Renault Symbioz (2024 - ) review

Priced almost exactly between the hybrid version of the Renault Captur and the Austral, the Symbioz appears to be excellent value, notably so when you look at similarly sized alternatives from other car makers. The Symbioz should retain its value quite well given high demand for SUVs of this size in the used market, so if you’re buying on finance, that’ll help keep the monthly repayments down. If you’re keeping an eye on Benefit In Kind tax, all versions attract a modest 26 per cent. In terms of day-to-day running costs, the efficiency of the hybrid system will very much depend on your driving habits. It rewards smooth, relaxed driving with an official 60.1mpg potential. Most drivers are likely to find it a little less economical than that if using the Symbioz on the motorway a lot. The Symbioz only has a tiny drive battery – which is charged up by the hybrid system on the move – so it’s only really of use at low speeds, and you can’t plug the car into a charger to top up that battery.

As the Symbioz is so new, there’s no reliability data, though some reassurance should be taken from the fact that it has been developed on a platform shared with the well-established Renault Captur. Likewise, the Symbioz’s hybrid system is quite complicated, but again it’s not brand new so any early gremlins should have been ironed out by now. Renault offers an average warranty on all its cars including unlimited mileage for the first two years, then limited to 60,000 miles thereafter up to three years. Additionally, for the battery in the Symbioz’s hybrid system, the warranty is extended by default to 100,000 miles or eight years – whichever comes first. You can also purchase longer warranties directly from Renault.

Though the Symbioz has yet to be evaluated by Euro NCAP – the benchmarking organisation for car safety – Renault’s cars generally tend to fare well in the tests. The Symbioz is fitted with a large suite of active safety systems as standard, including automatic lights, an automatic emergency braking system, adaptive cruise control, monitoring of the driver’s attention, emergency lane keep assist including solid line, oncoming traffic and road edge detection, tyre pressure warnings and of course the E-Call system that automatically calls the authorities following a crash. Some additional safety systems are only available on the higher-specification models, which is a shame. Usefully, though, the Symbioz allows you to program your preferred safety settings and activate them with a double press of a single button.

The most comfortable version of the Symbioz, in terms of how well it absorbs bumps and isolates passengers from the road underneath, is the entry-level Symbioz Techno. That’s because it sits on smaller alloy wheels than the other variants, meaning more tyre sidewall to soak up imperfections in the road surface. Of course, the electrically adjusted – and heated – front seats of the more expensive models may make up for that somewhat. Either way, the Symbioz is notably more comfortable than the Renault Captur it’s based on, and more stable at speed, thanks to its increased distance between the front and rear wheels. Inside, the Symbioz’s seats are of a good standard and the materials are of high quality, too. Though the middle rear seat is quite small – as is the case in most similarly sized SUVs – adults will be comfortable in the outer positions, especially if they slide the bench backwards. That’s one of the selling points of the Symbioz – it can be moved fore or aft by up to 160 millimetres to choose between more legroom or a larger boot. The latter varies from a minimum of 434 litres to 624 litres with all seats in use.

Even in a market saturated by cars with the latest in touchscreen technology, the Renault’s stands out, mostly because its system is based on Google software, and it seamlessly integrates with your personal Google account if you want it to. It features the excellent Google Maps app, plus Google Assistant, and there’s access to the Google Play app store integrated into the upright 10.4-inch touchscreen. Those of a certain vintage will appreciate the collaboration with Jean-Michel Jarre on the sound system, too. Don’t worry if you’re an Apple user, as Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are included. Another piece of useful technology is the Solarbay glass roof, though it’s only fitted to the top-spec version of the Symbioz. It does without the bulkiness of a traditional blind by using liquid-crystal tech to change from clear to opaque at the touch of a button. It’s even possible to do this in segments.

The Symbioz has adequate performance for its family-carrying remit, nothing more. Power comes from a sophisticated hybrid system based on a 1.6-litre petrol engine and using two different electric motors. Nonetheless, the peak output is only 145 horsepower, and the setup is designed with smoothness and efficiency in mind rather than fast acceleration. Indeed, if you put your foot down, the engine can be quite raucous, so it’s best around town or at a gentle cruise. One of the electric motors helps the engine through a complicated six-speed automatic gearbox, though thankfully it’s not complicated to use – you just select Drive and away you go. Those hoping for a little off-road ability to go with the vaguely rugged looks will be disappointed to learn that the Symbioz does not have all-wheel drive. This is very much a road car.