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First Drive: Renault Symbioz

New mid-sized full hybrid SUV to rival likes of Nissan Qashqai.
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5 September 2024

BUSINESS MOTORING OVERALL SCORE

7.5/10

What is it?

Renault’s aggressive model launch programme continues this month with the Symbioz, a traditional mid-sized SUV, only available in hybrid form and competing in just about the toughest sector of the UK market – C-segment SUVs account for around 60% of all UK vehicle sales led by the vehicle that created the market, the Nissan Qashqai.

Renault has several SUVs on its roster and makes no bones about the status of the new Symbioz (pronounced Sam-bee-oz and derived from the Ancient Greek ‘symbiosis’, which means ‘living together’) within the line-up. Described by Renault personnel as the brand’s most compact C-segment SUV and sitting between the B-segment Captur and larger Austral, it is also very traditional, designed as one of those efficient cars that most people buy, without writing headlines for its style or performance.

That said, while eschewing any full-electric powertrains (the equally new Scenic takes that role) and instead opting for a full hybrid (which right now is increasingly becoming the most popular propulsion option amongst buyers), the Symbioz gladly makes use of most of the tech launched on recent Renault releases – the driver’s display, for example, is very similar to that we found on our first drive of the Scenic just three months ago.

So at 4.4 metres long the Symbioz is a traditional mid-sized SUV, but quite a sleek-looking one thanks to a modest roof height compared to some rivals, and the quite distinctive styling treatment especially on the front and rear that again we have seen on other recent Renault models.

Just one powertrain is available, combining a 1.6-litre petrol engine with two motors and a 1.2kWh battery for total power of 145hp and 250Nm of torque, put through a six-speed auto transmission. The car passes 62mph from rest in 10.6 seconds and goes on to 106mph where permitted, so it’s not particularly fast but more than adequate for most.

The combination of petrol and electric power allows the Symbioz to claim WLTP-certified fuel economy of plus-60mpg, along with a low sub-110g/km CO2 emissions figure – Renault claims up to a 20% fuel saving compared to a traditional petrol-engined car. Notable features include a handy ‘E-save’ button that allows up to 40% of the battery’s capacity to be conserved for when one most needs to use it.

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The interior is very much traditional SUV but Renault makes much of the car’s rear seat bench which can slide by up to 16cm, boosting boot space from the standard 492 litres to 624, or up to 1582 with the rear seats folded. The boot also boasts a practical flat floor (unless one moves the rear seat forward) with a usable width of a metre.

Our test car on the launch event was in iconic esprit Alpine grade, top of the three trim levels, costing from £33,295 and including such niceties as a 360-degree around-view camera, hands-free parking, a nine-speaker Harman Kardon audio system and the ‘Solarbay’ sunroof.

First seen on the Scenic the Solarbay is very clever, employing liquid crystals immersed in polymer between two glass plates, and which when electrically charged change alignment to lighten and darken the scene as required. It’s also rather practical, as it’s lighter and more aerodynamic than a traditional sunroof and offers more interior headroom.

Least-expensive Symbioz is the Techno at £29,295 and its equipment includes keyless entry, a rear view camera and wireless charging and smartphone compatibility, while there is also a mid-range Techno esprit alpine at £31,295 which adds a heated steering wheel, electrically adjustable and heated seats, bespoke interior styling with grained stitched seat fabric and an electronic tailgate.

Standard on all cars is the infotainment technology, the OpenR Link multimedia system, mounted on a 10.4-inch vertical touchscreen alongside the driver’s horizontal 10.25-inch display. A tie-up with Google ensures the maps feature is always up to date while included is the Google Assistant, a voice-activated feature that can do anything from finding a destination to activating the sunroof or changing the driving modes.

As ever the Symbioz comes with a host of ADAS driver assistance and safety technologies under the umbrella of the ‘My Safety Shield’. There are up to 24 depending on model – the entry-level Techno gets  the vital ones while the upper two add such desirables as a blind-spot warning and Active rear braking, effectively the original autonomous emergency braking but for when reversing.

There are of course plenty of warning sounds that are part of today’s market, but a welcome inclusion is ‘My Safety Switch’ – this allows up to five of the warning systems to be customised and activated or deactivated with a single press of the switch.

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What do we think of it?

Visually the Symbioz presents itself as fairly typical of today’s modern mid-sized SUV market though the slightly lower roof and strong downwards angle of the side styling do make it appear more purposeful than some rivals.

Inside the car feels well put together but while Renault emphasises the versatility of the sliding rear bench, rear-seat passenger space is not that generous and if one does slide the bench forward to make best use of the boot it does leave a chasm at the end furthest from the tailgate.

The driving position is comfortable and the vertical format of the infotainment screen makes it easy to access, especially when on the move. The driver’s own digital display is familiar, having been lifted wholesale from the Scenic. – the four ‘slices’ are easy to navigate through and can for example display the map directly ahead of the driver when navigating on Google.

We are also getting used to the way the design slices the bottom edge of the right-hand number from the speed display – an initial irritation, one should add it’s not enough to leave any doubt as to how fast one is going…

As mentioned the car pulls away smoothly and silently in electric mode but when the engine initially cut in on our first test drive it brought brief disappointment, with the hoarse roar of hybrid units of old. Experience showed, however, that this only happens with aggressive throttle work – it quickly dissipated and the car proved a smooth companion after with seamless switching between modes.

We worked our way through the ‘Normal’, ‘Eco’ and ‘Sport’ driving modes – which one is in is easily determined from the instrument display background colour that goes from blue to green to red. There appears to be little major difference between them and the Eco mode does not feel as sluggish as we’ve experienced in other hybrids – driving in Eco mode was actually quite pleasurable.

The car is particularly good around town – while you’ll only know by looking at the EV light on the instruments, it spends most of its time in electric mode and is very easy to handle. It doesn’t let itself down at speed either, boasting excellent ride comfort, and while obviously no sports car, it feels confident through corners.

Renault has also mentioned the five ‘ambient sounds’ created by French electronic music legend Jean-Michel Jarre. At slow speeds around town these appeared more noticeable than hd been the case when we tested the Scenic, and our tester, a fan of Jarre’s music, could hear the connection…

Overall the Symbioz ticks all the important boxes – it’s not exceptional but it’s good in all areas and that will be enough for many owners.

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The Renault Symbioz E-Tech iconic esprit Alpine Hybrid

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Andrew Charman

Andrew Charman has been a motoring journalist for more than 30 years, writing about vehicles, technology and the industry. He is a Guild of Motoring Writers committee member and has won several awards including for his business coverage.

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