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What makes you love your Renault 4?

G

GMPS

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Dear Renault 4 community,
as a sympathizer of the Renault 4, I would like to ask you thie following question:
What makes you love your Renault 4?

In order to simplify this curious question, imagine the following scenario:
You want (or have? :-)) to replace your beloved R4 with a modern vehicle currently under development. Which values should this car embody? A strong stylistic tie with the former Renault 4 (similar to the MINI, New Beetle, Fiat 500?) Space, flexibility, low consumption etc.? Whatever it might be, please join the discussion!

P.S.: Additionally, I would be particularly interested in whether the styling of the Renault 4 is an important factor.
 
The car just has a lot of character. Since mine has been disassembled for most of the time I have it, I haven't really had the time to get used to driving it so maybe it's hard to say for me what attracts me to the car.

The thing is that driving an R4 is just an experience on it's own. It drives like a dream due to a really loose suspension. Because it's all so basic, you really feel "in touch" with the car, something you seldomly feel in modern cars, which drive so stiff, so artificial (Toyotas, Opels ...).

But of course just the fact that it's an old car, a rare car (at least here in the Netherlands you don't see it too much anymore on the streets), a beautiful car makes it just a gimmick as well. Imagine picking up someone who doesn't know you got an R4, it'll surprise them a lot when you arrive in it right?! ...

It's just a very special car!

Next to that, it's economic, easy to repair, very practical when it comes to space, relatively cheap to repair since the parts are cheap. It's also cheap in assurance and road-tax (although I don't pay that for it being over 25 years old).

Hard to say what it is. It's just the whole experience.
 
Why I love R4?!

Just, because it is R4.
Totally different from any other car!
Because everybody around here (in Croatia) looks on R4 like a working mule, And i want to drive it for pleasure.

It is not 2CV, it is not MINI, it is not BEETLE.

And I like (very much) to be different from all others.

Or you love it or you hate it.

Nothing to put finger on, but whole package together.
Complete car for long trips, for many things to transport, to enjoy driving

And it was the first car in which I was driven (as a baby) and the first that I drove (Sentimental thing)
 
It's a clever design is the Renault 4 - just look at how the chassis is put together. Lightweight, cheap to make, practical and efficient. It was a single minded design aimed at maximising load space against build price. A lot of first principals thinking must have gone on and they got a lot of it right. These days the real bonus is fuel economy, the amount of stuff you can throw in the back (without fear of damaging the car), and the comfortable ride. The R4 is the engineer's choice, but there's a fun factor too.

These retrospective designs don't do it for me. If they did a modern R4 they'd end up with a Clio that looked a bit different but was more expensive but not as good in any way.

The original was way ahead of it's time (the first front wheel drive hatchback - it made the mould). A new version would have to push things forward in it's own way. China and India are working on cheap these days, so if it were to be made on a small island on the Seine it would need to be single minded in it's own way. How about something with fuel economy at 100+mpg (less than 3L/100km)? Perfectly possible these days but none of the manufacturers seem to bother

Why do you ask? Are we helping design the next R4 or is it a student project?
 
malcolm said:
These retrospective designs don't do it for me. If they did a modern R4 they'd end up with a Clio that looked a bit different but was more expensive but not as good in any way.
Click to expand...

This is very close to my thinking, I would agree with a new R4 if it would really be designed from scratch with its uniqe elements. Nowadays if you buy a Beetle you get a Golf with another body.
 
a 4 is really like Frank Zappa & The Mothers of Invention-or since you come from Germany-Amon Düül der II... either you get it-
or you don't.
-only reason they make other cars than the 4 is pure vanity and the desire to Rip people off their money. What is Audi if not a flat-knocked VW? -BMW? just another overly complicated Kübelwagen?? and the Merc?? just another rust-infested nest of broken dreams and Super high bills.
If sense was at all a point you would see the're is NO reason to be building other cars than the various R4's .
if what you want is a practical charismatic 4door family-mover. you're covered in the L or GTL,if smoking Dunhills & always on the go, you've got it in a Tilbury
if sporty and wearing drivers-gloves you've got it in the Sovam,
if pro carrying bricks et al. you're covered in a F4 (or F6) if picking up the girls you're covered in a cabrio-coach or Plein Air.
If into killing birds-animals or whatever pumps blood - or simply needs to escape customs with a load of "medicinal" herbs-well the Teilhol should make a nice escape.
and if you're into wargames etc.the Chipie or Dallas would be your fave transpo..
-In my (always 'umble) opinion there is really only TWO cars around...

The First one is the 4 -The other one isn't... Clear enough? c",) -R.
 
For me, i like the funky gear change as people get so confused, and you get so many looks from people in Cambridge, PLUS R4 people are the nicest people in the world in my experiance, If it wasn't for this forum i wouldn't have met Ian and his lovely wife Kate, via the Moulin Bodin, fixed his Citroen BX and then met his good friend Nigel and his wife also Kate, which all transpired to me buying a Traction Avant. What mad things happen next, god knows.

Super Thread guys
 
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