The new Renault 4, for all its charm, forgets what made the original great.
We don’t need to return to the retro debate again, but suffice to say this car has Luca de Meo’s fingerprints all over it, the man who turned the Fiat 500 into its cash cow and a model that kept the lights on in Turin.
He pulled the same trick with the lovely Renault 5. This, the French brand’s take on its beloved 1960s favourite, is perhaps less sure-footed in its retro appeal. Perhaps he was already eyeing his departure to luxury brand Kering.
Before we disappear down a kaleidoscope of Renault 4 nostalgia and the honest workhorse that served postmen and priests, farmers and families, students and surfers, let’s nail down just what made the original great: it was a tool, not a trophy.
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Does the new model fit that bill? Not quite. Somewhere between exterior design and interior build, Renault’s interest in retro seemed to wane. So you have the silhouette of a the original, though not quite with the same rigour as the delivery of the Renault 5. Inside, you get plenty of quality finishes and a few nods to history, but this is far removed from the workhorse of old.
The most obvious omission is the umbrella-style gear shift. When Renault stuck the gearstick on the dash, it wasn’t trying to be quirky; the engineers wanted to free up the floor space. It also meant a simpler linkage to the front-mounted gearbox.
In the age of EVs, that’s not really a concern and transmissions can operate from a few buttons put anywhere in the car. But why not deliver it through a nod to history?
The reality is that the dash and interior are lifted from the new Renault 5, upon which this car shares its underpinnings and much else. We’ll come back to those controls later.
So what’s the pitch for this Renault 4, aside from some exterior retro touches? Well, it’s meant to be more practical than its sibling. And that’s why you might forgive us for focusing on the rear seats for a while.
[ Renault 5 delivers retro fun and a nippy driveOpens in new window ]
The issue with the Renault 5 – the only major one, to be fair – is that rear seat space and legroom, particularly in the footwell, is as cramped as you used to get in sports coupes.
In the 5, it was forgivable. After all, many of the eager buyers we spoke to were either empty nesters with fond memories of the original 1980s car, or younger couples without children. The back seat would mainly serve as a glorified parcel shelf for jackets and sports bags.
For those looking for more space and practicality, the 4 was meant to be the answer. And in some ways, it delivers. The bootspace is decent for a family shop or a weekend away, with 420 litres growing to 1,405 if you flip down the rear seats. It also has virtually no loading lip, which proved handy when we were hauling a lawnmower for service during our time in the test car. And while there is no “frunk”, there’s a handy 36 litres of storage under the boot floor, for cables. It’s a removable plastic well, so you can even store dirty wellies or wet walking gear to keep the carpets clean.
Those rear seats are comfortable, offering Isofix mounts on the outer two, while the middle seat is slightly raised. The three-seat format in the rear is more theoretical than practical, as that middle seat is incredibly narrow, while headroom is compromised by the raised cushion.
Being an EV means you do get a flat floor, though, so the middle passenger gets a good amount of foot space. The other two suffer the same issue with foot space as in the Renault 5. You wedge your toes under the front seat.
Three seats in the back – with three headrests – also limit visibility out the rear window, even without back seat passengers.
Our test car came with the 150hp motor powering the front wheels, and it’s a smooth and steady delivery. There’s little of the EV surge you get with some cars, where passengers are flung about, and a 0-100km/h time of 9 seconds is sedate in the current era.
That’s also reflected on the motorways, where the Renault 4 will cruise comfortably, and is noticeably quieter than its main rivals, cocooning the cabin’s occupants from wind noise or tyre rumble, but it lacks a bit of the kick you might expect from a sibling of the Renault 5.
The brake regeneration can be dialled all the way to one-pedal driving, which is very useful in crawling traffic or around town. And that’s the car’s natural habitat. It’s a little less sure-footed on the back roads, but pit it against a crosstown run, and you will find it nimble, agile and easy to manoeuvre.
While the entry-level version at €27,995 after grants has a small 40kWh battery pack, buyers will rightly opt for the larger 52kWh unit, starting at €30,995 with the 120hp motor or €32,995 with the 150hp motor.
The last one comes in Techno grade, which also means you get the Google-based infotainment system and wireless phone charging. The Google system is, unsurprisingly, easy to use and quick to react.
Even with the 52kWh battery, we found the range disappointing. With a claim of 410km on a full charge, we got much closer to 280km with an average consumption of 18.5kW/h, despite recording an “eco score” of 92 per cent from Renault’s driver rating app.
That’s a sizeable difference and worth considering when you reflect on your motoring needs.
Now, many people can live with this, particularly if they are topping the battery up every night from a home charger. But too often in a week where we had trips between Dublin and the midlands, the dash was showing a remaining range of 60km or so, which meant spending 30 to 40 minutes at fast chargers during our trips. There, despite a promise to take up to 100kW during a DC charge, we rarely saw the input figure rise above 45kW, even when plugged into ESB 360kW superchargers.
Renault’s 4 ticks just enough boxes to play the retro card, and it’s a comfortable, and easy car to drive and own. The smart interior means you never feel like you’ve made the budget choice, and the bootspace is ample for most urban and suburban needs.
Yet if you regularly use the rear seats, regularly travel over 100km and don’t fancy hanging out in random car parks as your car charges, then you might want to keep shopping. For another €1,500 on the 150hp Techno version of Renault 4, you could get a Megane E-Tech – after grants – with better rear space and a 60kW battery pack.
[ How to pick the right electric car for you? Do your homeworkOpens in new window ]
That makes the Renault 4 a style choice rather than a rational one. In which case, why not buy the cooler Renault 5? And if you really want to relive the utilitarian glories of the original Renault 4, then this is not the car for you.
There is no question that car executives are worried about the lack of defining driving characteristics in many EVs and the consequences of parts and platforms shared across multiple models. They see one solution in leaning on designers to play the retro card. Given the average new car buyer is in their late 40s or 50s these days, then harking back to the 1980s is the sweet spot.
The problem is that you need to be true to the original. That was a wonderful working tool – this is too much of a fashion trophy.
The new car looks the part on the outside, drives sweetly in town and will charm you daily. But if it’s practicality you need, then there are better EVs for this money. The original was built with work in mind; this one has its eye on TikTok posts.
Lowdown: Renault 4 52kWh Iconic
Power: A 150hp electric motor putting out 245Nm of torque and powering the front wheels
0-100km/h: 9 seconds
Range: 410km (WLTP)
Price: €34,995 incl grants (Renault 4 range starts at €27,995 including grants)
