OFFICIAL NEW RENAULT 4

REVEALED Following in the footsteps of the hotly anticipated Renault 5, the 4 adds a dose of practicality and some SUV style

- Richard Ingram

WHILE the all-new Renault 5 has been busy living the last few months in the spotlight, its more sensible sister car - the electric R4 compact SUV - has been waiting in the wings, ready to capitalise on the brand's retro renaissance.

Inspired by the R4 of the sixties, as well as the 4EVER Trophy concept that was exhibited in 2022, the car you see here- and of which we were treated to a hands-on unveiling last week with chief designer Giles Vidal has now been revealed in full at this week's Paris Motor Show.

Going up against big-name rivals such as the Peugeot E-2008 and Vauxhall Mokka, as well the reigning Auto Express Car of the Year, the Citroen e-C3, the Renault 4 will dive head-first into the strongly contested B-segment electric - SUV market. It'll soon face tough competition from the hotly anticipated MINI Aceman, Ford Puma Gen-E and Kia EV3, too.

Despite sharing its AmpR Small platform with the 5, the 4.14-metre Renault 4 is 220mm longer than its sibling, with 80mm of that in the longer wheelbase. The 4 is roughly as wide as the 5, but fractionally taller; the newer model's 420-litre boot (1,400 litres with the seats down) and more spacious rear bench mean it's undoubtedly the more practical of Renault's electric newcomers.

With plenty of aesthetic nods to the original model - which sold more than eight million units globally during its 33-year production run between 1961 and 1994 - the French brand has modernised the 4 for the electric era. "The [R4] has to be cool and interesting for what it is," Vidal told us. "We had to stay true to the mission of the Renault 4".