Renault Symbioz: brand new compact SUV with combustion engines

In the market for a compact mid-sized car from Renault? Then you can go for the electric Renault Megane E-Tech and soon also for its big electric brother Scenic E-Tech. Would you rather not have an electric powertrain in this segment? Then at Renault you have to rely on the Austral SUV or the now eight-year-old Mégane Estate, the only remnant of the Mégane family with combustion engines. In the spring, Renault will launch a brand new model: the Symbioz. If we are correct, that is the car that will replace the Mégane Estate.

Wait a minute, Symbioz? Chances are you recognize that name. Although Renault has never had a production model with that name before, the brand did show two study models with that name in 2017: the Symbioz and Symbioz 2. Renault will stick that name in the spring on what it describes as ‘a new family SUV in the C segment’. An alternative to the electric Renault Scenic, because the Renault Symbioz will simply have combustion engines.

The Renault Symbioz 2 from 2017.

The Renault Symbioz will be 4.41 meters long, making it 10 centimeters shorter than the Austral, but 18 centimeters longer than a Renault Captur. The Renault Mégane Estate, which is now on its last legs, is considerably longer than the Symbioz with its length of 4.63 meters, but will probably have to hand over the baton to the Symbioz. The Renault Symbioz will be available with a hybrid powertrain that produces 145 hp. Renault already supplies this powertrain in the Clio and the Captur. So don’t be surprised if the Symbioz relies heavily on those models in terms of technology.

It seems that it will soon be over for the Mégane Estate.

The shape of the Renault Symbioz is also interesting. The French call the Symbioz an SUV, but if we take in the first teaser images, it appears to be a relatively low and stretched long-legged vehicle standing in the darkness. The shape of the rear part of the carriage is somewhat reminiscent of a station wagon, although there appears to be no extra side window behind the rear doors. The hood of the Symbioz is clearly flatter and longer than that of the Captur, so we are not simply dealing with a stretched version of that car.

In short: Renault fills the gap between the Captur and Austral with a new crossover, simply with a hybrid drivetrain. That car could easily push the Mégane Estate out of the range. We will know more in the spring.

Renault goes wild

Renault has presented an arsenal of new or updated models in a short time and has a whole series of other newcomers in the pipeline. After the Austral, Renault introduced a new Espace and the Rafale. In the electrical field, it added the electric Megane E-Tech and the Scenic to its line-up. The Clio has been thoroughly facelifted, the Captur is still going under the knife and now Renault is announcing the Symbioz. This year the French are also introducing the electric 5 and the 4 is also getting a modern electric interpretation.