Valencia , Spain. mobile.bg team from the venue.
Renault Symbioz is a brand new name for the French carmaker, and with it the Direction designates a new mid-sized family SUV, which is positioned above the Captur and Arkana. The name Symbioz is unusual for the brand, but is derived from the Greek word “symbiosis“, which generally means “living together“ and represents a kind of ethos with which the brand wants to convince us that this car makes family life easier. We tried to find out if this is the case during the first tests of the model, which were held in Valencia and attended by our team. Here are our impressions.
The price of this off-road vehicle starts in our country from just under BGN 60,000, and its aim is to go head-to-head with competitors such as the Nissan Qashqai, Hyundai Tucson and Kia Sportage, bringing the added edge of French sophistication and at the same time energy efficient full hybrid technology as standard. The model is offered with a single hybrid option: the E-Tech full hybrid 145 with a real 143 hp, coming from a 1.6-liter gasoline engine and an electric motor. This is the same system used in the Renault Captur, but in both cases only the front wheels are driven.
Symbioz can be chosen in one of three versions: Techno, Esprit Alpine and Iconic. Whichever you choose, you should make sure it's well-equipped. There's a 10.4-inch infotainment screen with Google-based software that's easy to use, as well as compatible with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay. There's also a digital instrument cluster in front of the driver, wireless smartphone charging, a reversing camera and parking sensors all around, so the Symbioz doesn't feel spartan even in its lowest trim level.
Engine and driving characteristics
As for the hybrid powertrain, the ultimate goal here is fuel economy and decent dynamics at the same time. The official figures for consumption are below five liters per hundred kilometers, and the real ones shown by the on-board computer during our test drive are very close to them - 5.7 l/100 km. The hybrid system uses a small battery with a capacity of 1.2 kWh, which does not need external charging. It is powered by the starter generator and regenerative braking, which returns some of the energy normally lost during braking back to the battery. But how effective is the Renault Symbioz in real life?
When we tested the Renault Symbioz in Spain, we actually, as already mentioned, failed to achieve the official fuel consumption figure provided by Renault, but we weren't trying to drive economically either. In fact, we think the fuel economy of this hybrid tract is excellent for a car in this class, and consumption will drop to factory figures if you spend most of your time driving around town, as the electric motor can do more of the work at lower speeds.
Symbioz always starts in electric mode and as a result feels like an electric car - with instant acceleration from a standstill. It feels great to drive around town due to the fact that the CNG kicks in very rarely. Switching to “B“ enhances the regenerative braking function, which collects the energy that would otherwise be lost during braking and returns it to the battery. We are impressed with the way the Symbioz switches between petrol and electric as it is very smooth and seamless.
The Symbioz's steering feels heavier than other Renaults we've tested, but that's not at the expense of around-town manoeuvrability. Although it may be longer, the Symbioz is the same width as the Captur, so it's not difficult to ride in tighter spaces. One downside, however, is the Symbioz's small rear glass, and the rearview camera image is also disappointingly low-quality.
Taking the Symbioz onto the highway, the internal combustion engine comes to the fore, which, surprisingly for us, provides excellent acceleration dynamics, which we need for overtaking. It feels louder at first, but once it gets up to speed the "presence" it fades into the background. At speeds above 140 km/h there is minimal wind noise, but overall the Symbioz offers a comfortable ride, even on the 19-inch wheels our test car was equipped with. The Symbioz also handles the occasional bump in the road very well, which it "smooths out" quite effectively.
On mountain roads, Renault Symbioz is not at the level of a sports hot hatch, but that is hardly expected by anyone. Still, it feels capable enough. The model is composed to enter corners with minimal body roll, and the regenerative braking effect and mechanical brakes feel at home when used through corners. In other words, here too Symbioz is one breast ahead of its direct competitors.
It should be noted that once the self-charging battery runs out, the internal combustion engine has to do more of the work, and it's at these moments that the Symbioz gets a notch louder. Up steep hills, it feels as if the engine is struggling, but the dynamics do not weaken, only the revs increase. Another plus point of the model, and more specifically of its hybrid system, is that it has an “E-Save“ feature that you can turn on to instruct the Symbioz to keep at least 40% battery charge and when needed to you use it in different parts of your journey - a feature that is mainly found in plug-in hybrid models.
Interior
If you have entered the new Renault Captur, then the interior of the Renault Symbioz will seem quite familiar to you. It is primarily functional, but at the same time the design is clean and everything is well laid out. Compared to competitors, the spaciousness in the compartment is not the best, but this does not mean that it is cramped and uncomfortable inside. The main thing in the interior, with which the new Renault surpasses many of its competitors, is the quality of the workmanship and that of the materials themselves. It is very high quality and has a nice amount of soft touch materials. Opting for any version other than the base Techno offers a much-improved interior made from a fabric made up of 26% recycled textiles, with the same upholstery lining the instrument panel, which looks unique with that textured fabric and blue gradient finish.
Renault Symbioz also gets the brand's latest infotainment system, displayed on a 10.4 portrait-oriented touchscreen, which is fast and responsive. There is also a 10.25-inch configurable digital display for the driver. The Renault OpenR infotainment operating system is brilliant and is built on top of Google's Android Automotive software, meaning it's easy to use and navigate because it's laid out like a smartphone.
Google Maps and Google Assistant are built into the system by default, but you can also download an additional 50 apps, like Waze and Spotify for example, via the Google Play store. If you prefer to use Android Auto or Apple CarPlay software, you can do so by connecting your phone wirelessly.
Cabin temperature is displayed on the infotainment screen, but we were impressed to see that there's a set of physical climate control buttons below it, as well as on the steering wheel. The smartphone's wireless charging pad is invisible, meaning you won't be distracted by incoming notifications directly on the phone, while the center console doesn't feel cluttered.
As already mentioned the Renault Symbioz is essentially a stretched version of the Renault Captur and as a result is just as wide as the Captur. In fact, against competitors such as Nissan Qashqai, Hyundai Tucson and Kia Sportage, it is the narrowest in size, but this is not felt, neither in the cabin nor in the handling of the car. At the same time, because of this fact, Symbioz is much more effective in an urban environment.
We were impressed by the amount of space offered in the interior for four, even when carrying taller passengers. There's plenty of legroom both front and rear, and headroom is plentiful too. The tighter space is only apparent if you try to fit another full-sized passenger in the middle rear seat. Then the back will be a bit cramped for three adults. In other words, it's the optimal space for a true family car, which is what the Synbioz is all about. But, when a car has such a purpose, it should also have a suitable trunk.
The Renault Symbioz has only slightly less boot space than the Nissan Qashqai, but has a sliding rear seat that can be pushed forward by 16cm. This frees up 624 litres, so if you have smaller passengers on back seat and you need extra space in the trunk, the new Renault will definitely offer you excellent flexibility.
There's also a height-adjustable boot floor, and folding down the rear seats gives you a useful 1,582 liters of boot space. However, neither the Qashqai nor the Symbioz can compete with the Hyundai Tucson or Kia Sportage, as they offer much more boot space, so the Symbioz's practicality isn't exactly class-leading, but it's optimal for an average family of four.
Security
Symbioz gets a host of safety assistance systems, including Active Driver Assist, which has Level 2 autonomous driving capabilities that combine adaptive cruise control, centering the car in the lane and road sign recognition. the systems are so good that they can even autonomously move the car slightly within its lane to make room for oncoming motorbikes.
Also available are autonomous emergency braking, blind spot warning, lane departure warning and a driver attention monitor. There's also a rather useful button mounted on the Symbioz called “My Safety”, which you can double-click to activate a custom mode if you prefer to leave certain features off or on, and to what levels.
Symbioz has a system that encourages you to drive safer. Called the “Safety Coach”, it grades your driving in real time and gives you a score out of 100. If, say, you're driving too close to the car in front or not keeping your eyes on the road enough, it'll warn you. During our test of the Symbioz, we never received any warnings from the system, so it seems to be calibrated to be as unobtrusive as possible, which we definitely liked.
Conclusion and price
We think the Renault Symbioz is a great mid-range SUV that offers a bit more style than cars like the Nissan Qashqai and the aforementioned Korean rivals. It comes with hybrid technology that really saves fuel, making it look like a bargain when you compare it to the hybrid versions of those same rivals, which cost more when similarly equipped.
Renault Symbioz is a pleasure to drive – it's comfortable and smooths out road imperfections, but it's not the sportiest. In reality, this will only be a minus for those who define themselves as street racers, because, as already mentioned, there is no lack of dynamics. And if you have not yet come to an answer to the question: Is the Renault Symbioz a good car, then in conclusion we will summarize.
The Symbioz is everything you would expect from a family SUV; it is comfortable, efficient and well equipped with a good infotainment system and last but not least - economical. The Symbioz is a great all-rounder, even if it doesn't dominate in any particular area. And here are the prices at which the model enters the Bulgarian market.
