That beeping. You know the sound. It’s the little things that destroy enjoyment. A loud turn signal will ruin your day. It drives me nuts. But here is the twist. You can fix it. Two steps in the menu and suddenly. Quiet.
The volume has three settings. I picked low. Peace returns to the car.
Meet the big sibling
Renault is playing retro very well. They got the R5 right. Now it is time for the R4. This one isn’t trying to be cute. It is practical. Boring? No. Useful.
My fleet car just hit 1,000 miles. It gets about 4 miles per kilowatt. Not amazing. But honest.
The R5 stole hearts in the UK. New EV owners flock to it. The upcoming Twingo? People are obsessed. So naturally. I was pumped for this. The R4. The middle child. The one with the sensible shape.
The original Renault 4 was a legend. First car with a liftgate that opened up. No hinges. Just open. It was tough. Cheap. Reliable. A lifestyle machine for real life.
This new one keeps the spirit. Look at the headlights. Circles made from DRL brackets inside a glowing grille. Nods to the past without being a parody. It is larger though. A bigger boot. Softer ride. Less zippy. More family.
Getting it home
No brochures left. Just a QR code at Hendy Renault. Scanned it. Digital copy downloaded. Fast enough.
Mine is an Iconic+. The top shelf. £27,945. Add a black roof for £750 and you have the spec. There are cheaper versions. Evolution+ or Techno+. But everyone gets the same battery. 249 miles claimed. I’ll see about that later.
“The R4 is less about nimble city dancing and more about carrying the world comfortably.”
Inside it is clean. Hard plastic? Yes. But covered with black quilted cloth. Yellow stitching helps. It looks cheap but feels thoughtful. Strange combination.
The seat. Oh. The seat. Electric lumbar support on this price? Luxury. It saves my back. The screens are linked. A big one for audio. One for the driver. They sit close together. Power button right in the middle. Physical climate switches below. Thank god for tactile buttons.
Meet Reno. The official avatar. Powered by ChatGPT. Helpful? Maybe. Annoying? Yes already. We had words.
The stats
Model: Renault 4 E-Tech Iconics+
Price: £27,195 (after grant)
Battery: 52kWh
Range: 249 miles
Power: 148bhp
Insurance came out to £1,334. Not bad for a group 27 vehicle. Three points on the license. Standard stuff.
Any faults so far? No. None at all. Which is suspicious. Or promising.
We keep driving. The battery says 250. Reality usually disagrees. We shall find out. 🌱
