Renault 4 review

It's a new small electric crossover. Here at Top Gear we might as well have that sentence set up as a keyboard shortcut (cmd-alt-E-C) because we use it so often. New small electric crossovers keep coming, many from Chinese brands you haven't heard of.

This one's different, because it has deep roots. Renault has been selling electric cars in Britain for more than a decade. And if the electric Megane and Scenic are anything to go, it’s gotten rather good at them.

The 4 itself is closely related to the wonderful Renault 5 EV, but has an 8cm longer wheelbase so there's more room for the legs of the people in the back, and their stuff in the boot. That's why it's actually a little more expensive than the R5, even if their names might make you think the prices are the other way around.

The R4 takes stylistic inspiration from the 1961 Renault 4: that was one of the first hatchbacks, before the term was recognised. It also, by decades, predated the word ‘crossover’, but it was one of those too. Which is why French farmers and all sorts of residents in North Africa and South America loved it. It needed only a track, not a road.

So is it retro or not?

Let's not get too carried away, because the original R4 was super-cheap and the new one is a bit more premium. Maybe if the original Land Rover had died in the mid 1990s, then the current Defender appeared now, you'd have a parallel.

Here's how they’ve updated the old lines. The face was once a single chromed frame with the round lamps at the end, and grille in the middle: now the chrome is substituted by an LED perimeter track. A cut-line between this and the wings follows a gap between the original's wings and forward-opening bonnet-grille assembly.

On the tall flattish sides, you've ridged door panels, like the R4 GTL had. The reverse-raked rear door window and trapezoid rearmost side window keep the faith with the characteristic rhythm of the old car's fenestration. An upright tailgate and tall narrow little lamp clusters complete the picture.

Our hot take? The design isn’t as successful as the Renault 5, with more than a whiff of breadvan about it and palpable Mini Countryman vibes from the back. But it’s friendly and accessible, and on balance we like it.

And inside? Sliding windows? Rubber mats? Garden-implement gear lever?

This latest Renault 4 is dripping with nods to the past. But it’s not here to bait you with nostalgia, the detailing throughout is genuinely lovely and fully modern at the same time. The fabric seats (pictured) are ace, and you’ll be noticing new details for ages. Look out for the Easter egg on the windshield…

Renault's excellent interface includes well-organised screens and plenty of useful quick-access switches.

In the back, two grown-ups can sit without much hardship. Three across would be a squeeze but doable for a short trip. The boot is surprisingly deep too. More about this under the Interior tab of this review.

How does it drive?

Brilliantly. It’s a real pleasure to get along with. You drive it with your toes and fingertips, as the pedals and steering are light and quick-acting. But once you've acclimatised, that makes it feel perky.

The single motor is 148bhp, but it's well under 1,500kg so gets along well enough: 0-62mph takes 8.2 seconds. The suspension is pretty sophisticated in design, with multi-link at the rear, so it's precise through bends and quiet when it hits bumps.

The old R4 had a pillowy ride and leant pretty much onto its wing mirrors at the sniff of a tight corner. The new one is quite tightly sprung and very controlled.

It's also pretty efficient. Both versions in the UK have a 52kWh battery, for 250 miles WLTP range. We saw 215 miles in practice, including some quite vigorous back-road driving. Cruising at motorway speeds will knock the estimate down to 180-odd miles, even in warm weather. The real test will come in the depths of January, when conditions are at their least agreeable.

What about the rivals?

The Ford Puma Gen-E is the most obvious, along with a bunch from the Stellantis empire – Peugeot e-2008, and the electric versions of the Vauxhall Mokka and Jeep Avenger. You could also get into a slightly larger Chinese-branded EV for similar money, like the MG4. A base-model from the Volvo EX30 or Smart #1 or Mini Aceman line-up all cost more than an R4 for less range.

The mighty VW group's small EVs are still stuck in the concept-car stage. Nope, a Skoda Elroq doesn’t count because it’s an order of magnitude bigger than this.

The R4's battery range is on-target for those price rivals. Few have substantially bigger battery options either, except the MG4 for considerably more money.

And on the subject of money…

Ah yes, some numbers would help. Things kick off at a fiver under £27k for the base model, with mid- and top-spec trims pitched at £29k and £31k apiece. Like-for-like that makes it two Gs more than the Renault 5. And at the time of typing, it looks like both will qualify for a handy government grant worth thousands too. We’ll explain what you get at each trim level on the Buying tab.

A staggering eight million original Renault 4s were sold, but your memory of it is likely as rusty as they mostly are now. So don't worry if all this retro talk doesn't resonate with you.

The new Renault 4 combines dynamic talent with an admirable amount of suppleness over the UK’s often cratered road network. That’s a hard trick to pull off.

And while the design isn’t as – how shall we put this – purposeful as the R5’s, it’s recognisably different from the waves of generic-looking stuff washing up in dealers all over the country, with marvellous detailing inside and out. If you’re not keen at first, give it time… it’ll grow on you.

And there's goodness in the R4 that goes beyond design: the interior is sublime, the tech is well executed, it’s value for money and (most importantly of all) unfailingly uplifting to drive. Renault has hit another home run with this.