► Baby SUV to follow revived Renault 5might be hogging the spotlight right now, but the larger and equally electric 4 crossover is waiting in the wings – and now we’ve got pictures of it testing. Just like the recently unveiled Renault 5, the 4 is based on a the 4Ever Trophy concept car, and these new shots – taken by our spy photographers – reveal just how close to the concept it’ll be.
And that, in a nutshell, showcases the capabilities of the original Renault 4. Launched in 1961, the 4 – or Quatrelle/4L as it was known in France – was the world’s first mass-produced hatchback. That made it a good load-carrier, especially with deckchair seats that could be removed. With long-travel independent suspension and front-wheel drive, the 4L proved adept at scrambling over tough terrain, making it the darling of rural France.
Renault has lifted plenty of the original’s design details: the arcing roofline, trapezoidal rear quarterlight and upright rear hatch in profile. Also part of the update are three-ringed tail-lamps and the horizontal grille with twin round lamps – a graphic that looks like an old cassette tape . Purists won’t be happy that the 4 has been reincarnated as an SUV – though given the bodytype accounts for more than 40 per cent of the market and Renault needs some hit cars, you can see why the company has taken this approach.
‘Renault wants to be a leader in digital life,’ says Sandeep Bhambra. ‘The Megane E-Tech Electric has one of the most amazing screens for fast, digital functionality, and we will continue in this way. The interior will have a few special things to make the link to the Renault 4 too.’
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