New Renault 4

[RichardIRL]

This is a rendering of the new Renault 4, due to be unveiled in November.

I am not sure if it's reliable but the cues look quite similar to the Renault 5 concept, and it doesn't look like an amateur design.

I can imagine it wouldn't go down well with many fans, but I reckon it's a successful design.

 

[André4Renaults]

The front angle bears a similarity to the Honda Electric car and the Nissan Cube. Given the tie-up between Nissan and Renault that's not surprising!

 

[malcolm]

What would the new Renault 4 need to be if wanted to connect with the original Renault 4?

 

[jjad]

What would the new Renault 4 need to be if wanted to connect with the original Renault 4?

A cheap and cheerful 'every person' car. But I don't think Renault target that end of the market. Dacia, on the other hand, do.

 

[politeperson]

I reckon the Renault 4 already exists.
It is an absolutely excellent car. light weight with 300mm ground clearance and massive wheel articulation, front wheel drive, a hatchback with huge load capacity. An absolutely classless vehicle and an absolute bargain too with air con, cruise, Bluetooth, power steering and windows, excellent DAB radio, proper high profile tyres with steel wheels, 999cc twin cam turbo petrol engine, cruises at 85mph easily and averages 45 mpg. Its a Renault, its NATO white and its also fun, one of my best ever purchases.
A Dacia Duster!

 

[jjad]

Our other car is a Dacia Duster too

 

[Eccles60]

I reckon the Renault 4 already exists.
It is an absolutely excellent car. light weight with 300mm ground clearance and massive wheel articulation, front wheel drive, a hatchback with huge load capacity. An absolutely classless vehicle and an absolute bargain too with air con, cruise, Bluetooth, power steering and windows, excellent DAB radio, proper high profile tyres with steel wheels, 999cc twin cam turbo petrol engine, cruises at 85mph easily and averages 45 mpg. Its a Renault, its NATO white and its also fun, one of my best ever purchases.
A Dacia Duster!
View attachment 28445

The shell on the trailer is not really classless. Lovely but not classless. What's the story behind that one?

 

[Jnr-Renospeed]

I'm just hoping that the new 4 or 5 wont be enormous, as the 5 concept looks too big and it's likely the 5 will be on the Clio platform which is way to big in my opinion. It really should be the size of a Panda or slot in between the Twingo and Clio, maybe on an enlarged Dacia Spring platform which already has the electric layout ready, the possibility for a swapable body and motors depending on whether it's the 4 or 5 could be there too. Potential for an F4 and F6 or Extra/Express/Rapid named EF4 and EF6 or Extra/Express could come from using the CMF-C Nissan Juke or Kangoo base too.

However I'm still in the same mind as Chris Harris - ''leave the 4 and 2CV alone as they're too sacred'' but that's why I'm not the head of Renault's future planning division , though an electric Citroen CX reimagining would be very interesting. I'm still not convinced a faithful reinterpretation of the 4 or 5 can be done due to safety regs and electrification, effectively preventing the dashboard gearchange, chuckable weight distribution, body roll, huge glass area and bare bones interior ... essentially everything that makes the 4 and 5 what they are. Though the fashionability and chicness of the 5 was pulled off fairly well with the concept.

 

[André4Renaults]

....Call "that" a Dacia Duster....? THIS is a Dacia Duster......

LOL!

 

[politeperson]

The shell on the trailer is not really classless. Lovely but not classless. What's the story behind that one?

In my misspent youth I did a full time 2 year City and Guilds in Motor Vehicle Body Repair and Restoration, becoming a qualified motor vehicle technician. I still seem to do quite a lot of it. I have done bucket loads of welding, engine building and car stuff since then.

It is one of my E type projects, just back from the painter having been rebuilt .

My Renault 4 fits in with the E types very well. Very good designs IMHO.

I picked the grey car up with the Duster last Friday and have fitted the loom, doors fuel pipes and other bits.

Might finish it over the summer. Depends how rich I am feeling, as the bits are not cheap. Having said that I find it much easier to get the bits for the E types than the GTL, and they made 8.5 million of them. Where are they all?

 

[laxeian]

The only ‘new’ true 4’s we will ever see on our roads are originals lovingly restored by owners, same as Mini’s, Beetles, to some extent later Mustangs etc. manufacturers may take original design features but never seem to repeat the true classics they once made.

 

[malcolm]

In my misspent youth I did a full time 2 year City and Guilds in Motor Vehicle Body Repair and Restoration, becoming a qualified motor vehicle technician. I still seem to do quite a lot of it. I have done bucket loads of welding, engine building and car stuff since then.

It is one of my E type projects, just back from the painter having been rebuilt .

My Renault 4 fits in with the E types very well. Very good designs IMHO.

I picked the grey car up with the Duster last Friday and have fitted the loom, doors fuel pipes and other bits.

Might finish it over the summer. Depends how rich I am feeling, as the bits are not cheap. Having said that I find it much easier to get the bits for the E types than the GTL, and they made 8.5 million of them. Where are they all?

View attachment 28448

The E-types look wonderful. I keep thinking about buying a S1 4.2 E-type but they are so expensive at the moment. Also I don't have a good place to keep it yet.

 

[Lobster]

I'd never really 'got' E Types. Bit before my time I suppose. Then, a couple of years back I drove one and everything changed. Not sure I'd ever actually want to own one but its a mightily impressive thing to drive with massive presence and much better than I expected it would be.

Jaguar E Type by David, on Flickr

Are Dacias modern R4s? Maybe. We have two. They are cheap and reliable, ours have done approx 90k and 70k respectively without issue although have nothing like the character of an R4. Maybe thats acquired with age though.

Dacia Sandero by David, on Flickr

Dacia Logan MCV by David, on Flickr

 

[JdeW]

The only ‘new’ true 4’s we will ever see on our roads are originals lovingly restored by owners, same as Mini’s, Beetles, to some extent later Mustangs etc.

That's the one and only true spirit, just stick to the original everything else as all those socalled retrocars never comes close.

 

[politeperson]

Well the Duster certainly is much larger than an R4.

These days people are much larger on average than in the 60s when the R4 was conceived. Having said that, I did know a 20 stone doctor who only drove a Renault 4 -in the 80's. for years. He found it very comfortable even though he was, by his own admission, the size of a wardrobe.

The main issue with car design is crash protection. Old cars just dont have much ,so really their is no going back. If you added the necessary side impact beam, air bags, abs etc. to an R4 it would definitely balloon to around 800-900 kgs it would guess. Power would also have to be increased too, just to get the thing down the road.

The Duster is around 1,100 kgs which is light compared to many other vehicles of this nature.

Maybe the new Renault 4 is the Sandero. Stepway? Just doesn't quite have to off road clearance and utility of the Duster. Excellent car by all accounts though.

 

[Eccles60]

In my misspent youth I did a full time 2 year City and Guilds in Motor Vehicle Body Repair and Restoration, becoming a qualified motor vehicle technician. I still seem to do quite a lot of it. I have done bucket loads of welding, engine building and car stuff since then.

It is one of my E type projects, just back from the painter having been rebuilt .

My Renault 4 fits in with the E types very well. Very good designs IMHO.

I picked the grey car up with the Duster last Friday and have fitted the loom, doors fuel pipes and other bits.

Might finish it over the summer. Depends how rich I am feeling, as the bits are not cheap. Having said that I find it much easier to get the bits for the E types than the GTL, and they made 8.5 million of them. Where are they all?

View attachment 28448

Very nice. Both have a special birthday this year.

 

[Niels Svane]

I think the modern R4 equivalent is the Fiat Panda mk 2, the dacia sandero stepway or mostly the Citroen C3 Aircross with its clever esp offroad program.