New Renault Symbioz hybrid family SUV to spawn electric sibling

Anyone who’s loaded their car to the rafters with children and luggage is likely to appreciate the ethos behind the new Renault Symbioz; it’s designed to be among the most spacious family SUVs you can buy.

Intended to slot in between the current Renault Captur and Renault Austral SUVs, the Symbioz will count the class-leading Kia Sportage, the big-selling Nissan Qashqai and the super-practical Skoda Karoq among its key rivals. And like the Sportage, it’ll be offered with hybrid power.

At launch, the Symbioz will use the same 1.6-litre petrol engine and electric motor that we’ve already tried in the Renault Clio hatchback – our reigning champion in the small car market. With a 143bhp in total when petrol and electric power join forces, acceleration should be peppy, and with it being a hybrid you’ll be able to run on electric power alone over short distances.

If you want to go greener, the Symbioz range is expected to include a plug-in hybrid option soon after launch, and a fully electric version is likely to arrive later. Fittingly, the Symbioz name was previously used on a Renault concept car in 2017, which showed the brand's vision for an electric car in the year 2030.

While Renault has only released darkened teaser images of the Symbioz for now (below) our artist illustration at the top of this storyshows how the car could eventually look.

As with the exterior of the Symbioz, we're yet to see inside the car fully, but we know it’ll be offered with the brand’s Solarbay electrically tinted sunroof, which came third in our Technology Award at this year’s What Car? Car of the Year Awards. Also featured on the upcoming Rafale and Scenic SUVs, Solarbay technology allows the panoramic sunroof to be made opaque in sections (at the touch of a button)  – keeping the kids cool in the back seats, for example, while allowing you to enjoy the sunshine up front.

Elsewhere, the Symbioz is expected to borrow the Clio’s digital dials and touchscreen infotainment system – which we’ve found easy to get along with, thanks to its crisp graphics and fast responses. 

While Renault has yet to reveal just how much you can cram into the Symbioz’s boot, the bar to be beaten is the eight carry-on suitcases swallowed by the Skoda Karoq.

Prices for the Symbioz are likely to start from around £30,000 – more than you’d pay for a Qashqai or Karoq, but less than for hybrid versions of the Sportage.

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