Renault upgrades Megane E-Tech Electric

Renault has unveiled an update for its Megane E-Tech Electric, boosting range, performance and technology, writes Brian Byrne. The revised model gets a redesigned front end with new lighting, grille and a sportier bumper.

A new 67kWh lithium iron phosphate (LFP) battery, paired with a 220hp motor, delivers up to 500km WLTP range and 0–100km/h in 7.6 seconds. DC rapid charging is now up to 165kW, cutting 15–80% top-ups to about 24 minutes. Vehicle-to-Load allows owners to power external devices from the car.

Inside, the Megane retains Renault’s OpenRLink cockpit with a 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster, 12-inch touchscreen, Google built-in services, EV route planning and voice control, with Google Gemini AI to follow in a future update. More than 30 driver assistance systems are available.

Irish pricing, detailed specifications and launch timing will be confirmed closer to arrival. 

Renault 4 E-Tech Electric Review: Brian Byrne, Irish Car

There are little things that are really big in satisfaction impact in the car business, writes Brian Byrne. One of these is the button that Renault and its Dacia subsidiary provide — a simple system to switch off annoying ‘driver assistance’ settings. It’s a single button, a real one, to the left of the steering wheel in most of their cars. You tap it twice to slip into a ‘personal’ selection of ADAS features, which leave out selected annoyances such as the attention monitor camera and the lane departure ‘assist’. You can also switch off the speed warning, but perhaps with the new 30 km/h urban limits coming in, it might be wise to leave that operating. Besides, most of us, including me, don’t particularly want to drive at speeds above the limit.

Why do I like this button so much? Because it is just that. There’s no need to tap through several layers of the screen menu, either before you drive away or when you already have and forgot to make the switch.

This whole thought was prompted by my recent excursions with the new Renault 4 E-Tech Electric, the French carmaker’s less sexy-looking of two related B-segment electric cars, the other being the 5 E-Tech. Mind you, beauty is, as always, in the eye of the beholder, and for my look, I’m probably more attracted to the R4. It may seem a bit more square than the R5 hatchback, but then I was never a boy-racer type even when that was a thing in my earlier driving years. And the original Renault 4 of the 1960s through the mid-80s had far from any racing ideas, as a frumpy but nevertheless visually engaging family carry-all. An automotive tote bag, if you like.

The new R4 E-Tech is, in its class, also geared towards the family need rather than the sporty hatch R5. It’s longer, taller, and with some extra wheelbase, it also offers more rear legroom than the other. In addition to extra headroom inside, it stands higher, thus making for easier entry and egress. In the cargo stakes, you can load 29 per cent more stuff in the R4. To further distinguish it, they call it a crossover, verging on a small SUV. The to-me cheerful turquoise of the review car might not be to everyone's taste, but I thought the whole thing looked really good along with the contrasting black roof and wheel arch covers and the roof rails.

Inside, apart from the extra space as mentioned, and of course model badging, the R4 is identical to its companion car, in style, controls design, and fittings. There's a solid look to the housing for the combined infotainment and driver instrumentation screens, a slight bend in the middle allowing the former to tilt towards the driver. There's a good set of real toggle switches on the centre stack for climate control, while the screens themselves have what are currently my favourite graphics designs in the business. The gently hexagonal style of the steering wheel is actually more comfortable to use than it looks. Renault is also maintaining its reputation for comfortable seating here. Anyone who got in for a look was genuinely pleased with what they saw, even one person who drives a substantially more expensive EV.

The powertrain motor outputs 150hp, which offers a peppy 8.2 s to 100km/h. My calculations over my time with the car suggested a real range in or around 340km. Which worked out quite well for me in a period where I had to do a number of longish runs, including an airport drop-off that left me with 13 per cent battery when I got home. A colleague said she would be freaking out at that, but because the operating system is by Google, it tells you when you start out what charge will be left at the destination. So I wasn't worried. Just to note that the car's 75kW charging system gave me a 70 per cent top-up in 30 minutes.

I left it back with a lot of positive things to ponder. Not least that there's now really good competition in reasonably priced, small family electric cars.

PRICE: From €26,995 after grants. WHAT I LIKED: A modern automotive family tote can look and feel pretty cool.

 

Canvas top option for Renault R4 electric

Renault has extended the model choice for its all-new Renault 4 E-Tech Electric in Ireland with the introduction of the Plein Sud, writes Brian Byrne. It's a new variant featuring a large electrically operated canvas roof.

Available with a 52kWh battery and 110kW electric motor, the Plein Sud brings an open-air driving experience to Renault’s latest electric small car while retaining the practicality of the standard model, including five seats, a 420-litre boot and 750kg towing capacity.

Priced from €34,495, the Renault 4 E-Tech Electric Plein Sud is available to order now as a distinctive new option for Irish buyers. 

Renault 4 E-Tech review: Trish Whelan, Irish Car

Renault R4 E-Tech reinvented as everyday compact EV. The original Renault 4, introduced in 1961, sold over eight million units worldwide. It was the French carmaker’s first family car with a front-drive engine, the quirky gear shift being in the centre dash. A family member has fond memories of driving two 4Ls in the ‘60s, recalling how well they drove with excellent suspension over poor country roads, how economical they were, and how affordable they were to buy. A car for its time and place. His 4Ls were used to bring greyhounds to the track when the back seat bench was lifted out. 

The new retro-inspired Renault R4 electric car was launched here as a B-segment urban crossover in December 2025 with many design cues from the iconic original. Renault says the new R4 E-Tech taps into the DNA of the original model to reinvent itself as a versatile, everyday compact car. Designers and engineers have worked wonders at bringing the original car into a modern era as an electric vehicle. Retro cues include a unique single-piece illuminated grille, round headlights, a modern reinvention of the three-part rear lights, and many other touches. It is the first Renault car to feature a backlit emblem at the centre of its face. Front and rear bumpers come with vertical overriders, also harking back to the original, as does a sticker stretching from the windscreen’s sides to the chunky wheel arches. Eighteen-inch wheels are standard. 

My car was in a lovely new shade called Hauts-de-France Green, which pays tribute to the Ole-de-France Blue of the 1960s with a contrasting black roof and roof rails. The ‘4’ figure is highlighted at the rear. The R4 E-Tech electric is designed to be bigger and more spacious than the latest Renault 5, thanks to its 2.62m wheelbase. The narrowish, but wide, windscreen, high dashboard, and dark materials, including the low black roofliner, gave me a sense of being cocooned in the car, but the interior is really top class, oozing French chic. The black quilted textile trim with yellow top-stitching and ribbon with the French flag colours on the dashboard highlight that the car is French-made. I also liked the LED backlit Renault 4 logo on the front passenger’s dash that changes colour depending on your choice of ambient lighting. 

Screens are the same as the R5 E-Tech; a large and curved 10.1-inch multimedia infotainment screen is angled towards the driver, and with the OpenR Link system, compatible with wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay connectivity. It has Google built in, including Google Maps with charging route planning. A row of permanent controls along the base includes temperature, heated steering wheel and front seat controls, and air direction. The recessed dark green 10-inch digital driver’s cluster is clear and easy to read. We’ve become familiar with all the stalks on the right side of steering columns in Renaults, but it’s confusing. These include the transmission selector, wipers, radio and volume control, and the Multi Sense control for drive modes of Eco, Comfort, Sport and Personal. The steering wheel also has paddles that select from four regenerative braking levels, with energy recovery optimised with every deceleration, and enables One Pedal driving. 

Colourful and comfy seats are in black leather-type upholstery and greyish materials on side bolsters and doors. My seat had manual adjustments and a lumbar support setting. There are two USB-C sockets (front and back), and a wireless phone charging pad. Those in the rear benefit from good knee and headroom, but the middle seat back is fixed upright. My ionic grade car had a power tailgate, a low loading lip, boot space of 420 litres, and a 55-litre area under the floor for the cables. With rear seats folded down, luggage space grows to 1,405 litres. 

Three trims are offered - Evolution, Techno, and Iconic. My car had all-around parking sensors, blind spot warning, rear cross traffic alert, rear occupant safe exit alert, adaptive cruise control, a 360-degree camera, a very good reversing camera, hands-free parking, and pedestrian and cyclist recognition. I turned off the driver attention alert and all the lane departure warnings, as I find them all annoying. The My Safety switch allows you to customise your settings. 

The entry Evolution grade is only offered with the smaller 40kWh ‘Urban Range’ battery with 120hp and a range of 308kms; the 52kWh ‘Comfort Range’ battery with a 150hp motor and 245Nm torque, and claimed range of up to 409km (nearer 350kms in real-world driving), has a 0-100km/h time of 8.2 seconds and can charge from 15-80 percent in 30 minutes with DC fast charging, or in 7 h 47 m from a 7.4 kW wall box. Batteries come with an 8-year, or 160,000km warranty. The charging port is located near the front passenger door. 

The R4 is nimble and agile with a turning circle of just 10.8 m, ideal for driving on city streets, as is the light steering. It’s also quite a fun drive for a good everyday car, which suits most families with small children. The car comes with increased ground clearance, and the suspension has been optimised for a smoother, more comfortable ride. 

The R4 E-Tech was awarded a four-star safety rating when tested by Euro NCAP, and achieved a top five-star rating in Green NCAP for sustainability and low emissions. 

The entry-level 40kWh is priced from €27,995; the 52kWh 150hp from €30,995-€34,995.

Renault 5 review: Trish Whelan, Irish Car

Renault has tapped into the current popular retro trend by reinventing its original Renault 5 compact car with a new 5 electric car designed for modern city driving, competitively priced at just under €26k, and with a decent electric range of up to 410 km. The original petrol-powered model, produced between 1972 and 1996, was quite a chic little hatchback that mainly appealed to younger buyers but sold around nine million units over its two generations. This new ‘5’ is light years ahead of that earlier version in design and spec, the main difference being that it is an all-electric vehicle. 

The new car has clocked up over 290 sales since launch in late March, with 70 snapped up sight-unseen by previous Renault 5 owners. Now with five doors, this stunning reinvention is targeted at a new generation of young buyers. The Pop Yellow exterior of my review car never failed to put a smile on my face every morning, no matter the weather. Features were a black roof with a narrow red roof line, black side mirrors, unusually shaped LED headlights, big black wheel arches and rear privacy glass. A battery monitor high up on the bonnet shows the level your battery is charged to; the charging port is on the front left side of the car. Eighteen-inch wheels reach out to the corners, giving the vehicle a sporty and solid stance. At the rear, the traditional brake lights climb upwards, and there's a rear wiper. 

The cabin is well designed with nice fit and finish, but the bright interior colours in my review car would not be my choice. My figure-hugging driver’s seat had manual adjustments, and the number 5 appears on the seat backs. A Winter Pack included heated front seats and a heated steering wheel. The dash layout is really good, dominated by a large padded area of artificial leather on the passenger side, a large curved screen with a 10.1-inch central infotainment screen with Google’s OpenR Link built in, and an equally big digital driver’s cluster. A row of toggle switches below was for climate control, air conditioning and fan. The transmission selector is on the right of the steering column, but annoyingly doesn’t include a Park setting. A circular satellite knob is for driving mode selections of Eco, Comfort and Sport. There’s also a Perso, or Personalised, mode for custom settings and a B (Brake) mode for stronger regenerative braking to help recharge the battery. I always use this Perso mode in both Renault and Dacia press cars as it allows me to turn off road sign recognition and lane departure warning alerts that really annoy. You get two C-type USB ports, a 12V power socket and a wireless phone charging pad. 

Rear headroom for tall people is quite tight, as is foot space under the front seats, but there’s a flat floor. No charging ports here for devices, though, and no rear seat armrest. The foldable rear bench can split 60/40, and the boot size of 326 litres can extend to 1106 litres with rear seats folded down. There’s just a tyre compressor kit for punctures. Features included a rear parking sensor and a very good rear-view camera, but no blind spot monitors, which I believe should come as standard in every car. 

The entry-level car's 40kWh battery, paired with a 120bhp electric motor, delivers a claimed range of up to 310 km WLTP. Three trims are offered: Evolution, Techno or Iconic. The more powerful 52kWh battery is available in the two upper grades, paired with a 150bhp electric motor with a driving range of up to 410 km. When I recharged, 390 km was indicated at full charge. 

With DC fast charging, you can top up the car from 15% to 80% in half an hour. Charging with a 7kW wallbox will take nine hours. The car’s new 11 kW AC bi-directional charger features V2L (vehicle-to-load) capacity, allowing you to power a 220 V appliance from your car’s battery with a simple adapter. This charger is fitted as standard on all versions. Designed for city streets, the new ‘5’ has a tight turning circle of 10.5m, and can park in a small space. 

You sit low in this little beauty, which adds to the sporty feel and makes you feel more connected to the car, and it is a lot of fun to drive. The suspension is good, the car handles well and comes nicely balanced. Acceleration time from 0-100km/h is 8.0 secs, which is peppy enough for a city car. 

This new Renault 5 EV is built on the company's new AmpR small platform at Renault’s plant in Douai, France, a dedicated electric vehicle platform designed to underpin future models in the segment. 

The car has been awarded a 4-star Euro NCAP safety rating, excelling in pedestrian protection and advanced safety systems, but had some areas for improvement. The model was voted European Car of the Year 2025 by international journalists. My car is priced from €32,995; with metallic paint from €33,820 (prices include SEAI grant). Annual road tax is €120.

 

 

Two new powertrains and Evolution trim for Renault Symbioz

Renault’s Symbioz is now available in two new powertrains - the TCe mild hybrid 140 manual (pictured above) and the E-Tech full hybrid 160, broadening the appeal of the compact family SUV to Irish drivers, writes Trish Whelan. 

For 252, the TCe 140, with a 6-speed manual gearbox is now available in the new entry Evolution trim bringing the entry price of the range to €31,995. This powertrain features a 1.3 4-cylinder petrol turbo engine boosted by a 12v mild hybrid system and with consumption of 5.8 L/100km. 

A new E-Tech hybrid 160 engine is introduced with the new Evolution trim from €34,995 and comes standard with 10.2-inch touchscreen, rear parking cameras and sensors, and auto climate control as well as additional features from he launch model. The E-Tech hybrid is pictured below.

 

Renault 5 Review: Brian Byrne, Irish Car

There’s a trend among carmakers to use historic icons as revival touchstones, writes Brian Byrne. Ford did it a few years back with the Puma and more recently with the Capri. Opel has a new Frontera upcoming. And Renault has revived two nameplates from its past, 5 and 4. I’m not sure that those old enough to remember the originals are people who would be buying the new versions, and I wonder if much of the marketing hype they're accompanied with is redundant? Not least because the revived models are quite different in most respects to those which originally carried their monikers. The new Capri is a large SUV with a coupé roofline; the Frontera was originally a working SUV, returning as a small crossover.

Maybe the new Renault 5 is closest to the size and buyer cohort of its original. Certainly, I got comments from guys driving large family SUVs that they remembered their 1970s R5s with affection, even longing. But none of them are in the business now of going back to their youth driving roots.

That said, the new 5 is a snappy little thing, and no doubt there will be a version with more power to try and capture the original Gordini variant's hot hatch ethos. That did come before the Golf GTI, after all. That the car is now only an EV is simply a powertrain matter — it's easy to dial up electric power.

There’s a no-nonsense boxy style to the 2025 car, which suggests good people packaging. But in one key respect that doesn’t work — the rear seat space doesn’t offer enough knee-room behind an any way long-legged driver. But for an owner who is basically a singleton, and better yet a bit on the shorter side, that’s not going to be a concern. Certainly, they’ll like the style, with the copper-gold adornment on the gutter-line nicely setting off the midnight blue of the review car. Funky front running lights, the clean treatment of the rear, and a variety of tilts at legend with ‘5’ decals and badging. Even what used to be an air intake on top of the bonnet flashbacks to Le Cinq — it now serves as an external charging indicator.

They’ll probably react well too to the interior design, following in many respects the styling and graphics of other recent new models from Renault, which I've already said are on a design roll. The diffused yellow trim in my review car was to me cheerful, but to another journo was brash and ugly. Taste is always individual.

The two screens are conjoined, in a one-piece housing with the infotainment part angled towards the driver. This allows good sight-lines for both and deals with what could otherwise be a glare problem. Proper switches for climate control, under the centre air vents, are welcome.

There's the usual chorale of beeps from the mandatory 'driving aid' tech, but it's muted enough to not annoy ... and there's a single switch to turn off the ones you don't want. I liked also that there's an actual start-stop button: I'm really unimpressed with the trend across the industry to switch everything on when you sit into a car. The transmission shift is that Renault steering column stalk, but I miss the 'Park' button that's not part of it.

There are two battery options, 40kWh and 52kWh with rated ranges of 310km and 410km respectively. Mine was the latter and around 370km did seem to be probable. Certainly if most of your motoring is in city traffic, it will be quite frugal and long-travelling. The battery difference cost, grade for grade, is €3,000.

The drive was perky, with a respectable 8 seconds 0-100km/h capability reflecting the 150hp offered in my review car, and helped by a multi-link rear suspension it didn't have the somewhat dead road feel that some EVs give in certain conditions. The smaller battery version offers 120hp and still reaches the ton in 9.2 seconds.

The look of the new-era R5 cheers me, as does the cabin ambience and the quality and design of the trim and controls. I had a constant smile as I tipped around my home place in a car that is styled to feel fun as well as being practical. Now that family is long scattered around the globe, it would be fine for the pair of us. I never owned an original 5, but we rented one once while on holiday in the Netherlands, so it does prompt memories.

Next up, a regenerated Ford Model T? All the fun of the Flivver ...

PRICE: From €25,995; review car, top of the range, €32,995. WHAT I LIKED: It's right for its time. 

Review: Renault Symbioz EV - Trish Whelan, Irish Car

Renault has introduced a host of new vehicles over the last year, all signalling huge leaps forward in terms of design, interior style, comfort and drivability. These include the multi-award winning New Scenic, flagship Rafale, updated Captur, and Symbioz hybrid compact SUV. The latest is the new all-electric Renault 5 voted European Car of the Year 2025, and a new Renault 4 due here soon. Designed to fit in the line-up between the B-segment Captur and larger Austral, Symbioz is the French carmaker’s new entry level model in the all-important C-segment. Renault say it is designed for both city traffic and family life. 

Symbioz is an attractive looking motor that isn’t over-the-top in exterior styling, and this will be appreciated by those buyers not looking for a get-in-your-face type SUV as their family car. In the front, the radiator grille is styled as micro-diamonds and is adorned with a graphic effect and, at the rear, the Symbioz signature emphasises the car’s sharp lines. 

My review car was the top Esprit Alpine grade in a lovely exterior of Ceramic Grey Metallic. Distinctive features include a matte grey F1 strip, special 19-inch Esprit Alpine wheels and Alpine badging on the front wings. The cabin is flooded with light from the panoramic solarbay sunroof which has four different opacity configurations; the technology involved does away with the need for a blind. Really comfy seats were covered in black fabric and synthetic leather with nice designs on the bolsters. The upholstery is stitched in Alpine blue and the distinctive badge features a blue/white/red flag on the seat backs and dash. My seat had power adjustments. 

The dash and instruments layout are the same as the 2024 updated Captur, and work just fine as you get to see all the information clearly. The vertically aligned 10.4-inch central touchscreen display and customisable 10.25-inch digital driver screen come with colourful graphics and connect you to the openR link multimedia system technology with Google built-in. You can plan a trip, adjust the temperature or the opacity of the panoramic sunroof by saying ‘Hey Google’ and giving your instructions via the Voice Assistant. There are permanently-on virtual buttons and piano-style switches for climate, heat controls for the steering wheel and for the front seats. There’s a wireless phone charger on the dash and two small C-type USBs front and back. Cubbies include a narrow but deep area below the front armrest, a glovebox that reaches far inwards, a storage area nearer the floor out of sight of the driver, and generous door bins. 

Rear space could be tight enough with tall people seated in front even with the big knee indents on the front seat backs; the middle seat is slightly smaller than the outer two and there’s a tunnel here to manoeuvre feet around. With the rear bench seat folded down, luggage capacity expands from 492 litres to a very good 625 litres. 

Trims are Techno, Techno Esprit Alpine, and Iconic Esprit Alpine. With full hybrid technology, the car switches automatically between different traction modes to reduce the use of the petrol engine and fuel consumption. Full hybrid E-Tech vehicles don’t need to be plugged in as they recharge themselves when you brake or decelerate. The four-cylinder 1.6 hybrid unit outputs 145hp and produces 250Nm torque. It's mated to a 6-speed automatic transmission system that we are familiar with from other Renault cars. The system always starts in electric mode allowing you remain in full-electric mode up to 80pc of the time in the city with fuel savings of up to 40pc compared with a conventional combustion engine. From 0-100km/h takes 10.6 secs and road tax €180. An E-Save function optimises fuel consumption by maintaining the battery charge to ensure there is always sufficient power to negotiate slopes without losing speed, or to overtake with only the electric motor as boost. 

Symbioz has a WLTP cycle of 4.6 L/100kms; a total of 1,000kms is available on a full tank of petrol. There are 29 Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) onboard including active emergency braking system - urban and pedestrian/cyclist - rear cross traffic alert, adaptive cruise control with speed limiter and hands-free Park Assist; my car's spec included full LED front and rear lights, a rear fog light, three driving modes, a 360deg around view 3D reversing camera, good blind spot monitors, all-round parking sensors and a Harman Kardon premium audio system. 

On the road, I found the petrol engine can rev high at times especially driving in urban areas or after accelerating and there was a good bit of road noise coming through into the cabin which often necessitated turning up the radio volume, but on the whole, I enjoyed driving the car on all types of routes. Symbioz was awarded four out of a possible five stars for safety by Euro NCAP and is built at Renault’s Valladolid plant in Spain. 

Prices are from €36,995-€41,395 (€40,370 without metallic paint).

 

 

Renault revises Austral

Renault have revised their Austral SUV with a completely re-designed front and rear ends, writes Brian Byrne. Along with a new lights signature shape, the move brings the car into line with more recent models.

Inside there are improved front seats and new upholstery and better soundproofing.

The car has a 200hp full hybrid automatic powertrain, offering a rated 4.7L/100km in fuel use.

There are three trim levels and the car is expected in first European markets before the summer.

Renault 5 review: Brian Byrne, Irish Car

Whether reviving once-iconic nameplates by carmakers launching new electric cars is a worthwhile marketing tactic is open to argument, especially if the model has long been absent, writes Brian Byrne. At least the Fiat 500 had actually been around in recent decades as combustion-engined models before a dedicated EV version was rolled out. Ford has done it with the Capri, which most of today's potential buyers wouldn't be old enough to have driven the original. And now we have Renault which introduced their new R5 to Ireland in the last few weeks. Nearly three decades since the original R5 supermini left its deservedly iconic status and rolled into the twilight of automotive nirvana. I remember it, but then I'm a tad older than most of you reading this.

Anyway, I've had a first drive in what has already won the 2025 European Car of the Year award and is tilting at more. Even with the short introduction, I've been impressed enough to suggest that Renault has another winner here, at least with the car buying public. That's already being shown in pan-Europe sales, where the car last month jumped to fourth place in the 25 most-registered battery electric vehicle list. With Tesla sales tanking as they are, the March results may well see it climb to a podium place.

Styling plays a big part of a car's success in the B supermini segment, and in that the new R5 has batted a full six. The echo cues of the distant original are there, but today and tomorrow's customers will be attracted for the sheetmetal detail of a thoroughly modern motor. Funkily bright colours, and a fair level of available customisation outside and in will certainly help. A quite clean front with a rakishly sporty bumper line includes very distinctive square corners daylight running lights. The smooth rear hatch is a neat canvas for the rear lights design and the full-width band including the new 5 graphic that appears throughout the car.

As I've said of the current batch of general Renault cars, the company's stylists are on a roll at the moment and that's just as evident inside their latest small car. An integrated housing for the navigation-entertainment and driver information screens has a chunky look, and those screen graphics are bright, clear and intuitive. Padded and textured dashboard and cabin trims have a quality look, and both front occupants have plenty of room and comfort. Be aware, though, that my 6'2" and leggy length does not fit easily in the rear behind somebody long-legged in front. There's good storage space in the centre console as the transmission selector is in current Renault practice on a steering column stalk.

Like the Zoe which it replaces, the new R5 will only be produced in BEV form. There are two battery options, with rated ranges of 310km and 410km respectively — for interest, it's €3,000 extra if a buyer opts for the bigger energy unit. There are three grades available, with a €2,000 'walk' between them.

In what was a relatively short driving experience with the car, it showed itself to be nippy and equally at home in motorway or suburban traffic. A multi-link rear axle makes for noticeably better handling and ride than the Zoe. Overall, I came back from the drive with a smile on my face, which bodes well for how things could turn out when I get a full drive evaluation.

PRICE: From €25,995. WHAT I LIKED: A cute, colourful and competent car with excellent prospects. 

Renault introduces new electric R5 and R4

Renault celebrated on the double last week with the launch of two new electric models, the R5 and R4 at the Renault store in Dundrum Shopping Centre, writes Trish Whelan. 

The Renault Four (pictured below), launched in the early sixties as a practical and affordable family car, has been reimagined for a new era with a modern twist on the original design. There will be a choice of 52kWh battery with 150hp and a 409km range, or a 40kWh battery and 120hp with a range of 308km. The car is slightly bigger and roomier than the new Renault 5 electric and will be available to order for 252 registrations. 

The new R5 electric (pictured above and voted European Car of the Year 2025), is designed for the city with a short length and a long wheelbase and features a multi-link rear axle for better handling and a tight turning circle. There are two battery options - a 40kWh paired with a 120bhp electric motor and range of up to 310km WLTP, and a 52kWh battery paired with a 150bhp electric motor that extends the range to 410km. Over 100 pre-orders have already been received indicating strong demand with the first three orders coming from past owners of the model. The R5 E-Tech is priced from €25,995-€29,995 including SEAI grant.

The Renault Pop up Store is the first of its kind in Ireland, designed to engage the public in a new and exciting way. The store has welcomed over 20,000 visitors since it opened in January serving as an interactive hub for exploring the new Renault range and aims to bridge the knowledge gap about electric vehicles (TVs) in a relaxed, pressure-free environment. 

 

Renault Symbioz review: Brian Byrne, Irish Car

The small and medium SUV segments are currently the most hotly contested in the business and no manufacturer can afford to be out of it, writes Brian Byrne. Even with multiple closely-related offerings. That's where the new Renault Symbioz comes in.

It arrived here quickly and rather quietly in the late part of last year after a global reveal only in May. Based on the current Captur small SUV, it shares width and height but the extra length pushes it into the seriously busy compact-crossover arena where Toyota's C-HR and Kia's Niro, among others, are players. It also offers an option a bit smaller in all dimensions than the compact-medium SUV from Renault, the Austral. Crucially, the Symbioz doesn't get a longer wheelbase than the Captur, but does gain a significantly extended cargo area.

The extra length gives Symbioz a stronger presence on the road, and there are minor retakes on the front end styling and more significant ones on the rear from the Captur, but the relationship is clear.

That's even more so with the interior. They didn't change the dashboard and instruments layout from the shorter car which was refreshed earlier last year. It's ergonomically good, as are all Renaults at the moment. The vertical-aspect centre screen and the driver instrument cluster both have bright and colourful graphics, with information presented in large format that makes a glance enough to take in whatever is needed. The brand's current mix of always-on virtual buttons and piano-style switches for climate and comfort management are, as I have noted before, excellent.

My review car was in the Esprit Alpine grade, which adds some visual tweaking to an already high-quality finish. These included some blue stitching on the leather-style trim and seating and some appropriate badging. There's an interesting glass roof option that provides four different levels of opacity, by voice command or switch.

Room is the rear is similar to Captur, which could be cosy enough if the front passengers are both long-legged. Two comfortably, three for shorter journeys.

The only powertrain available is a petrol-hybrid marketed under Renault's E-Tech moniker for electrified cars. It's the familiar 1.6 petrol inline four with a 145ps output and 6-speed automatic transmission system. It does operate in EV mode, and there's a facility to fully top up the battery while on the run to provide a longer electric performance for a time while in town driving.

It is all proven and works smoothly, though I had a feeling that the petrol engine was revving a little high in some slower driving (there's no rev-counter in most hybrids these days so it's hard to tell).

The full set of mandatory driver assist technology is provided. Over-limits warning sounds are not overly-intrusive, so I didn't bother switching them off as is my habit with some other brands.

In my time with the car it felt nicely balanced under a variety of conditions. I had to do six-hours of long-distance driving on one day in a mix of country, main road and motorway, and arrived home quite fresh. Proving Renault's traditional reputation for comfort.

PRICE: From €36,995, review car €41,395. WHAT I LIKED: The sense of bigger without bulk.  

Renault 5 E-Tech wins European Car of the Year 2025

Renault 5 E-Tech electric and Alpine A290 have been awarded ‘Car of the Year 2025’, by the European Car of the year jury, writes Trish Whelan. The result was announced at a ceremony organised by the European COTY ‘Car of the Year’ jury at the Brussels motor show in Belgium on Monday 10 January. It represents a double for Renault following the victory of the Scenic E-Tech electric in 2024, and a major first for Alpine. 

In the first round of voting last November, Renault 5 E-Tech electric entered jointly with Alpine A290, was one of seven finalists alongside Alfa Romeo Junior, Citroen e-C3/C3, Cupra Terramar, Dacia Duster, Hyundai Inter and Kia EV3. The winning duo was chosen by 60 motoring journalists from 23 countries. 

The Renault 5 E-Tech electric is the eight Renault vehicle to claim the title. 

 

Renault Captur review: Brian Byrne, Irish Car

The small SUV segment accounts for more than a quarter of all cars sold here in 2024, and is the second biggest sales segment behind the medium SUV, writes Brian Byrne. That makes it a very important space for the motor trade here, and also means there's a lot of competition. Which last is good, because it encourages the various players to provide pretty high levels of specification to try and get a decent share of the showroom rollouts. Which brings us to the Renault Captur, in the mid-life facelift of the models' second generation since earlier this year.

As I have referenced a couple of times during 2024, this French carmaker is on a roll in both design and technical terms, the all-electric latest Scenic and the Rafale new flagship models showing this in spades. The Captur, first launched in 2013, could have been left behind, but the changes for 2024 have ensured that it doesn't look or feel so. The front-end restyle is quite dramatic compared to its predecessor, and brings what is the brand's second best selling model here right in line with its latest siblings. The people with the sketching pens have come up with a fascia that has enough going on to be interesting, without veering off the wall. My review car wis in the top esprit Alpine spec, which added details to the exterior trim and also some rather cool 19-inch alloys.

In size, the Captur is up at the larger end of the segment, indeed not a lot shorter than the VW ID.3, so it looks, feels, and is a fair bit more car that the Clio hatchback it is nominally derived from. In a way, it can be thought that the B-SUV car is now where the C-segment hatchback compact family car once had the field all to itself.

Inside changes are more individual item detail than extensive. So the steering wheel is familiar, and the main dashboard styling. But there's a taller infotainment screen and also a larger main instrument cluster. Less visible is the use of more recycled materials in the trim and finish, both of which carry through the good feel and touch that has been a Renault feature for some time. While I think of it, just to mention the very good switchgear graphics and identifiers on the steering wheel and elsewhere, that are unmistakeable and strong.

That new infotainment screen is also graphically clear, and bright as well. Where you need to touch virtual 'buttons' they're large and permanent in visibility. There's also that row of real switches below the screen for managing key climate matters. Colours are well used too in the main cluster, which in addition has the merit of simplicity.

The review car specification includes Alpine trim interior elements among which is blue stitching on the part-leather seats. It all looks snazzy and smart, and the seats are as comfortable as one always expects from a Renault product. It's really a four-seater but you could manage three pre-teens in the back if needed. The extra boot space over the Clio hatch is substantial, and the Captur rides higher than the hatchback, making it easier to get in and out.

My car this time was the E-Tech full hybrid version, the 145hp petrol-electric system for which is Renault's own and well proven as efficient and reliable. In terms of overall Captur sales it only represented 16pc of cars bought this year, but that's two and a half times the proportion from 2023, so the hybrid is gaining interest, and fast. There is, though, an almost-€5,000 premium involved. For me, the additional advantage of hybrid is the automatic transmission, in the Captur's case a 7-speed dual-clutch setup that matched well with the rest of the powertrain. The system means that up to 80pc of driving in urban conditions can be in electric mode. It's not a rubber-burner by any means with a sub-11 seconds run to 100km/h, but acceleration feels swift enough. Renault say they have improved steering and suspension responses with the facelift.

In France they call sports utility vehicles 'voitures à vivre', or 'cars for living'. The revised Capture would be easy for most to live with.

PRICE: From €29,120 for the 90hp petrol; review car €39,815, including metallic paint. WHAT I LIKED: A classic competency for the target customer's needs. 

Renault Rafale review: Brian Byrne, Irish Car

Over some 87 years the 46A bus that runs from Dublin city to Dun Laoghaire has been the stuff of much affectionate legend, writes Brian Byrne, including that you could wait for an hour for one, "and then three come together." I was reminded of that when taking the Renault Rafale out for review recently. When it launched in Ireland a while back it shared the stage with the new all-electric Scenic and a substantially revised Captur. Which made it not easy to form an individual view. Anyhow, that has been fixed now.

A mid-size crossover SUV in classification, the Rafale is coupe in style, in size between the Skoda Enyaq Coupe iV and the Mercedes-Benz GLC SV. A strong design at the front gives it a significant road presence, even if there might be too many competing style elements for some tastes. A distinct creasing in the door panels works to give a profile character, while the also-busy rear treatment is nevertheless attractive. The whole package has a sense of movement even while parked.

The interior is familiar to those who have driven the successful and slightly smaller Austral crossover, with which the Rafale shares around 75pc of components. A big central screen and stylish driving information panel, the latter particularly colourful with large graphics that are instantly understandable. I'm a fan of the Google operating system for the navigation, and the mix of switches and haptic touch buttons to operate the climate functions work well. It's all a busy space, but easily absorbed.

This is a comfortable car for five, and in the esprit Alpine+ grade of the review car especially so, with feature Alcantara upholstery that is actually made from recycled material — who'd know? For two in the back with the centre section down there's a nifty gimmick to hold a pair of iPads for long-journeys entertainment. The Alpine treatment includes related badges and special trim inserts, so you won't not feel a bit more special. The big padded handle in the centre console is actually only to slide the cover on a storage area and is maybe a bit over-designed. Trim quality throughout is impeccable.

Most carmakers offer hybrid powertrains these days, each one with their own take on it. Renault's works with a combustion petrol engine and a pair of electric motors, and a battery that's charged during braking and deceleration and also by the petrol engine when needed. The claim that town driving can be electric up to 80pc of the time seems realistic, and the 200hp from the review car's setup proved to be both smoothly operating and perky. There's a 300hp plug-in hybrid with AWD upcoming.

In realistic terms, hybrids development has negated the need for diesel for those drivers who do long distances on a regular basis, and my experience with the Rafale's fuel frugality was a good example. I could have done better, a little message about one's driving habits popped up each time I turned off the engine, but I wasn't into hyper-miling, just driving normally in whatever was the traffic flow.

This is a D segment car, aimed at the mature busy family but also offering a sporty attitude beyond the usual SUV in the space. For those seeking such, the Renault Rafale is worth a test drive.

And by the way, from November 24 there's no point in waiting for a 46A, or three ... the route number is being discontinued, adding a new level of nostalgia to the 2010 'Summer in Dublin' song from the late Liam Reilly and Bagatelle.

PRICE: From €51,495; review car €60,420. WHAT I LIKED: The practicality with style and economy. 

Renault Master is International VOTY winner

Renault's new Master Van is the winner of the International Van of the Year 2025 title, writes Brian Byrne. The announcement was made at the IAA Transportation show in Hannover, Germany.

The latest Master is on a new platform designed for a range of powertrains, including hydrogen fuel cell and battery electric.

The Master debuted a new 'Aerovan' styling for the brand's commercial vehicles. It is the fifth time that Renault have won this title. 

Renault Scenic E-Tech review: Brian Byrne, Irish Car

When I took my first drive in the new Renault Scenic E-Tech in July, it was a miserably wet day in conditions and road spaces that were very against appreciating it, writes Brian Byrne. Plus the launch was shared with two other models, not helping to make individual assessments. Despite everything, I was impressed.

I since got a proper chance to use the car in real world conditions. A family event was happening, so there were airport runs as well as a lot of more local shuttling about. My initial good impression was not only confirmed, but upgraded.

There have been four previous generations of the Scenic nameplate, since the first compact MPV launched in 1996. In a historical footnote to that launch, Renault underestimated what they had ... and had to increase their planned manufacturing output six-fold to meet the demand. Larger Grand Scenic versions were also produced. The fourth generation released in 2016 was influenced by the crossover-SUV trend, becoming stylistically one of those. The Scenic E-Tech is more than just a new generation, it is the first of the model designed only as a fully electric car. 

Visually it is arguably the most striking Renault since the R16 changed the whole concept of family cars with its unique hatchback style. (That was in 1965, dear readers, probably too far back for most of you to remember. I do.) There's no mistaking the new Scenic as very much in the crossover mode, but the big presence is in the front end treatment. Quite a few electric car models have difficulty getting over a blandness through not needing a radiator grille. Not so this one, with a regally large badge and fancy crosshatched design cominatcha in no uncertain terms. The high bonnet line adds to the impact. The styling of the 19-inch wheels is quite unique, the complex design designed to minimise drag. The meld of the separate angled components of the rear pillar are a class design detail and the rear is equally well considered, meshing strong sculpt lines and a clean finish. All in all, nothing was overlooked in this car to provide a beautifully coherent to the eye package.

The interior follows the upmarket ethos, with seats that continue the Renault tradition of exceptional comfort. Wider than its predecessor and than anything in its size segment, there's also a sense of greater interior space. The combined infotainment and driving instruments setup is unabashedly massive, with very colourful graphics that quite cheer everything up. The operating system for the infotainment is that Google one of which I'm very fond.

Those in the back have lots of room for heads, elbows and knees, and luggage from America was no bother at all to the 545-litre boot space. If there had been young people on a road trip, a nifty system to clip two tablets to the rear centre armrest would have helped keep things there very much under control.

This car offers two battery sizes and four levels of trim. My review car had the larger battery, rated at 625km of range, which, as is usual, showed much less when I collected it at 510km. But the Scenic has a very nifty range indicator on its information system, which gives three figures at all times — the remaining range at current driving, what it would be if travelling at motorway speeds, and the range in an urban environment. That consistently made a great deal of sense, and peace of mind, under the quite varied conditions in which I was using the car.

There are two power outputs available, 170hp and 220hp, both FWD and the latter standard with the extended range car which I was driving. It was well able to take the full loads of my time with the car, with smooth and smart acceleration. My American visitors were more than impressed.

This car is Renault at their best. It's a feeling shared by my international colleagues, who voted it the European Car of the Year 2024. The original of the nameplate achieved the same accolade in 1996. Some things don't change.

PRICE: From €39,995; Review car €56,670. WHAT I LIKED: Smooth and smart and strong in tech.