New Renault 4 to be "Swiss army knife" of small SUVs

When Renault’s new 4 crossover hits the market in a year’s time, its look and driving characteristics will be “quite different” from the new 5 revealed at Geneva last week, according to its chief engineer, even though it will use the same wheelbase and EV-dedicated platform.

The 4 and 5 are the first of four recipients of the Ampr Small platform, a new design that uses the frontal structure of Renault’s familiar CMF-B platform but has an all-new, highly versatile layout behind the firewall to accommodate different wheelbases and batteries of varying sizes. 

According to Vittorio d’Arienzo, chief engineer of the Renault Group’s small EVs, the platform will eventually be made in three wheelbases – one shared by the 4 and 5, a slightly longer one for a larger vehicle not yet identified and one for the low-priced Twingo, an innovative budget model that may yet be shared with Volkswagen, if a deal currently under discussion is eventually inked. 

The 4, whose styling takes the same 'retro-futuristic' tack as the 5, is considerably taller than its sibling, with higher seating, greater ground clearance and probably a softer ride. Renault is calling it the “Swiss army knife” of the B-segment. D’Arienzo said his engineers are still in the final stages of configuring the Renault 4’s dynamics, but acknowledged that the car is likely to have a considerably softer ride than its sibling. 

Ironically, one important reason for the differences in road behaviour is that the pair share a versatile, high-tech multi-link rear suspension design, which d’Arienzo described as “the best tech on the market”. It is compact, saves weight and space compared with a twist-beam set-up – good news for battery capacity – and allows excellent wheel control in different applications and ride heights.

But d’Arienzo has warned customers not to expect the “funny French” ultra-low-rate ride and prodigious wheel travel of the legendary original Renault 4, on sale for more than 30 years from 1961. “With an EV, the situation is different,” he said. “You have to be careful about wheel travel because you have to protect the battery under the car. And you have to cope with the torque of the powertrain, which is so much greater than the original R4."