving of a massive pat on the back, I’d say the folks at Renault are definitely in the running. Between the Renault 5 and their sister brand, Alpine, they’ve been cooking up some pretty good-looking cars as of late, and they’re still not stopping! Behold, the return of the old, legendary Renault 4, but now revived as a pure electric compact crossover. I know the word ‘crossover’ makes some folks cringe at the thought of it, but if this is what the crossover of the future looks like, I’m down. Best of all, it’s not a concept either, as the Renault 4 E-Tech is set to arrive in Renault’s UK showrooms in mid-2025.
The retro-futuristic vibes of this new Renault 4 are apparent the moment you look at it. You will find some design elements that are a homage to the old Renault 4, like the 1.45m-long single-piece illuminated front grille or the modernised take on the classic three-part rear lights. Even the distinctive body lines along the doors attempt to mimic the old 4’s plastic door protectors. Renault’s clearly playing on the nostalgia factor – not that I’m complaining – such as the seven colour options that you can pick for the Renault 4 E-Tech. This includes Hauts-de-France Green, which is a tribute to the 1960s Île-de-France Blue, and you can also choose two-tone paint.
Sheer Nostalgia, Condensed Into A Cute Crossover
Nonetheless, while this new Renault 4 takes a lot of styling inspirations from the old one, it’s not without modern comforts and quality of life improvements. With a 2.62m wheelbase, you should have ample knee room and headroom, made more flexible with front seats that could fold completely flat. This should easily expand the Renault 4 E-Tech’s 420-litre boot and offer you a 2.2m maximum load length. Plus, combined with the 35-litre underfloor storage and a tonne of clever storage solutions, the Renault 4 is a shockingly practical car for its size! You could even spec an optional canvas roof, opening up your Renault 4’s cabin to the sky.
As you can imagine for a new-age car these days, the new Renault 4 E-Tech is jam-packed with a plethora of tech. There are giant horizontal displays, including a 10-inch infotainment screen, with Google software and services aplenty. Renault is even throwing in Reno, a virtual assistant to help you with menial things like scheduling when to charge your Renault 4’s battery pack or navigating the satnav. Underneath, you’ll also find that it comes with Vehicle-to-Load (V2L) as well as Vehicle-to-Grid (V2G) features. This should come with a heat pump, and it’ll also allow you to charge bidirectionally, either powering other devices or feeding back to the grid.
An Electrifyingly Exciting Way Of Reviving The Past
When you are ready to test drive and buy yourself a cute little Renault 4, there are two battery and powertrain options that you can pick from. The most potent of the two will propel you with a modest 150hp electric motor, mated to a 52kWh battery pack. Given that you’re not moving a whole lot of weight around, this is still good for a claimed 250 miles of range (WLTP). It’ll take a 100kW DC charger no problem, which should get you charged up from 15% to 80% in under half an hour, which is impressive for a small EV. Moreover, it’s decently potent too, sprinting from 0 to 62mph in around 8.5 seconds. Personally, for my use case, this sounds about perfect.
However, if your daily commute is rather short and you’re not travelling too far beyond the city or your local town, the alternative might be better suited for you. You’re now looking at a tiny 120hp electric motor and a smaller 40kWh battery pack. Obviously, this will bring down the EV range to about 186 miles (WLTP), which only supports a slower 80kW charger. Still, that’s not too bad for a compact city car, and it still offers some EV goodies. For example, you can move about effortlessly with one-pedal driving, and it features a more city-focused suspension and steering. There’s no word on pricing yet, but even so, it’s certainly aroused my curiosity.
