‘Maxed Captur’ new Renault Symbioz finally shows its true self

Having divulged no details since releasing the first teaser images in February, Renault has officially removed the wraps from the long delayed Symbioz as its latest SUV.

From low slung four-seater to SUV

Originally denoting a glass roof, four-seater concept shown at the Frankfurt Motor Show seven years ago, the Symbioz becomes an SUV positioned between the Captur and Austral as opposed to above the latter and below the Espace.

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In effect Renault’s version of alliance partner Nissan’s Qashqai, the Symbioz rides on the CMF-B platform with seating for five, an overall length of 4 413 mm, height of 1 575 mm, width of 1 797 mm and wheelbase of 2 638 mm.

Its ground clearance standing at 169 mm, claimed boot space ranges between 492-litres and 1 582-litres, with motivation coming solely from a hybrid powertrain.

Maxi Captur

Set to be offered in three trim levels; Techno, Iconic and Esprit Alpine, the Symbioz, whose name comes from the Greek word “symbiosis” meaning “living together”, incorporates styling from the facelift Captur at the front, while the rear sports a resemblance to the Vel Satis in the design of the light clusters and bootlid.

Riding on 18-inch alloy wheels with bespoke 19-inches standard on the Esprit Alpine, the Symbioz’s colour palette spans five hues; Pearl White, Cassiopée Grey, Starry Black, Rafale Grey and Iron Blue, plus two new options in Flame Red and Mercury Blue.

Inside

Its name said to be a reference to Renault’s six decades linage of family vehicle started by 16 in 1965, inside, the Symbioz’s interior takes supposed cues from the original Megane Scenic and Espace in the utilisation of space.

In this regard, kneeroom for second-row passengers amounts to 221 mm, while total in-cabin storage space, including the glovebox, totals 31.7-litres.

Compared to the Austral and Espace, the Symbioz’s interior design mirrors that of the Captur in that it receives the same floating centre console, steering wheel and dashboard, which houses the 10.4-inch OpenR Link infotainment system and 10.3-inch digital instrument cluster.

Along with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, the former also gets Google’s latest Android software, over-the-air updates and integrated satellite navigation.

Notable specification items are a wireless smartphone charger, ambient lighting with 48 colours, an electric tailgate, the Polymer Dispersed Liquid Crystal panoramic sunroof and a leather-free interior due to the seat fabrics with being made largely out of recycled materials.

Completing the interior is the Multi-Sense drive mode selector and, as an option, a nine-speaker Harman Kardon sound system.

Depending on the trim level, available safety and driver assistance systems comprise Traffic Sign Recognition, Adaptive Cruise Control, Automatic Emergency Braking, Rear Cross Traffic Alert with Reverse Automatic Braking, a 360-degreee surround-view camera system, Safe Exit Alert, Driver Attention Alert, Blind Spot Monitoring, Lane Departure Warning, Junction Assist and Lane Keep Assist.

Hybrid only

In a further link to the Captur and Clio, motivation comes from the familiar normally aspirated 1.6-litre petrol engine combined with a 1.2-kWh battery pack powering a 36 kW electric motor.

As per its official E-Tech 145 denominator, the setup produces 145 pferdestarke (PS) or 107 kW, which goes to the front wheels through the multi-mode transmission made-up of a four-speed automatic that eschews the clutch and synchromesh for a dog ring design.

Combined with the two-speeds provided by the electric motor, the transmission becomes a six-speed Renault says can be configured in 14 different ways to aid fuel consumption.

Not yet approved

On-sale in Europe from July with production taking place alongside the Captur and its rebadged twin, the Mitsubishi ASX, at the Valladolid Plant in Spain, pricing for the Symboiz remains to be announced, however, speculation points to a likely starting sticker of £25 000 (R498 831) in Europe.

For the time, the Symboiz remains an unconfirmed entity for South Africa.

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