Renault 4ever, everything we know about the new retro-styled SUV

The Renault 4ever will share the CMF-BEV platform with the new Renault R5 and will also offer an LCV variant. The diamond-badged brand is preparing to expand its family of electric vehicles with retro-inspired design. The truth is that the Renault 4ever won’t reach the market until 2025, but we already have plenty of information about its technical specifications and design. Do we know all its secrets yet?

The French manufacturer unveiled its grille, light clusters and silhouette back in June 2021. However, the most revealing preview of the upcoming production model came with the Renault 4Ever Trophy Concept, which debuted in Paris in October 2022. This study gave us a better idea of the rugged style and budget-minded character of the production model.

The production model will probably feature smaller-diameter wheels, conventional door mirrors and handles, a more restrained body kit, and it will omit the concept’s extreme off-road equipment as well as the futuristic hollow bonnet that sacrifices practicality.

Everything we know about the Renault 4ever

The Renault 4ever has design elements that recall the legendary Renault 4L, such as the black grille, the light clusters, the cabin, the vertical rear light clusters and the trapezoidal side windows, among others. It is a model with generous ground clearance, a large amount of plastic cladding and square wheel arches that may remind you of the Dacia Duster.

The 4ever is expected to faithfully reflect the concept’s look, with a length of 4,160 mm and a wheelbase of 2,570 mm, placing it in the B-SUV segment. That would make it almost half a metre longer than the original 4L from the 1960s, but 68 mm shorter than the combustion-engined Captur, which is currently the smallest SUV in the Renault European range.

The interior of the Renault 4ever is expected to mirror the simple character of the exterior, with a minimalist design that emphasises practicality and durability. Despite its compact size, the electric platform should provide a five-seat cabin and a large boot. It wouldn’t surprise us if Renault follows the example of Dacia and fits a smartphone holder, along with a smaller-than-usual digital cockpit and recycled materials, to make the 4ever more affordable and sustainable. This strategy is also being followed by the French rival Citroën, a growing trend among car manufacturers.

The Renault approach of combining retro and modern design elements will be limited to the R5 and 4ever models, setting them apart from the rest of the line-up. As Laurens van den Acker, Chief Design Officer of the Renault Group, describes it, this decision is similar to the strategy used by Ford for the Mustang and Bronco models, allowing designers to “tell stories from the past”. The Renault 4ever will be built on an extended version of the CMF-BEV architecture that will also underpin the R5, the Alpine A5 and the electric successors to the Nissan Micra and Juke. Although we have no information on the electric powertrain’s output or battery capacity, Renault has previously hinted at a WLTP range of up to 400 km.