Renault Symbioz Reviews

The Renault Symbioz is a new, small SUV from the French brand. We drove at its Aussie launch this year, but this is the first time we’ve lived with it for a week and I almost feel sorry for the thing.You see, the Symbioz was sparkling clean, fresh from being built in Valladolid, Spain before landing in the middle of a battlefield of Aussie suburbia with a four-year-old who immediately smudged chocolate in the seat and an 11-year old with more appointments and commitments than a prime minister.The Symbioz that I tested for family friendliness is the entry-grade Techno with the mild hybrid system.It was a long week. Here’s how it went...The Renault Symbioz model range is small in Australia consisting of only two grades. We tested the entry-level Techno mild hybrid, although you can get a full hybrid.The list price of the Symbioz Techno mild hybrid is $36,990 before on-road costs, which is a lot more expensive than some Chinese rivals like the Jaecoo J5 or a Chery Tiggo 4, and a smidge more than the Honda HR-V, Toyota Corolla Cross or Mazda CX-30. It is, however, more affordable than the hybrid-only Nissan Qashqai.The Symbioz Techno is worth the extra money even if the value isn’t as good as a Chinese SUV, because the difference is higher quality fit and finish and a more enjoyable car to drive.Standard features on the Techno include 18-inch alloy wheels, proximity unlocking, push-button start, a 10.4-inch media screen and 10.25-inch digital driver’s display, climate control, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, plus Google Automated services.The seats are a synthetic fabric and that means chocolate wipes straight off, thankfully.Our test car is fitted with the optional electronic glass roof which turns from transparent to opaque thanks to a dispersed polymer liquid crystal film between the sheets of glass. The beauty of this is that there's no need for a sunshade that could reduce head room. Check out my video here to see it work.Yes, while value isn’t one of the Renault Symbioz’s strengths it does have a lot of compelling attributes.Four attributes stand out as the strengths: the design, quality feel, practicality and the way it drives.I truly believe that the Symbioz is the best-looking small SUV for the price right now. I love the rear design especially with the razor-sharp tail-lights, but the entire vehicle is superbly styled and looks far more expensive than the price tag.The same goes for the interior and not just the design, but the feel of the fabrics and materials, switches and the steering wheel. Many SUVs try to aim for a stylish look, but few achieve the feel. This also goes for the thoughtful layout of this cabin that places everything within reach and where it should be.The practicality of the Symbioz is also outstanding. As a mum to two kids that insist on bringing everything everywhere, a small SUV (it’s 4.4m long) is generally too small for us. But the excellent storage, occupant space and boot, which expands from 460L-592L because the rear row is on rails, has me rethinking that rule. If you’re a family in an urban setting but need all the storage and room that kids and adults require, then seriously consider the Symbioz.The materials are also easy to clean and feel hard wearing, too.Finally, the way the Symbioz drives is so engaging. Yes the 1.3-litre four-cylinder petrol engine has a bit of the dreaded turbo lag and yes the seven-speed dual-clutch transmission can be a little clunky.In a world of fully electric cars with seamless stop and go, this engine and transmission feels a bit antiquated, but the Symbioz is still so enjoyable to pilot in an old-school way.As much as I love EVs for urban duties like the daycare drop off, grocery shopping and after-school sports dashes, I’d missed how fun these little runs can be in something with great handling and steering and a grunty little engine.Well, as mentioned the price is a bit steep, but you’re getting a nicer car for the money than many rivals.Also the warranty is only five-years/unlimited kilometres, which is falling behind many mainstream brands. Servicing is required every 30,000km or 12 months. You can buy a five-year service package for $2700 which is about $540 a visit and that’s expensive compared to a few rivals.And then there’s the fuel consumption. The mild hybrid isn’t as fuel efficient as the full hybrid and because I drove it like a rally queen, I used an average of 10.5L/100km over about 150km of driving.The official fuel consumption is 6.4L/100km but personally I don’t think they were flying this small SUV to school and pre-school to Scouts to Kung Fu to birthday parties and tutoring all with just 15 minutes to get to all of these places. With more moderate urban driving, a lower figure is certainly achievable.Finally, the Symbioz has not been rated by ANCAP, but its Continental equivalent, EuroNCAP only gave it four-out-of-five stars for safety. This was partly because it lacks a front centre airbag and front knee airbags, as well as average occupant protection for the driver.

The Renault Symbioz Esprit Alpine is the flagship model in the new small SUV’s line-up. Priced from $45,990, before on-road costs, the Esprit Alpine combines luxury and sporty touches to differentiate it from the Techno hybrid below it in the range.Naturally, the Esprit Alpine is loaded with the most equipment, including auto headlights, a wireless smartphone charger, heated steering wheel and automatic climate control. Plus there’s a 10.25-inch digital driver display as well as a 10.4-inch central multimedia touchscreen connected to a nine-speaker Harman Kardon sound system. Not only does it have wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto included, but also Google Automotive Services, which means it can act like an extension of your Android smartphone in many respects.Other niceties include performance seats that are heated and electronically adjustable and red, white and blue stitching on the steering wheel plus a power tailgate.The Symbioz is based on Renault’s latest design language, which gives it a distinctive European look. The Esprit Alpine gets some unique exterior design elements, including chrome exterior trim as well as a more muted grille and badge treatment.Inside there is a small ledge ahead of the stubby gear selector, with the wireless charging pad hidden underneath it. There are two cupholders and a small lidded console box as well, plus small door pockets, which makes for a very practical cabin.In terms of space for people, up front the seats are comfortable and roomy, while in the rear the back of the driver and passenger seats have been heavily sculpted out to create a good amount of kneeroom.The Symbioz Esprit Alpine uses the first hybrid powertrain offered by Renault in Australia, a 1.8-litre four-cylinder petrol engine and electric motor that makes 116kW of power and 265Nm of torque.With a 48-litre fuel tank and claimed fuel economy of just 4.7L/100km the Symbioz has a theoretical driving range of more than 1000km on a single fill.In terms of safety, the Symbioz Techno has a good level of active driver assistant systems that are better calibrated than many small SUV rivals, plus there is a single-button function to switch off the systems you don’t want to use. However, the Symbioz has not been rated by ANCAP and has a four-star (from a possible five) crash test score from Euro NCAP. The Symbioz Esprit Alpine is covered by Renault’s standard five-year/100,000km warranty, The company offers ‘Assured Servicing Pricing’ which covers the first five years or 150,000km, whichever comes first. This will cost you a total of $2715 for the hybrid during that time.

The all-new Renault Symbioz small SUV range begins with a mild hybrid variant in the Techno trim, priced from $36,990, before on-road costs. The Techno mild hybrid comes equipped with 18-inch alloy wheels, auto headlights, a wireless smartphone charger, heated steering wheel, automatic climate control and 10.25-inch digital driver display plus a 10.4-inch central multimedia touchscreen connected to a six-speaker sound system. Not only does it have wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto included, but also Google Automotive Services, which means it can act like an extension of your Android smartphone in many respects.Renault’s designers have created a surprisingly spacious and well-considered interior for such a small SUV. Up the front there are plenty of small item storage spaces. There is a small ledge ahead of the stubby gear selector, with the wireless charging pad hidden underneath it. There are two cupholders and a small lidded console box as well, plus small door pockets.In terms of space for people, up front the seats are comfortable and roomy, while in the rear the back of the driver and passenger seats have been heavily sculpted out to create a good amount of kneeroom.The rear seat slides to provide a trade-off between boot space and rear occupant space, so it does have an impressively large cargo capacity if you don’t need to take passengers.The mild hybrid Symbioz is powered by a 1.3-litre four-cylinder petrol engine and makes 104kW of power and 245Nm of torque.The mild hybrid has a fuel economy rating of 6.4L/100km, which provides a theoretical driving range of more than 750km thanks to its 48L fuel tank.In terms of safety, the Symbioz Techno has a good level of active driver assistant systems that are better calibrated than many small SUV rivals. However, the Symbioz has not been rated by ANCAP and has a four-star crash test score from Euro NCAP. The Symbioz Techno mild hybrid is covered by Renault’s standard five years/100,000km warranty. The company offers ‘Assured Servicing Pricing’ which covers the first five years or 150,000km, whichever comes first, and the total cost for the period is $2695.

Renault is back with an all-new contender in the highly-competitive small SUV market. The Symbioz brings European style and a polished driving experience, along with hybrid powertrains. But we review it to see if it has what it takes to compete against a diverse array of rivals from Chery, Hyundai, Mazda and more.