Renault Symbioz review

The Renault Symbioz name sounds to us like it was invented to give Countdown players the fear, but if you think about its origins it makes sense for this family SUV.

You see, it's derived from symbiosis – meaning living and working well together. That's pretty apt given that the Symbioz needs to flourish in the busy Renault line-up. It's one of several SUVs the brand sells, ranging from the Renault Captur to the Renault Austral.

In fact, you could think of the Symbioz as the offspring of those two models. It's built on the same underpinnings as the Captur but is much closer to the Austral in size.

The Symbioz hasn't been on sale for long, but already the engine range has seen some radical changes. The regular or full hybrid (FHEV) has been beefed up with a more powerful petrol engine and a bigger battery, and there's now a more affordable mild-hybrid (MHEV).

What about rivals? Well, the best known is the Nissan Qashqai but there are plenty of others, including the Kia Sportage, Mazda CX-5 and Skoda Karoq. Is the Renault Symbioz up to the job of challenging the best family SUVs? Let's find out...

The Renault Symbioz is now offered with an MHEV engine with a six-speed manual gearbox or as the E-Tech FHEV regular hybrid with an automatic gearbox. Both send power to the front wheels (there's no four-wheel-drive option).

The mild hybrid is the one we’d go for. It uses a 1.3-litre turbocharged petrol engine developing 138bhp, and while its 0-62mph time of 11.2 seconds isn't particularly impressive, it delivers a wide spread of power on the move and feels quite eager. Meanwhile, the manual gearbox is a joy to use, slotting into gear positively and with a well-weighted clutch pedal that helps with making smooth gear changes.

The E-Tech regular hybrid combines a 1.8-litre petrol engine with two electric motors for a total power output of 158bhp and a 0-62mph time of 9.1 seconds.

It's the best version if you need a tow car because its braked towing capacity is 1000kg, against the mild hybrid's 750kg. However, many family SUVs are better for towing, including the Nissan Qashqai (1400kg) and the Mazda CX-5 e-Skyactiv-G (1800kg).

When you set off from a standstill, the Symbioz FHEV gets away from the line reasonably swiftly using power from the electric motor. You can run on battery power alone for short distances at lower speeds and it’s nippy enough around town.

When the petrol engine kicks in as you speed up, the transition from electric to engine power can be a little clunky, and the rate of acceleration doesn’t quite match the rather vocal engine, and rival family SUVs are more relaxing to drive.

The Dacia Bigster – which has the same hybrid set-up as the Symbioz FHEV – is quieter and has a smoother auto gearbox.

The Symbioz MHEV is less vocal than the FHEV but there's more wind noise filtering through than in most rivals, including the Hyundai Tucson, Mazda CX-5, Nissan Qashqai and Kia Sportage.

In the hybrid, the Symbioz's brakes are integrated with the electric motor’s regenerative braking system so it can be difficult to judge how much pressure to put on the brake pedal to slow down smoothly. Ultimately, though, the car can come to a halt from high speeds with composure when you need it to.

When it comes to handling, there’s enough grip from the tyres and less body lean than in the heavier Qashqai and CX-5. However, the Symbioz's steering is far too light and vague, and fails to give you any confidence (or enjoyment) when going around corners. If you're looking for a similar-priced alternative that's fun to drive, we'd recommend checking out the Seat Ateca.

The hybrid Symbioz doesn't ride very well either. It fails to deal with road imperfections as adroitly as most family SUVs, rocking occupants around more and stumbling more noticeably when you hit a pothole or broken Tarmac.

Better news is that the lighter MHEV is more supple and soaks up bumps without jostling occupants around as much in their seat. Even so, the Qashqai, CX-5 and Sportage are on another level when it comes to isolating occupants from the texture of the road surface.

“Because of its noisy engine, I ended up wishing the full-hybrid Symbioz would spend more time driving on its electric motors.” – George Hill, Used Car Writer

There’s little to fault with the Renault Symbioz’s driving position. The driver's seat has plenty of adjustment (electric in Techno Esprit Alpine trim and above) and lines up well with the steering wheel and pedals.

You sit higher up than you would in a family car for a good view out, although the Mazda CX-5 driving position is slightly more elevated.

Forwards and sideways visibility is decent, but the view over your shoulder and directly backwards is limited. Helpfully, a rear-view camera is standard, upgraded to a 360-degree camera on range-topping Iconic Esprit Alpine trim. The image displayed is disappointingly fuzzy though.

The Symbioz's infotainment system runs Google software through a 10.4in touchscreen, giving you access to more than 50 apps, including Spotify and Google Maps. Overall, it’s an easy system to use thanks to its simple lay-out, sharp graphics and quick responses.

Wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay smartphone connectivity are standard so you can bypass the built-in system. The nine-speaker Harman Kardon stereo on top-spec Iconic Esprit Alpine trim is brilliantly immersive with plenty of bass.

The 10.3in digital driver’s display is intuitive to use and easily configured using buttons on the steering wheel. Its graphics are sharp and easy to read, plus it offers several lay-out options, such as a sat-nav map or driving data.

Every Symbioz has two USB-C ports for each row of seats as well as wireless phone-charging up front. Below the touchscreen there are physical switches for direct operation of the climate-control features, including interior temperature, fan speed, air distribution and screen de-misters front and rear.

It’s not quite as straightforward to use as the rotary dials in the Mazda CX-5 and Nissan Qashqai but it’s still much more user-friendly than the touchscreen-only controls you’ll find in the Ford Kuga and other family SUVs.

Depending on the trim level of your Symbioz, prominent interior surfaces get different treatments. There's fabric padding on the dashboard in front of the passenger on Esprit Alpine trim, while the Iconic Esprit Alpine gets a blue trim finisher above it to add some colour.

However, it’s evident that the interior has been lifted from the class below. You get some soft plastic on top of the dashboard but most of the other plastic feels hard and hollow (the plastics on the doors are particularly unappealing). Overall, the Kia Sportage, Mazda CX-5 and Nissan Qashqai feel much classier inside.

“When I’m parking, the image displayed on the centre screen from the rear-view camera is so low-res it reminds me of an old phone from 10 years ago.” – Chris Haining, Sub-editor

There’s just as much head and leg room in the front of the Renault Symbioz as there is in a Nissan Qashqai. However, the Symbioz feels cosier inside due to its narrower interior, meaning you sit closer to the occupant beside you, and the footwells are relatively confined.

The slim centre console means the Symbioz doesn't have much storage space under its centre armrest but there's plenty of stowage elsewhere. Each door pocket will take a 500ml water bottle and there are storage trays below the touchscreen.

Like the slightly larger Renault Austral, the Symbioz has sliding rear seats. With these slid all the way back, there’s enough leg room for six-footers, even when the seats in front are occupied by similarly tall folk.

Back-seat passengers will also be happy enough with head room, although there's even more clearance above occupants' heads in a Mazda CX-5 or Nissan Qashqai.

The exception is anyone sitting in the Symbioz's middle rear seat, because the seat base is raised and head room is reduced accordingly. On the plus side, the central floor hump is quite small, so the passenger drawing the short straw should have a reasonable amount of foot space.

If you slide the rear seat bench all the way forwards to give you maximum boot space most of the leg room disappears, rendering the rear seats a child-only zone.

Depending on where those rear seats are, the Symbioz FHEV’s boot capacity ranges from 492 to 624 litres – which is generous. We managed to fit seven carry-on suitcases below the parcel shelf with the boot at its smallest and eight at its biggest. The Nissan Qashqai also swallowed seven cases while a Mazda CX-5 took eight.

The MHEV Symbioz has even more boot space, with at 576 litres. Most of the extra storage is under the height-adjustable boot floor where the FHEV has its larger battery. With the back seats folded down and the boot floor in it highest setting you get a large flat load area.

The Hyundai Tucson and Kia Sportage have even bigger boots, and come with remote release levers in the boot so you can fold down the rear seatbacks quickly.

“At 6ft 5in I found myself surprisingly comfortable in the back seat of the Symbioz, although I did have to duck a bit when getting in and out.” – Chris Haining, Sub-editor

Where the Renault Symbioz lands its heaviest blow on the Nissan Qashqai and other family SUV rivals – on paper at least – is list price.

In entry-level Techno trim, the Symbioz undercuts a considerably less well-equipped Qashqai by some margin. That said, you can often find discounts that bring rivals' prices closer so it's always worth checking our New Car Deals pages.

For private buyers, the more affordable MHEV makes the most sense. True, its official 47.9mpg fuel economy figure isn’t as impressive as for the FHEV (65mpg) but it costs less to buy in the first place, is expected to lose its value a little more slowly and is slightly cheaper to insure, making it a little cheaper over three years.

Where the FHEV makes the most sense is for company car users thanks to its relatively low CO2 output reducing the BIK tax payments. That said, an electric SUV such as the Renault Scenic or Skoda Elroq would net you even lower BIK tax.

All Symbioz trims come with much more than just the basics as standard. You get 18in alloy wheels, adaptive cruise control, dual-zone climate control, a wireless phone-charger and ambient interior lighting with 48 colours to choose from.

Stepping up to Techno Esprit Alpine adds 19in alloy wheels and swisher interior trim, plus lane-centering assistance for the adaptive cruise control, a powered tailgate, heated front seats and a heated steering wheel.

Iconic Esprit Alpine trim adds a panoramic roof and a 360-degree parking camera, but unless you really want those we don't think it's worth the extra cost.

The Symbioz comes with plenty of safety tech, including automatic emergency braking (AEB) with pedestrian and cyclist detection, and lane-keeping assistance. Blind-spot monitoring and rear cross traffic alert comes with mid-range Techno Esprit Alpine trim and above.

Despite that, the Symbioz scored a slightly disappointing four stars out of five when it was safety tested by independent experts Euro NCAP. One of the reasons was that it was found to provide a low level of protection for the driver’s chest in front and side impacts. Many rivals have a five-star Euro NCAP safety rating.

Every Renault sold in the UK comes with a three-year, 60,000-mile warranty. Plenty of rivals offer better warranties, notably Kia, which gives you seven years or 100,000 miles. The Symbioz's hybrid battery is covered separately for eight years or 100,000 miles, whichever comes first. There’s a guarantee of the battery maintaining at least 63% of its original capacity during that time.

The Symbioz didn't feature in our 2024 What Car? Reliability Survey but Renault finished in a strong ninth place out of 31 brands ranked. Kia ranked eighth, Mazda came 16th and Nissan was a lowly 28th.

“Sometimes going for the cheapest trim limits you to just a few exterior paint colours. I like that entry-level Techno actually has the most paint options, including an extra Mercury Blue finish.” – Lawrence Cheung, New Cars Editor

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