Is there a place for the Symbioz in Renault's overcrowded range of mid-sized SUVs? Jonathan Crouch decides.
Ten Second Review
The Symbioz Hybrid offers yet another Renault option for customers in search of a C-segment crossover. It's a more spacious, versatile and trendy take on a Captur. Which for the right kind of customer might make it very appealing indeed.
Background
You can never have too much of a good thing - or so Renault thinks when it comes to C-segment SUVs. If you want something a little larger than the brand's supermini-based B-segment Captur crossover, the company already offers the Arkana and then the fractionally larger Austral and Rafale models. Or, if you want an EV, the Scenic E-Tech Electric. Nevertheless, here's yet another alternative from the brand to consider, the Symbioz.
Renault course thinks the Symbioz model's place in the range is quite distinct. The company needs to offer a direct alternative to the lower mid-sized crossover C-segment sales leader, Nissan's Qashqai. The Austral is a little too large and expensive to fully fill that role, the Arkana and the Rafale are Coupe-SUVs and the Scenic is electric and therefore too pricey. Renault loyalists might expect the Symbioz to be electric too, since this was a name first used back in 2017 for one of the brand's full-EV concept models. But that was a much bigger, more ambitious kind of design. This Symbioz (its name borrowed from the French word 'symboise' meaning 'living together') is basically just a super-sized version of the Captur. But that could be exactly what many young families want.
Driving Experience
Only one drivetrain is being offered to UK Symbioz customers. That's Renault's E-Tech full hybrid 145 set-up. Renault makes much of the way the design of this car's engine borrows from its F1 racing technology. Like the brand's racing powerplant, this one is extremely compact and features two electric motors, one with 36kW on the rear of the gearbox and one with 15kW on top of the transmission, along with a four-cylinder 1.6-litre normally aspirated petrol engine which contributes most to the 145hp total output. 62mph takes 10.6s en route to 106mph. The gearbox is an auto of course (but of the more unusual 'dog box' clutchless variety) and the motor is powered by 1.2 kWh lithium-ion battery pack located beneath the boot floor. The rest of the drivetrain has somehow been shoehorned beneath the bonnet.
There's plenty of mid-range pulling power, so plenty of scope for enthusiastic progress here, particularly if you select the most dynamic of the three drive modes on offer - 'Sport'. But you're not going to want to use that too often for fear of decimating the frugal fuel returns which would have prompted you to choose this car in the first place. For the best readings, you'll most of the time want to stay in 'MySense', a hybrid setting which blends the petrol and electric motor output for maximum economy. In town, you might want to select the 'Pure' mode (or the 'EV' button on the centre console) which prioritises battery-electric drive up to about 38mph, providing there's sufficient charge. Renault claims that a Symbioz E-Tech Hybrid will be able to travel for 80 per cent of urban journeys on battery power alone. There's also a further 'Brake' setting on the gear lever, which increases throttle lift-off electrical regeneration.
Design and Build
The Symbioz was developed alongside the latest version of the Captur, which you could tell from a glance at the nose because from the front, the two cars are almost identical. The differences become obvious in profile, where the CMF-B platform undergirds bodywork stretched to 4,413mm in length, 186mm longer than a Captur and 97mm shorter than an Austral. Size-wise, it's basically a combustion alternative to the Scenic E-Tech Electric. The rear styling is unique, featuring sculpted lights with the 3D 'ice cube' effect. Wheel sizes are 18 or 19 inch.
It's a similar design story behind the wheel. The front is pretty much the same as a Captur, which means you get a portrait-orientated 10.4-inch central touchscreen running Renault's Google-based 'OpenR Link' infotainment system. Plus there's a 10.3 inch customisable digital driver's display.
The key differences over the Captur are obviously further back. Renault hasn't used this Symbioz model's extra body length to add in the kind of optional third seating row you'd get on a rival Vauxhall Frontera or Citroen C3 Aircross. But the second row is noticeably more spacious and usable than you'd get in cars like those, with up to 221mm of knee room and a bench that slides by up to 160mm. With top-spec trim, there's the Solarbay sunroof with automatic tinting electrochromatic glass that we first saw on the Scenic E-Tech. Out back, that sliding bench can vary boot space between 492 and 624-litres (70-litres more than a Captur). And with the 60:40-split backrest folded, there's 1,582-litres of luggage space.
Market and Model
Prices start from just over £29,000 - which is around £4,000 more than a Captur Hybrid. There are three trim levels - 'evolution', 'techno esprit Alpine' and 'iconic esprit Alpine'. The latter top two trim levels have 19-inch wheels, sporty features and elegant nods to the Alpine brand. All variants come with Renault's 10.4-inch 'Open R Link' central screen with wireless smartphone-mirroring, Google Maps and Google Voice Assistant built in. Plus there's Google Automotive services including navigation and an Arkamys audio system with 6-speakers. Also fitted are a 10.25-inch digital driver's display and a wireless charging mat. And there's a rear view camera, a modular boot floor and auto high beam LED headlights.
As you'd expect, the Symbioz is on a par with the best for active and passive safety. New-generation driving aids, such as Active Driver Assist, with Level 2 autonomous driving, and Predictive Hybrid Driving (with the hybrid powertrain) optimise efficiency by maximising the use of electrical energy while driving. The European General Safety Regulation (GSR2) requires some ADAS features to be activated by default every time the car is started. For this purpose, a function to the left of the steering wheel - My Safety Switch - lets drivers enable or disable their preferred settings for five ADAS at the same time, at the touch of a button.
Cost of Ownership
You're not going to be able to go very far on all-electric drive in this Symbioz E-Tech full hybrid, but that's not the point of the HEV powertrain. Instead, it's there to constantly cut in and out with battery power at urban speeds. As a result, this Hybrid 145 model's official 60.1mpg figure should be quite real-world achievable, as should its quoted 105g/km CO2 reading. You can see why Renault doesn't offer a Symbioz diesel.
Of course, official figures are one thing; actual day-to-day returns are another and mindful of this, Renault has provided a variety of e-driving tools to enable Symbioz Hybrid drivers to get as close as possible to the stated readings. As you drive, you'll need to keep a close eye on the central dial, keeping its needle as often as possible in the 'Charge' rather than the 'Power' section. You'll also want to make use of the piano key-style EV drive mode button below the central screen. This is for slow town traffic and when activated, it prioritises battery-electric drive up to about 27mph, providing there's sufficient charge. Renault reckons that it should be possible for a Symbioz E-Tech full hybrid 145 owner to drive around town at low speeds in all-electric mode for 80% of the time. On the open road, remember to switch the auto gear lever to its 'B' position so that you can maximise regenerative brake energy harvesting and so preserve battery charge.
Summary
Renault calls Symbioz a 'sexy box'. You might not see it quite like that, but this car does bring a dash of extra style to the Qashqai sector. And, as the brand says, should be a 'very good answer for a lot of families'. There's an emphasis on practicality here that the company says evokes the spirit of some of its past family models, the 16 saloon of the 1960s and the Espace of the 1980s.
Interestingly, Renault is also implying that choosing a Symbioz Hybrid might be a more sensible choice than an electric vehicle right now. Paula Fabregat, the marque's small car design chief, calls it 'more rational and less emotional than an EV'. We'd be minded to agree - and you might too.
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