Renault 4Ever Trophy concept previews 2025 Renault R4 compact SUV
Not quite the new R4, but not far off
Renault has unveiled the 4Ever Trophy, a concept car that previews the design of the new Renault 4, a compact electric SUV set to go on sale from 2025.
Taking the form of a beefy off-roader with bluff frontal styling, protective plastic cladding all round, a raised ride height and chunky off-road wheels and tyres, the 4Ever Trophy provides a fairly clear glimpse of the R4’s design, the carmaker says, although it won’t look quite so off-road oriented.
With the R4 pitched as a “B-segment” SUV, the 4Ever Trophy concept comes in with similar dimensions to the Dacia Duster and Renault Captur and some of the promised retro styling cues owing much to the R4’s tough little namesake and predecessor built between 1961 and 1994.
Retro styling
While it’s far from a carbon copy of the old 4L (one of that car’s many monikers), the 4Ever Trophy does at least retain a similar side profile (albeit raised a bit) as well as other distinctive features such as curving, trapezoidal rear windows and long unadorned front wings stretching from the front corners right back to the windscreen.
Providing another nod to the styling of the old R4 is the front-end that replaces the traditional full width grille incorporating the headlight units with a black panel featuring built-in LED matrix headlamps giving the new car a similar light signature to the Quatrelle, as the classic model was also known.
“To bring the 4Ever Trophy into the modern era, we have infused its streamlined shape with technological sophistication,” said Gilles Vidal, vice-president of design at Renault.
“All these ingredients have been carefully crafted, with a view for modernity and sophistication, so the design resonates with those who are already familiar with the 4L as it will with younger generations who may not know anything of the car’s illustrious history.”
Off-road appearance
With the old 4L having been known for its surprising off-road capability (making it a hit in places such as South America and North Africa), it’s entirely appropriate that the concept for the new model should look so ruggedised.
A large opening in the bonnet helps with cooling; there’s a spare tyre on a rack atop the carbon-fibre roof; a shovel and sand plates are attached to the rear door; the underbody has been reinforced to protect the battery pack; there’s a decent 20cm of ground clearance around the wheel arches; and each 19in wheel features a visible compressor meaning that they can be inflated or deflated from inside the car to allow it to better cope with, for example, sandy or snowy conditions.
Electric power
Whereas the original Renault 5 supermini borrowed some of the 4L’s mechanicals, this time around that’s reversed with the new R4 set to employ the same underpinnings as the upcoming electric R5 — the successor to the Renault Zoe — which is due to hit the market first.
The specifications of what will power either the R5 or R4 aren’t fully known yet, but powering the 4Ever concept is a 42kWh battery pack supplying energy to a 134bhp electric motor, which may offer a hint as to the R4 and R5’s eventual powertrain, though a lot remains to be confirmed in that regard.
The 4Ever Trophy concept went on display today (October 17) at the Paris motor show where it will sit alongside other electric concept and show cars such as the R5 (due for launch in 2024) and the recently-revealed R5 Turbo 3E drift car (above).
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- Keen to go electric? Here are the top 10 longest-range electric cars
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