The greatest automotive debut of 2024 has inarguably been the Renault 5, an electric hatchback with gloriously retro styling inspired by the original Renault 5s. That is, it was the greatest debut until now, as the new Renault 4 E-Tech got revealed at the Paris Auto Show this week, another fully electric retro hatch that just looks truly fantastique.
Renault first teased the reborn 4 in 2022 with a rugged concept, but the production model looks even better. Its styling is directly inspired by the original Renault 4, of which more than 8 million were sold across five continents from 1961 to 1992, making it the fourth best-selling car of all time. Boxier and more crossover-like than the 5 with which it shares 68 percent of its components, the new 4 is 8.6 inches longer, 2.8 inches taller and 1.2 inches wider than its sibling, but it’s still quite small, only slightly larger than a Hyundai Venue.
Its expressive, squared-off front end has a cool three-dimensional “grille” that’s made from a single 1.45-meter-long piece of polycarbonate glass, containing round headlights with segmented outer sections, a pattern that looks like the Renault diamond logo and an illuminated surround. At the rear, the slanted tailgate has an interpretation of the original 4’s three-part taillights, with LED units protruding from the corners. Both front and rear overhangs are short, and the bumpers are largely made from plastic with lots of interesting elements. As it’s a crossover, the 4 has thick wheel arch moldings and a raised ride height with more ground clearance than Renault’s Captur crossover, and there are some awesome four-spoke wheel designs.
Other retro touches include the sculpting of the hood, the three raised lines along the door skins that are like the original car’s plastic trim, and the trapezoidal rear quarter window that creates a great angled C-pillar. The metal roof is ribbed like the original car’s too, but you can also get the new 4 with a roll-back fabric roof that creates a 31-by-36-inch opening, operated either via a button or by voice control. Renault says that when closed, the fabric roof has “excellent” acoustics and sealing, and there’s no difference in weight or headroom. The 4 will be offered in seven different colors, including the throwback Hauts-de-France Green, along with some two-tone options.
The 4’s interior design is largely similar to that of the 5, which is no bad thing. Two large screens are placed in a thick plastic housing, running a Google-based infotainment system that also has Renault’s “virtual traveling companion” digital assistant named Reno. The center console is canted toward the driver with a bunch of physical controls, and the dashboard in front of the driver has a nice ribbed design. The interior is highly personalizable through different column shifter skins and 3D printed parts for things like the storage cubby covers, and yes, it has a baguette holder too.
Like the 5, you can spec the 4 with an incredible denim interior, a tribute to former Renault CEO Pierre Dreyfus likening the original 4 to a pair of jeans. The denim seats have multiple tones and patterns, with contrasting checkered stitching that matches the 3D square headliner. Other versions of the 4 get seats with leatherette and fabric upholstery that have French flag stripes.
The bottom edge cutout of the power tailgate is low down in the rear bumper to make loading items easier, and the 4 offers 15 cubic feet of cargo space with an addition 1.2 cubic feet of underfloor storage. There are four lashing hooks, two bag hooks, fabric straps to hold in items and additional cubby holes. The rear seats fold flat, and the 4 is also the first electric Renault to have a front passenger seat that folds flat, opening up enough space to fit a surfboard.
Also like the 5, the 4 is built on Renault’s AmpR Small platform, and it’s only offered with a fully electric powertrain. The base model uses a 40-kWh battery pack with a 120-horsepower motor at the front and a 186-mile WLTP range, while a 52-kWh battery with a 150-hp motor and 250-mile range is optional. The more powerful 4 will hit 62 mph in under 8.5 seconds, and it can charge from 15 to 80 percent in 30 minutes. Along with one-pedal driving, every version of the 4 has a heat pump and bi-directional charging. Renault says it tuned the 4’s suspension for a smoother ride, and the steering has a shorter ratio and a tight turning circle. In its lightest configuration, the 4 weighs just 3,108 pounds
The 4 will be built at Renault’s factory in Maubeurge, France, with the batteries and motors also being manufactured in France. Renault says that 75 percent of its suppliers for the 4 are within a 190-mile radius of the factory; 26.4 percent of all its materials are from the circular economy, and at the end of its life cycle 88.6 percent of the 4 will be recyclable. It will go on sale in early 2025 with a starting price of under £30,000 in the United Kingdom.
