The Renault Symbioz name has been confirmed for new crossover being unveiled this spring. It’s designed to sit between the existing Captur and Austral SUVs.
Renault has revealed the name and some teaser images of a brand-new model designed to plug the gap between its small SUV and mid-size SUV offerings. The Renault Symbioz will be a C-segment alternative to cars like the Nissan Qashqai and Kia Niro, and will be offered with a hybrid powertrain from launch.
The Symbioz name is derived from the ancient Greek word ‘symbiosis’, which means ‘living together’. Renault’s head of naming strategy Sylvia Dos Santos wanted a badge with “human significance”, claiming Symbioz expresses the “close bond between a family and their car.”
We’ve only been issued a few teaser images of the car so far, but we know – as previously reported – that the Symbioz will sit between the Captur and Austral SUVs in Renault’s petrol and hybrid model range. Its introduction probably sounds the death knell for the maker’s unloved Arkana, with that model not due to be replaced when production comes to an end.
Measuring 4.41m-long, the Symbioz is only 15mm shorter than the popular Qashqai, and even closer in length to the aforementioned Kia. The teaser image of the car’s side profile reveals a relatively long roofline for the Symbioz, and hints that the design will borrow from the new all-electric Renault Scenic, including that car’s sharp vertical LED strakes and slim headlights, and angular front end design.
The single interior picture Renault has shared highlights the single-piece glass roof – also similar to the one found in the Scenic EV, that will utilise the same ‘Solarbay’ adjustable opacity technology. However, the rest of the interior design will be taken from the Captur small SUV and recently facelifted Clio supermini, that’s based on the free-standing portrait touchscreen and bank of switches beneath we can make out in the image.
We’ve no information on boot size or cabin dimensions, but Renault that the Symbioz will weigh “under 1,500kg.” An odd brag for a family crossover, but Renault is claiming “increased driving enjoyment and lower fuel consumption” as a result.
As such, Renault has confirmed the Symbioz will be offered with the maker’s E-Tech hybrid 145 engine, found in both the Clio supermini and Captur small SUV. No performance or fuel economy figures have been disclosed as yet.
The Symbioz will be revealed in the spring, possibly alongside a facelifted version of the Captur but exact dates for both cars’ unveilings have yet to be confirmed. It’s all but a given that the larger car will use Renault’s CMF-B HS (high specification) platform tech – opening up the possibility of a plug-in hybrid powertrain at a later date.
It’s not the first time Renault has used the Symbioz name, with the badge first appearing on an all-electric concept car in 2017. That model was a sleeker, more aero-focused executive car, featuring a powerful dual-motor powertrain and level 4 autonomous driving tech. At the time, it presented the brand’s vision for mobility in 2030.
By: Richard Ingram, Ellis Hyde