Renault Symbioz review

The Renault Symbioz name might sound like it was invented to give Countdown players the fear, but it makes sense for this hybrid family SUV.

You see, it's derived from symbiosis – i.e. living and working well together – and that's pretty apt given that the Symbioz needs to flourish in Renault’s busy SUV line-up. It's one of a handful of SUVs the brand now sells, ranging from the Renault Captur to the (electric) Renault Scenic.

Of all those, the Symbioz is closest in size to the Renault Austral – another family SUV with seats for five – while mechanically it’s closer to the Captur, with a similar full-hybrid engine.

What about other rivals? Well, the best known is the Nissan Qashqai but there are plenty of other hybrid SUVs, including the Hyundai Tucson and Kia Sportage. If you can do without full-hybrid tech, there's the Mazda CX-5, Seat Ateca, Skoda Karoq and Volkswagen Tiguan.

Is the Renault Symbioz up to the job of challenging the best family SUVs? Let's find out...

Engine wise, the Renault Symbioz is available in one full-hybrid version – take it or leave it. It combines a 1.6-litre petrol unit, a main electric motor and a smaller motor for a combined 143bhp, sent to the front wheels (there's no four-wheel-drive option).

When you set off from a standstill, the Symbioz does the typical hybrid car party trick of getting away from the line reasonably swiftly under the power of the electric motor. You can run on electric power alone for short distances at lower speeds and it’s nippy enough around town. 

When the engine kicks in as you speed up, the transition from electric to petrol power is quite smooth but the engine revs soar – much like with a CVT gearbox – without much acceleration to match the amount of noise. By comparison, the Nissan Qashqai e-Power (which is always driven by an electric motor) makes less fuss when pushed, plus it’s a bit more responsive at speed.

In our testing, the Symbioz accelerated from 0-60mph in 9.8 seconds, which is only slightly slower than a Mazda CX-5 e-Skyactiv G (at 9.0 seconds) and a Qashqai DiG-T 158 (at 9.4 seconds) tested on the same day. The Qashqai e-Power should be even quicker: its official 0-62mph time is 7.9 seconds.

The Symbioz's mechanical brakes are integrated with the electric motor’s regenerative braking system so there’s not much response when you initially press the brake pedal, but after that the car comes to a halt from high speeds with composure.

When it comes to handling, the Symbioz doesn’t disgrace itself. You’d never call it exciting but there’s plenty of grip from the tyres and surprisingly little body lean even when you change direction suddenly.

However, the steering is light and there's not enough communication for you to feel particularly involved in the process. We wouldn't choose the Symbioz over, for example, a Seat Ateca as a fun-to-drive family SUV.

The suspension is firmer than on most rivals, and combined with the big 19in alloy wheel on the Iconic Esprit Alpine version we drove, gives a slightly jittery ride over patched-up roads, with speed bumps causing a bit of a thud. Thankfully, it’s not uncomfortable and the upside is that vertical body movement is tightly controlled.

The Symbioz has more of a split personality where noise is concerned. It’s quiet around town during the short periods it’s running on electric power. However, it’s one of the noisiest when the petrol engine is running, with a loud drone invading the interior, accompanied by vibrations felt through the pedals.

The racket continues at higher speeds when the engine is running continuously and the automatic gearbox tends to thump through its gears. What’s more, wind noise filters through as though the windows haven’t been closed properly. Rivals including the Mazda CX-5, Nissan Qashqai and Kia Sportage are much quieter.

“Because of its noisy engine, I ended up wishing the Symbioz would spend more time driving on the electric motors.” – George Hill, Used Car Writer

There’s little to fault with the Renault Symbioz’s driving position. The driver's seat has plenty of adjustment (electric in Techno Esprit Alpine trim and above) and lines up well with the steering wheel and pedals.  

You sit higher than you would in a family car, for a good view out, although the Mazda CX-5 driving position is slightly more elevated. Forwards and sideways visibility is decent, but the view over your shoulder and directly backwards is limited. Helpfully, a rear-view camera is standard, upgraded to a 360-degree camera on range-topping Iconic Esprit Alpine trim. The image displayed is disappointingly fuzzy though.

The Symbioz's infotainment system runs Google software through a 10.4in touchscreen, giving you access to more than 50 apps, including Spotify and Google Maps. Overall, it’s an easy system to use thanks to its simple lay-out, sharp graphics and quick responses.

Wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay smartphone connectivity are standard so you can to bypass the built-in system. The nine-speaker Harman Kardon stereo on top-spec Iconic Esprit Alpine trim is brilliantly immersive with plenty of bass.

The 10.25in digital driver’s display is intuitive to use and easily controlled using buttons on the steering wheel. Its graphics are sharp and easy to read, plus it offers several lay-out options, such as a sat-nav map or driving data.

Every Symbioz has two USB-C ports for each row of seats as well as wireless smartphone charging up front. Below the touchscreen there are physical switches for direct operation of the climate-control features, including interior temperature, fan speed, air distribution and screen de-misters front and rear.

It’s not quite as straightforward to use as the rotary dials in the Mazda CX-5 and Nissan Qashqai but it’s still far more user-friendly than the touchscreen-only controls you’ll find in the Ford Kuga and other family SUVs.

Depending on the trim level, prominent interior surfaces get differing treatments. There's fabric padding on the dashboard in front of the passenger on Esprit Alpine trims, while Iconic Esprit Alpine gets a blue trim finisher above it to add some colour.

However, it’s evident that the Symbioz’s interior has been lifted from the class below. Even though you get soft, squidgy plastic on top of the dashboard, everything you touch feels hard and hollow – the plastics on the doors are particularly unappealing.

“When I’m parking, the image displayed on the centre screen from the rear-view camera is so low-res it reminds me of an old phone from 10 years ago.” – Chris Haining, Sub-editor

Few adults will find any cause for complaint in the amount of room they have in the front of the Renault Symbioz. There’s just as much head and leg room than in the Nissan Qashqai but it does feel cosier than many rivals. Due to the Symbioz’s slimmer dimensions, you sit closer to the occupant beside you, while the footwells are narrower.

A slimmer centre console means the Symbioz has the smallest cubby under the armrest but you still get plenty of storage areas elsewhere. Each door pocket will take a 500ml water bottle and there are plenty of storage trays below the touchscreen.

Like the Renault Austral, the Symbioz has a sliding rear seat bench. With it slid all the way back, there’s enough leg room for six-footers when the front seats are occupied by similarly tall folk.

Those back-seat passengers will be happy enough with head room, but there’ll be more clearance above their heads in a Nissan Qashqai or Mazda CX-5. Plus, the way the Symbioz's roof curves to the side of the car means they might need to duck to get out.

A middle rear-seat passenger will struggle for head room because that section of the seat base is slightly raised. On the plus side, the central floor hump is quite small, so the passenger with the short straw should have a reasonable amount of foot space.

If you slide the rear seat bench all the way forwards to give you maximum boot space, most of the leg room disappears, rendering the rear seats a child-only zone.

In numbers, the boot volume ranges from 492 to 624 litres, which is generous. We managed to fit in seven carry-on suitcases with the boot at its smallest and eight at its biggest. For comparison, a Nissan Qashqai took seven case while a Mazda CX-5 managed eight.

The Symbioz has an adjustable-height boot floor, and in its highest setting it creates a flat load floor from the entrance all the way to the front seatbacks when the rear seats are folded down, creating a 1582-litre load bay. The Hyundai Tucson and Kia Sportage are more spacious in general though, and come with remote release levers in the boot so you can fold the rear seatbacks down quickly.

“At six foot five, I found myself surprisingly comfortable in the back seat of the Symbioz, although I did have to duck a bit when getting in and out.” – Chris Haining, Sub-editor

Where the Renault Symbioz lands its heaviest blow on the Nissan Qashqai and other family SUVs – on paper at least – is in terms of efficiency and list price.

Starting with price, in entry-level Techno trim the Symbioz undercuts a considerably less well-equipped Qashqai by hundreds or thousands of pounds (depending on the Qashqai's engine). That said, you can often find discounts that bring rivals' prices closer to the Symbioz's so it's worth checking our New Car Deals pages.

Efficiency-wise, the Symbioz returned an impressive 57mpg on our real-world test route. Against similarly-priced pure-petrol rivals, the Mazda CX-5 e-Skyactiv G achieved 38mpg and a Nissan Qashqai DiG-T 158 managed 36.9mpg. 

Meanwhile, the Symbioz's lower CO2 emissions and list price mean it attracts a fairly low BIK tax rate as a company car – although not as low as an electric SUV would.

All versions have much more than just the basics as standard. You get adaptive cruise control, dual-zone climate control, a wireless phone-charger, plus ambient interior lighting with 48 colours to choose from.

Stepping up to Techno Esprit Alpine gets you 19in alloy wheels and swisher interior trim, plus lane-centering assistance for the adaptive cruise control, a hands-free powered tailgate, heated front seats and a heated steering wheel.

Iconic Esprit Alpine trim adds a Solarbay panoramic roof, but unless you really want those items we don't think it's worth the considerable extra cost.

The Symbioz comes with plenty of safety tech, including automatic emergency braking (AEB) with pedestrian and cyclist detection, and lane-keeping assistance. Blind-spot assistance comes with mid-range Techno Esprit Alpine trim and above.

Despite that, the model scored a slightly disappointing four stars out of five when it was safety tested by independent experts Euro NCAP. One of the reasons for the score was that it was found to provide a low level of protection for the driver’s chest in both front and side impacts. Many cars and SUVs hold the full five stars.

Every Renault sold in the UK comes with a three-year, 60,000-mile warranty. Plenty of rivals offer better warranties, notably Kia, which gives you seven years or 100,000 miles. The Symbioz's hybrid battery is covered separately for eight years or 100,000 miles, whichever comes first. There’s a guarantee of the battery maintaining at least a 63% maximum capacity in that time.

The Symbioz did not feature in our 2024 What Car? Reliability Survey but Renault finished in a strong ninth place out of 31 brands ranked. Kia finished eighth, Mazda came 16th and Nissan was a lowly 28th.

“Sometimes the entry-level model is limited to just a few exterior paint colours, but I like that Techno trim actually has the most, gaining an extra Mercury Blue finish.” – Lawrence Cheung, New Cars Editor

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