Renault Symbioz Review (2024)

Introduction

Like so many brands, Renault is all about SUVs nowadays.

The clamour for a piece of the SUV action is all too apparent, with larger vehicles becoming the norm on so many driveways across Britain.

That doesn't mean the French manufacturer has abandoned all its other cars, though.

In fact, Renault has recently brought back the classic wedge-shaped Renault 5 supermini in all-electric form, and it bears a striking resemblance to the version we saw between the early 1970s and the mid-1990s.

Even so, there’s no denying that Renault is increasingly becoming an SUV-focused brand.

Even the Megane now features a crossover SUV appearance, while the Captur, Scenic E-Tech, Arkana, Austral, and Rafale are among its ranks.

The only other non-SUV cars it has in the UK now are the Clio and the van-derived Trafic Passenger.

It may be hard to believe, but the Symbioz is based on the same CMF-B HS platform as the Clio, although admittedly, the long-standing family hatchback isn't anywhere near as small as it used to be.

According to Renault, the Symbioz is named after the word ‘symbiosis’ – it’s Greek terminology and means ‘to live together’. The idea is that the Symbioz will fit your life like a glove.

We have taken one for a test drive to see how true the marketing spiel is.

At A Glance

If you have seen the new Renault Megane, then the Symbioz will look instantly familiar.

It is longer, wider, and slightly taller but otherwise looks very similar. It sits between the Captur and Austral in Renault’s range.

It has a rounded front end, with fairly thin headlights that expand slightly downwards at the sides. The lights are connected by a thin mesh-like front grille, with the iconic Renault badge in the middle.

The lower grille is much bigger and trapezoidal in shape, which leaves room at the side for a cutout to accommodate the day-running lights and thin air intakes, which point inwards.

At the sides, the skirts angle upwards toward the back of the car, which are met with a couple of creases and indentations in the doors. Modest grooves at the sides add definition to the wheel arches.

Around the back, the taillights are triangular, thinning out into the middle and meeting a horizontal indentation spanning the tailgate's width.

A sizeable, blackened bumper sits at the bottom, giving hints of off-road ruggedness that we’d expect on any SUV.

Viewed head-on, it certainly looks quite imposing and muscular, although whether it’s attractive is likely to divide opinion, as Renaults often do.

Key Features

The Symbioz is available in three trim levels.

The entry-level Techno has 18-inch alloys, a 10.4-inch openR Google-native infotainment touchscreen with Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, and digital radio, a 10.25-inch digital driver display, electric front windows, and a keycard.

Automatic climate control is also provided, along with auto headlights, rain-sensing wipers, tinted rear windows, LED headlights, automatic folding door mirrors, a synthetic leather steering wheel and 48-colour ambient lighting.

Next up is the Techno Esprit Alpine. It has 19-inch wheels, heated front seats, partially recycled fabric, titanium black-grained upholstery, and a powered tailgate.

The top-of-the-range Iconic Esprit Alpine boasts a Solarbay electronically dimmable panoramic sunroof, a 360-degree surround-view monitor, hands-free parking, three extra speakers, and a Harman Kardon audio system.

There is only one powertrain available: a 1.6-litre four-cylinder petrol with an electric motor, producing a combined 145PS. However, it is a full hybrid (HEV) that should help the fuel economy.

Performance & Drive

The 145PS engine-electric motor combination takes 10.6 seconds to get from 0 to 62mph, and if that's not enough, tough luck.

Performance seekers will have to look elsewhere, and while it's perhaps surprising that Renault hasn't offered anything more potent, it doesn’t feel as pedestrian as it sounds, even though some rivals are quicker.

If you bury the accelerator, there can sometimes be a delay as it changes down before increasing forward momentum. But thanks to the hybrid assistance, there's a decent throttle response, particularly when moving away from a standing start.

That makes it easier to live with if you spend most of your time in traffic jams and the thrills of the school run or commute to work. If that’s most of your driving life, then you likely won’t care about the 0-62mph time too much.

Equally, it also means the Symbioz can dart into gaps of traffic if you’re pulling out of busy road junctions first thing in the morning.

If you’re in a hurry, it can feel a little laboured, and the engine can be a bit raucous under hard acceleration, especially if you're trying to get from, say, 50-70mph. Nevertheless, once you're up to speed on motorways, it copes well and wafts along like a comfortable cruiser.

Speaking of comfort, we usually view top-of-the-range trim levels with suspicion, as they almost always come with the largest alloys, which are the least comfortable. While that’s the case here, with 19-inch alloys on our Iconic Esprit Alpine version, it isn't bad by any means. It handles potholes, lumps, and bumps better than we'd expected. However, you'll still feel them through the chassis, and the smaller 18-inch alloys of the entry-level model will undoubtedly offer a degree of extra protection for your back.

The Symbioz is certainly set up for comfort rather than handling, but it doesn’t disgrace itself in the latter category. Granted, it isn't especially exciting to thread around corners, and on our test route, which included a fast, bendy B-road, we're hard-pressed to call it fun to drive. However, it doesn’t fare too badly, offering a surprising level of resistance to body lean, plenty of grip, and precise steering, albeit it’s not especially keen to turn in on corner entry.

There is little feedback to your hands through the wheel, though, and the steering doesn't weight up sufficiently in the bends. There are plenty of contenders that offer more of a focus on driving entertainment.

Engineless driving on the electric motor alone is doable for short distances before the engine cuts in as required. Regardless, driving with or without the engine is reasonably quiet, although our test also included a short burst on a motorway, and, at 70mph, there was quite a bit of wind and tyre noise.

As a full hybrid, it applies some automatic regenerative braking, but it's not as drastic a departure from normal braking as in an all-electric car. That said, you need to take it into consideration, as the brakes can feel excessively ferocious. You will find you don’t need to brake as hard as you would in a pure petrol or diesel car, but at least you know it’s very capable of an emergency stop.

Overall, the Symbioz will tick most people’s boxes.

Running Costs & Emissions

The Symbioz’s fuel economy is impressive, getting just over the 60-mark at 60.1mpg.

That is because it’s a full hybrid, but such figures with a petrol engine would have been unthinkable just a few short years ago - and they're enough for the Symbioz to beat many of its foes.

Carbon emissions are measured at 105 to 107g/km, depending on the spec, which is also impressive and crucial to helping Symbioz move into the 26% band for the Benefit In Kind tax.

Despite this, there are better options for a company car, as emissions are the crucial factor. Of course, many plug-in hybrids can measure their CO2 figures in a fraction of the Symbioz’s, while all-electric cars emit nothing at all.

The Symbioz is too new to know how reliable it will be, but Renault as a brand only has a mid-table reputation nowadays.

Interior & Technology

The Renault Symbioz's cabin looks nicely designed and welcoming.

There is a reasonably flat-topped dashboard and a pleasant-looking steering wheel, and even the shape of the decor between the air vents looks modestly fashionable.

While black dominates, the silver spokes on the wheel and the silver gear lever and surrounds help brighten things up somewhat.

The new Renault will not fool anyone into thinking it's an Audi or BMW, but it's still nice. Many of the materials feel well-selected and manufactured, and the surfaces are soft to the touch.

What you get depends on the trim level. Our iconic Esprit Alpine trim has synthetic leather upholstery.

There are some cheaper, thinner plastics about, but most of them are hidden lower down where you’ll struggle to see them.

One feature we loved was the electronically dimmable glass in the panoramic roof, which can be set to a desired level of tinting at the push of a button.

Another feature to love is the 10.4-inch infotainment tablet, mounted on the dashboard in a less conventional portrait, rather than landscape, orientation. That is because it's a Google-derived system.

The system itself is excellent, boasting a very nice interface, a responsive screen, a crisply clear display and, best of all, it brings native Google Maps to the car.

As you'd expect of a Google-designed system, it's reasonably simple to use, and the menu layout is fairly intuitive.

Behind the steering wheel sits the 10.25-inch digital instrument display instead of traditional analogue dials. While it doesn’t have the customisability of more premium brands, it offers a degree of personalisation in terms of what you want to display, including a full-screen SatNav map. However, it doesn't have the same fluidity as the touchscreen.

The Google system offers access to dozens of apps, but one thing we’re pleased it doesn’t offer access to is the climate control system, which is still controlled by physical buttons and switches instead. This makes it easier to use on the move and is much preferable to manufacturers who insist on burying their air conditioning controls into the touchscreen, leaving you jabbing away while trying to drive.

Practicality & Boot Space

It is easy to get comfortable in the Renault Symbioz, but that's because our test car has electric seat adjustment.

While it’s not the biggest SUV, the driving position is satisfactorily high and provides a decent view of the road ahead.

The windscreen pillars are reasonably thin, although admittedly not the thinnest we've encountered. That means forward visibility is pretty good, and the pillars are heavily swept back, which aids your view of the road ahead and to the side.

The rear pillars, though, are at least twice as thick, restricting your view over the shoulder, not helped by the sloping roofline and roof spoiler, which further limits your field of vision.

Thankfully, all versions get a rear-view camera plus front, rear, and even side parking sensors, while our top-of-the-range test car gets a 360-degree surround-view camera.

There is plenty of legroom and headroom in front of the Symbioz. Admittedly, things aren't quite as generous in the back, as the sloping roofline slightly reduces headroom, but that'll only affect the tallest rear-seat passengers.

If the rear row of seats isn’t moved back, anyone over six feet will struggle. However, at the cost of some boot space, you'll be able to provide sufficient legroom for taller occupants.

Three adults in the back will be a tight squeeze, not helped by a raised hump on the middle seat and another hump on the floor which will mean whoever is sat there will have to straddle it between their feet.

The Renault’s boot space measures 492 litres, but that's with the rear bench all the way back.

Slide it all the way forward, and you'll have 624 litres at your disposal, which expands further to 1,582 litres if you fold the seats down altogether.

Underfloor storage measures 155 litres, as well.

As if that weren't enough, the cabin offers plenty of additional storage space, with reasonably sized door pockets, a very large glove compartment, and a cubby under the central armrest.

Safety

The Renault Symbioz was recently put through its paces by crash-testing experts Euro NCAP, earning a four-star rating.

Renault will be disappointed with this, as most cars are able to achieve the full five stars - a feat Renault achieved with all five of its previous cars.

The Symbioz scored 73% for adult occupants, 80% for children and 69% for safety assists. Those assists include an emergency brake assist, a rear-view camera, a tyre pressure monitor, adaptive cruise control with speed limiter, and front, rear, and side parking sensors.

The mid-range Techno Esprit Alpine gets active driver assist, which includes adaptive cruise control with lane centring assist, while the top-of-the-range Iconic Esprit Alpine acquires hands-free parking and upgrades the rear-view camera to a 360-degree surround view.

Options

Alas, Renault doesn’t offer many optional extras for the Symbioz. You can, however, choose from a range of body colours.

Flame red is the main shade, which we like, while bluey-grey, white, grey, dark grey and black are also offered for an extra fee, with dark blue costing even more.

There is also a space-saver emergency spare wheel. That is about it, though.

Renault offers many focused ‘packs’ on its cars, providing accessories for certain activities, such as family use, cycling, touring trips and scuff protection for things like door sills and the boot. Still, these aren't offered on the Symbioz.

Rival Cars

With the clamour for SUVs in recent years, you won't be surprised to learn that there are many alternatives.

Nissan offers the Qashqai, which is arguably its biggest competitor, as well as the smaller Juke.

Kia’s Niro and Sportage, Hyundai's Tucson and Kona are excellent leasing alternatives, mainly because they enjoy great reputations for reliability.

There are also the Cupra Formentor, Honda HR-V, Seat Ateca, Skoda Karoq, Toyota CH-R and Volkswagen Tiguan, but not all are full hybrids.

Verdict & Next Steps

Overall, the Renault Symbioz has plenty going for it.

The French car is economical, has a nice interior, and is not bad to drive either.

We would have liked some more shove - or at least more choice when it comes to powertrains - but if you can live with 145PS, there's plenty to like about it, particularly its 60mpg fuel economy.

We tested the top-of-the-range Iconic Esprit Alpine trim, but, nice as it is, most of what you need is provided with the entry-level Techno, which is very generously equipped.

That said, given some of its creature comforts, we'd understand the rationale for upgrading to the mid-range Techno Esprit Alpine.

Some competitors offer more space, but the Symbioz doesn’t do badly here either - and the Google-derived infotainment system is the icing on the cake.

Granted, it has many features that rivals can match, but given it’s reasonably cheap to lease, the Symbioz deserves to be high up your shortlist, at the very least.

Where to next?

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**Score based on Select’s unique meta score analysis, taking into account the UK’s top leading independent car website reviews of the Renault Symbioz.

**Correct as of 22/10/2024. Based on 9 months initial payment, 5,000 miles annually, over a 24 month lease. Initial payment equivalent to 9 monthly payments, or £1,735.56 (Plus admin fee) Ts and Cs apply. Credit is subject to status.