Renault 4 Electric: Test and prices of the classic that is rebirth Urban SUV

Four remains more than five, if it is true that Renault 4 With its 8,135,424 units produced between 1961 and 1992 is simply the best -selling French house model in the world. Even today that the challenge is played at zero emissions, Renault 4 E-Tech Electric However, he goes beyond his sister R5, and not only for a fact of size, which rise from 392 to 414 cm in length. To the strong image of the classic that reborn had to be added logic and space on board For more daily use also as a car car. Precisely this happened. Renault 4 E-Tech Electric in its upper version with 110 kW/150 hp engine has a price starting from 32,900 euros, keeps Taste in driving And then brings more roundness in reactions, habitability for five passengers and luggage. Ha style in using the head.

The design

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Small electric car, but not too much, with a important design that however it was not intrusive, that is, by removing space on board. Renault 4 is a project actually much more complex than the Renault 5. Here the STATURE TRADE IMAGE must live with daily use Even families, and it is not a trivial fact. The 4 is 4.14 meters long, or 9 cm more than Clio and 9 less on Captur, but above all far from the 3.92 meters of Renault 5. It is another sport, with 18.1 cm in height from the ground and proportions that relaunch the original in one Formula from Urban SUV. With valuable touches, not only rationality. The front has an lighting a Continuous led which resumes the design of the grille of the classic model, but it was used to build a single block 1.45 meters long that incorporates it, maintaining the characteristic vertical imprint. A STRANTING engineering work For a car that is made with just 1,200 components in total.

Of the taste could not be done without, with the return to very recognizable elements for Renault 4 as the “sail cut” of the Third rear window or the pill form For the rear lights. The horizontal hood and regular sides are a quote in the past especially in the blunt profiles that replace any corner. Renault 4 was born as a car with disarming and functional logic. Now the sweetness of the general shapewith some elements that can be improved as the excessive underlines of the passaruots or the rear bumper. The level of finishes is very popular, with assemblies well made between the components of the bodywork and the quality of the high -level painting.

The interiors

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The scene begins in an apparently identical way, with the 10.1 ‘screen instrumentation accompanied by a second 10’ ‘display in the center of the dashboard. Renault 4 has it same technological impact as Renault 5perhaps different in the Greater general airy of the passenger compartmentbut with the same care of the Openr Link multimedia system with integrated Google, that is, that refinement work that the French house has been carrying out for years together with the Mountain View giant in finding a right key to the on -board services. Google Maps voice recognition with Google Assistant and then Over 100 apps available on the Google Play catalog: Everything approaches the smartphone world, but without trivializing, with a graphics consistent with the design of the car, especially with a combination of hardware and software that brings speed. Here Renault 4 adds nothing. Elsewhere the speech changes.

The distance between the front and rear wheels increases by 10 cm compared to Renault 5, up to 2.62 meters, and this means extending habitability not only with the addition of the second lateral door, but above all with the space that on Renault 5 was missing from the rear passengers, with so much freedom of movement for the legs. Renault 4 is a car actually less fashionable than it looks likewith the best of electricity in doing without mechanical dimensions in the floor and then placed pockets and storage compartments in a clever way practically everywhere. The best news, however, comes from trunkwith 420 liters of capacity In fact, 44 are reserved for the compartment under the load surface, which is regularly adjusted and accompanied by fixing hooks and an elastic on each side to prevent objects from moving.

Surprising the load threshold for only 61 cm From the ground, even 15 less than a more traditional station wagon, with much less effort required to stow luggage. The tailgate is with an electric opening, the back of the sofa falls down, the front passenger seat can be transformed into a table. One of the brightest results is being able Upload items 2.20 meters long in a car that measures 4.14. Renault 4 is much more cars to live than Renault 5.

The powertrain

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Renault 4 E-Tech Electric uses the same engine as Renault 5 E-Tech ElectricAlways synchronous type with wrapped rotortherefore without the permanent magnets made in rare lands and therefore with less environmental impact. When debut on the market, the car is available in Two variants of power 90 kW/120 hp and 110 kW/150 hpalways in combination with NMC Nickel-Manganese-Cobalt battery batteries. Renault 4 E-Tech Electric 110 kW/150 hp uses 52 kW accumulatorsh which allow autonomy to 409 kmwith quick top -current top -up possible up to 100 kW of power: from 15 to 80% charge in 30 minutes. Renault 4 E-Tech Electric in the configuration with 90 kW/120 hp engine adopts instead battery from 40 kWhwith continuous current from 80 kW and autonomy of 308 km. In both cases, the 11 kW alternating charger is bidirectional, that is, it allows you to count on the V2L function (Vehicle-to-Load) to connect 220 V appliances up to 3,700 W to the car battery with a power to Oberct type adapter. There is also the V2G (Vehicle-to-Grid) function which allows you to reim electricity in the network.

Proof

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As pleasantly nervous the 5 as round in movements The Renault 4, despite everything, looks like mechanically. Both are born on Small AMPR platform With Macpherson suspension to the front and a rear scheme approaching the Multilink for the addition of an additional arm that stabilizes the movements of the wheel vertical. The package has already shown to work in the gritty guide Renault 5, but that’s all here is different, more mature. The 10 cm increase in the step from 5 to 4 means one Distribution of largest car weights At ease in large trajectories, with greater softness, even if the adjustment of the shock absorbers has not lost in consistency at all. The structure is there, the movements that calls the steering are wider, but do not require corrections at all.

Renault 4 then adds the element that still is missing from 5, namely the One Pedal functionthat is, the fourth mode of regenerative braking which can finally be activated with the paddles behind the wheel and which allows you to gradually reach the arrest of the car only remove the foot from the accelerator. In addition to the logic of pure profit independently autonomy of travel, the slowdown imposed by the system helps very pleasantly loading the advance At the entrance of the curve, bringing even more precision. Renault 4 E-Tech Electric absorbs bumps and irregularities of the asphalt naturally, shows all the good of a great work of developing, and is silent. There is the right combination between the front wheels in traction, which move by taking all the asphalt, and the rear ones that follow, to close the curve without too many frills, keeping lateral supports with confidence. The first test on Portugal’s roads certainly confirms the qualities in the recovery of the 150 HP engine, but adds the clear feeling of one greater efficiency in consumptionwith a theoretical data declared 15.1 kWh/100 km that seems approachable thanks to the update made on the energy management of the batteries.

Fittings and prices

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Renault 4 E-Tech Electric can already be ordered in his Three Evolution, Techno and Iconic installationsall with closed roof bodywork, while subsequently the variant with electrical opening roof in “plein south” fabric will also be proposed, in combination only with techno and iconic versions. The installation Evolution It represents the base of the range and in fact only with the latter is the 90 kW/120 hp engine with 40 kWh battery available, at altitude 29,900 euros. Renault 4 E-Tech Electric Evolution with 110 kW/150 HP engine and 52 kWh battery of capacity is instead in the price list a 32,900 euros. This set -up has interiors with light tones for dashboard and doors panels that stand out from the dark gray of the saddlery and the seams that resume the colors of the French flag. All versions of Renault 4 E-Tech Electric are equipped with 18 ”circles e Central multimedia display of 10 ” With OpenR system links and integrated Google functionality. The complete package of driver assistance systems is standard, including monitoring of the driver’s attention, automatic emergency braking in reverse, but also emergency assistance to maintaining the lane. With the set -up Techno The interiors pass to the combination of a dark blue fabric with recycled saturated blue polyester, very similar to jeans. The equipment display grows from 7 ” to 10.1 ” and the car is equipped with the 4 -level regenerative braking system with change palettes behind the wheel. Renault 4 E-Tech Electric Techno 110 kW/150 hp is in the price list a 34,900 euros. In the version Iconic The seats and headrests combine a fabric with a pied-de-poule motif and yellow seams with material partly recycled and of biological origin. Yellow is the protagonist of the clock strap -shaped motifs on front seats, rear bench and dashboard. Renault 4 E-Tech Electric Iconic 110 Kw/150 hp is in the price list a 36,900.00 euros.

Data sheet

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These are the technical data provided by Renault: